By Cyn D.
The building is still there, though it’s used as a “performance” space now, I believe. But the majestic marble and wood rotunda of the Main Library in downtown Chicago was a magic portal, a grand and sacred space. The huge rooms surrounding the rotunda offered not just books but movies, vinyl recordings of the jazz greats and classics of all genres, art work you could actually take home and place on your own walls…amazing treasures.
By Alice Eng
[alert-info]Recently, we issued a challenge to all those who planned to attend the Charleston Conference this November. Answer a question in 1,000 to 1,500 words, and when a travel scholarship to attend the 2014 conference. While, we received many thoughtful responses, our far-and-above favorite came from Alice Eng, Electronic Resources Librarian at the University of North Florida. This is her winning essay in response to our question: “What is the best way for library resources to be integrated into the university or college curriculum, and how, in your opinion, could this be achieved?”[/alert-info]
Read moreIntegrating Library Resources into the College Classroom
By Julie M. My daughter is a senior in high school and she could not have survived without our public library. The online resources have been a life-saver; she’s found current events, multiple sources for obscure art history projects, and she did most of her SAT prep through the library’s database. She’s such a fan … Read more
By Kristen G. I always was at the library when I was little. We biked there, almost, daily in the summers. I loved being able to walk around and look at all kinds of things. We felt very ‘adult’ being in the adult section, sitting at tables, doing our homework. Once I had kids, I … Read more
By Nikki P. I grew up in a very small town, a village of 1200 people. Our town only had two stop lights and the library was right near one of them. I lived about 3 miles from the public library, and used to spend every few days there in the summer. I would ride … Read more
By Jennifer B. As a recent college graduate, I could not afford internet access or a computer, and I lived far away from family. A friend told me about an amazing job opportunity and my local library gave me the resources to be able to apply for the job online and to take out books … Read more
By Marissa O. I was fortunate to grow up in Portland Oregon, with a very healthy public library system- The Multnomah County Library. There were branches in almost every community, including the two I grew up in. My parents took us there weekly, if not more often. For as far back as I can remember, … Read more
By Jim G. With our youngest son Jack I started a new family tradition: “Libs Night.” Every Tuesday evening we would go to our local community library to read together, read separately, or just enjoy an evening surrounded by books. One step leads to another: I was elected to our Library Board of Trustees, became … Read more
Gale is continually updating and adding new content to our In Context products, ensuring that they offer timely, authoritative, useful information. The items below were added or updated during the week of September 29, 2014.
Read moreProduct Updates: New In Context content for 09/29/14
By Mark H.
I grew up in a library, literally. Not long after I was born, my mother got her degree in library sciences along with a teaching credential for elementary school. From as early as I can remember, I was at my mom’s side as she filed the card catalog, re-shelved books, and managed the rudimentary computer lab in the library of the elementary school I attended. When my class visited the school library regularly throughout the week, I called the librarian “Mrs. Martin” instead of “mom” so that the other students wouldn’t find out about our relation. This was partly to deter favoritism, but it helped me feel like less of a square by all my classmates knowing my mom was our librarian.