månadsarkiv: januari 2025

Library of the Week (5): Mini Library at Manhattan Ave/Java St

Lämna ett svar

What to do when the library you want to visit is closed for renovation? Chances are you encounter a library surprise in the street because the world is ultimately a good place!

Library Mini library at Manhattan Ave/Java St
Place Brooklyn, NY, USA
Coordinates 40.731556, -73.954406

I was browsing through old pictures from my first trip to New York City in 2017, in search of libraries to post here. At the top of my mind was Beinecke Library because they have a similar stone facade thing going (veined marble) as the UNAM central library (tecali/Mexican onyx). I found plenty of visited libraries (more than I remembered…!) and I also found the Greenpoint Library that I didn’t visit, due to it being closed for renovations.

However, the disappointment soon turned into joy when I a few blocks from there ran into a Mini library at the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Java Street! As you can see in the picture this old newspaper box was turned into a mini library by Urban Libraries Unite. I am unfamiliar with the organisation, but I liked this mini library. I’ve seen this kind of small library appear in many places all over the world, and the initiative is usually by a city, a local library, a local community, a private person, or an organisation (as is the case here).

The fact that a library – the very epitome of shared economy and knowledge – can pop up anywhere, by anyone, shows that there is some kind of public ownership to the idea of a library. Is this the pinnacle of democracy or what?

Other brilliant things about the Greenpoint area was the bar with a Lord of the Rings marathon on New Year’s Day (this is the most brilliant thing ever and I can’t for the life of me understand why this is not a common occurence everywhere? Move over Ivanhoe!) and that they had an Aaron Swartz mural. I wonder if it’s still around?

Aaron Swartz was a brilliant computer programmer and internet activist who passed away on 11 January 2013. He was involved in development of RSS, Reddit, CC licences, and Markdown (to name a few things) and a political activist advocating for a free and open web. MIT and JSTOR will forever have a stain on their name for their role in his far too early demise.

There’s a really good documentary about Swartz, The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, that you should watch if you haven’t already. As bonus content to this post, here is my go to desktop background, as well as my inspiration and compass in my work and mission as a librarian.

"What is the most important thing you could be working on in the world right now? ... And if you're not working on that, why aren't you?"

”What is the most important thing you could be working on in the world right now? … And if you’re not working on that, why aren’t you?”

Come to think of it, maybe the library of the week – of every week – is the internet. The internet as Aaron Swartz would have designed it. I’ll end this post with another quote by Swartz:

”Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. What people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity.”

Library of the Week (4): Kallio library in Helsinki

Lämna ett svar

This week’s library is Kallio library (Berghälls bibliotek, Kallion kirjasto) in Helsinki. It’s a beautiful library in a neighbourhood formerly dominated by workers and currently dominated by hipsters paying overpriced rent. Kallio is the setting for the famous novel Pussikaljaromaani (Öl, vänskap och tärningsspel) that I read with great pleasure the second summer I lived in Helsinki.

Library Kallio Public Library
Place Helsinki, Finland
Coordinates 60.183589, 24.953620

When I visited Kallio library in the summer last year it had changed a lot from my previous visits in 2014-2015. The changes made change, considering how society develops (and libraries with it), but I did feel a sense of nostalgic longing when I was there. Coincidentally, one and a half week ago I felt for the very first time that I liked Turku more than Helsinki and that Helsinki maybe is most pleasurable through the lens of youthful innocence and sense of wonder.

A fun fact about Kallio library is that they used to have 5-stringed kanteles that you could check out with your library card – and quite possibly they still do! So if you ever feel threathened by a great pike, you know where to go.

Kallio library exterior

Kallio library exterior, with Pride flags due to Helsinki Pride taking place the same week.

Kallio library stairs 1

The stairs in Kallio library – old fashioned beauty.

Kallio library stairs 2

Kallio library, a stairway to heaven, or at least a stairway to the Stairway to Heaven record as the top floor is the music section.

Kallio library top floor

Kallio library top floor: children’s and music sections.

Kallio library view

View from the top floor of Kallio library. You can see on of Helsinki’s famous trams down the road!

Library of the Week (3): Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas at Colmex

Lämna ett svar

This week I’m doing a live post from CDMX where I’m attending the Wikimedia+Libraries International Convention (its first edition was in Dublin 2022). This will be a short but delightful post since I’m busy conferencing.

Here you can read a little bit about Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas.

Library Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas
Place Mexico City, Mexico
Coordinates 19.3040286, -99.2075279

Entrance to Daniel Cosío Villegas Library

Entrance Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas.

Library interior and globe closeup

Library interior and globe closeup – Sweden chipped away :< The library is a place for reflection.

Details from the library interior: your place to write, a time capsule, and an interesting way to avoid managing money in the information desk. "Silence"

Details from the library interior: your place to write, a time capsule, and an interesting way to avoid managing money in the information desk. ”Silence”.

A friend, a model of Colmex, an interior shot including library panopticon

A friend, a model of Colmex, an interior shot including library panopticon.

Library interior

Library interior with ominous portrait. I like how the library offices are in the library room! Very present.

Bonus picture because I like the yellow and I love university merch. It’s a thing.

Colmex merch

Colmex merch selection

Library of the Week (2): Savonlinna Main Library ”Joeli”

Lämna ett svar

Welcome to this new segment – we’ll see how long it lasts. Like many ”start of the new year” initiatives this may trickle out soon. This has been on my mind for a while, and what I’ve really wanted to do is to create my own library map of the world featuring all the libraries I’ve visited. Usually when I travel somewhere I try to visit a public library (or other types of libraries, but public libraries are usually the more interesting libraries because of their local flavour) and over the years I’ve seen quite a few. I take pictures, notes and then it all goes to the digital graveyard on my laptop. This is an attempt to resuscitate my library experiences – maybe they can inspire someone else too!

Exterior of Savonlinna Main Library "Joeli"

Exterior of Savonlinna Main Library ”Joeli”

Library Savonlinna Main Library ”Joeli”
Place Savonlinna, Finland
Coordinates 61.872475, 28.874575

First out in my library of the week series (hehe) is Savonlinna Main Library ”Joeli”. Last summer I went on a train excursion through Karelia and Savonia in Finand. Well, I say Savonia but I really only visited Savonlinna (sv. Nyslott), easily reached by switching to railbus in Parikkala. It’s a beautiful town, probably best enjoyed in the summer, and the main library is situated a bit off from the tourist city center. Like many cities and towns around Saimaa (Finland’s largest lake) the Saimaa ringed seal makes its appearance here and there, and can be spotted on the metal decorations of the wooden building. The library was built in 2013 and therefore has many characteristics of a modern public library, in terms of light, spaces, and furniture.

Savonlinna boasts a 15th century castle built on the then borderlands between Sweden and Russia. It’s called Olofsborg (fi. Olavinlinna, named after St Olaf) and is well worth a visit, but be prepared to walk many stairs. In the summer the castle is a venue for operatic performances (sadly I didn’t attend a show as I was only there over the day). The castle being named after the Nordic patron saint is reasonably why there was a poster marketing the celebration of St Olaf’s day at the library notice board. It’s usually not celebrated in Sweden and Finland, and more often in Norway and the Faroe Islands.

Bike anarchy outside the library and a poster for St Olaf celebrations

Bike anarchy outside the library and a poster for St Olaf celebrations.

As for the contents of the library, it was quite standard. There was a library café, good selection of newspapers, and in addition to books one could also check out records and hobby equipment. Being a fan of Morrissey I usually check out the record section of the library and surprisingly often one can find the World Peace record that has been unavailable on streaming services and in record stores for ~10 years. One shouldn’t underestimate the analogue power of a public library when it comes to access to information.

Overall, a surprisingly large library for a town with a population of 32 000 people. Savonlinna is the main city in Southern Savonia and has been an important city of trade since it was founded in 1639 (making it as old as Västmanlands-Dala Nation in Uppsala). Mind you, I repeat this from memory after my visit to the excellent Savonlinna Museum, and I do seem to remember there was some controversy regarding its status as a trade city a few hundred years back, related to its proximity to the border and having been thrown between Swedish, Russian, and Finnish rule. There’s a brief overview of this in the Swedish language Wikipedia article on Savonlinna (the English language version was less detailed on the city rights). Highly recommend a visit if you’re passing by!

The main library staircase in black and white, featuring my hem and shoe.

The main library staircase in black and white, featuring my hem, shoe, and enthusiasm for its aestethics.

The oddly shaped staircase (see the angles on the library interior map I posted) was in black and white, very pleasing for the eyes. Although it looked like it could be slippery in the winter.