Friday, July 31, 2015

Tempe Public Library

The library has a lovely cafe, with with some book sales taking place there too

cafe - Tempe Public Library
service desk - Tempe Public Libraryand nice labelling for the service desks

You can see more photographs of the library here.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Burton Barr Central Library

This library has a new makerspace.

3D printing, Mach - ​Burton Barr Central Library
There is also a space for business entrepreneurs

hive - ​Burton Barr Central Library
You can see more photographs of the library here.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Harmon Library

This library was hard to photograph as the launch for the summer reading program was taking place and the library was packed.

outdoor reading space - Harmon LibraryThe outdoor reading space is lovely
ceiling - Harmon Library
There are more photographs of this library.

Monday, July 27, 2015

May Library

Ecollections were promoted in the library

emagazines - May Library
tech bar including 3D printer - May LibraryThe tech bar was working too
You can see more photographs of this library here.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Sheridan Library

Members of the public can request 3D prints (and these are free). The printer was working on one of these requests

3D printer - Sheridan Library
staff picks - Sheridan LibraryThe had a display of staff picks See more photographs here.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Koelbel Library

The blue and white cylinders look like sculptures, but are sound proofing
children's space - Koelbel Library
tech bar - Koelbel Library3D printing choices

You can see more photographs here.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Southglenn Library

This library has a studio, and you can also see the 3D printer (printing requests from the public - this is a free service).
The studio and tech bar - Southglenn Library
You can also borrow an impressive range of technology amazing things you can borrow - Southglenn Library
You can see more photographs here.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Castlewood Library

This library has a makerspace, which is staffed for about 4 hours a day.

makerspace - Castlewood Library
laser printing - makerspace - Castlewood Librarywith a lovely range of tools You can see more photographs here.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Friday, July 17, 2015

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Anythink Brighton

This has a studio space

3D inspiration in the studio - Anythink Brighton
outdoor space - Anythink Brighton


There is a lovely outdoor space which is well used
You can see more photographs here.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Anythink Huron Street

These stylised trees in the library are very beautiful.

trees to children's space -Anythink Huron Street
The maker space in the library is open plan, as this green wall shows green wall - Anythink Huron Street
You can see more photographs here.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Anythink Perl Mack

This is a lovely library

looking through - Anythink Perl Mack

This table has noodles on it to encourage people to make things.
building with noodles - Anythink Perl Mack
You can see more photographs here.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Douglas County Libraries in Parker

This library has a media lab

space for ebook creation - Douglas County Libraries in Parker Part of the purpose of this is for ebook creation. You can see more photographs here.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Douglas County Libraries in Highlands Ranch

This had some interesting on shelf readers advisory suggestions (which look like this)

Douglas County Libraries in Highlands Ranchhelpful advice - Douglas County Libraries in Highlands Ranch and some helpful advice on public computers You can see more photographs here.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Library 21C, CO

This is at Colorado Springs, and is one year old.  It is in a refurbished building, and shows a great commitment to making and learning.

make - Library 21C, CO with nice service desks staff service point - Library 21C, CO You can see more photographs here.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Main Library, Denver Public Library

Ecollections were visible in the library - with different ways of connecting.

You could browse for ebooks

ebooks - Main Library, Denver Public Library, CO
You can also listen to current local music (this is brilliant) local music online - Main Library, Denver Public Library, CO
You can see more photographs here.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

My review of The library innovation toolkit

The Library Innovation Toolkit: Ideas, Strategies, and ProgramsThe Library Innovation Toolkit: Ideas, Strategies, and Programs by Anthony Molaro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First up, I really wanted to like this book. I know that the three star rating does not show that I liked it a lot, but it is okay (and I seem to read a lot of books with a three star rating). It is a solid book, with some chapters deserving a 5 star rating (the work by Parkes Library is amongst these), but other chapters were not as strong. It has some good ideas and some useful library examples, and there ideas which can be used from each chapter. Maybe the timing of me reading it was wrong. There were ideas people could use in their libraries, not as many as I was expecting.

My three star rating may also be about the interpretation of the word innovation, but that is a tough idea to correctly position (for example, playing catch up is rarely innovation).

View all my reviews

Monday, July 6, 2015

Denver Art Museum

This museum was impressive, not simply for its collections, but how interactivity was being encouraged for adults as well as children.  There were several spaces for reading and thinking about exhibitions, but there were also things to do.

This show some of the set up for children for the Miro exhibition

Denver Art Museum, CO
This space was next to a textile exhibition Denver Art Museum, CO You can see more photographs here.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Museo Textil de Oaxaca

This group was crocheting items for display at the museum (and I asked their permission before photographing)

crochet group at Museo Textil de Oaxaca It was nice fit for this museum. You can see more photographs here.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Hatch, by Watertown Free Public Library

Hatch is in a mall, near an innovation space. Hatch The day I visited it, I could not photograph it all as there was a coding class held out the back.
It was promoted through the mall Hatch You can see more photographs here.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Robbins Library, Arlington, MA

This was a very nice library, with a recent addition to an earlier library.  They were promoting the Massachusetts wide ebooks collaboration,

ebooks at Robbins Library, Arlington MA
which interestingly was not being promoted in other libraries I visited there.
They are also in the growing number of libraries with bees

bee hives - Robbins Library, Arlington MA You can see more photographs of the library here.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

My review of The subversive stitch

The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the FeminineThe Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine by Rozsika Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had read this many years ago, but had decided it would be timely to reread this since I have been reading books like Craftivism, Bibliocraft, Strange material and the Bayeaux Tapestry. This one really did come first, and those other titles follow very worthily. It is a bit dated, but still a very strong book to read, and much of the anger over historical depictions is still very valid. It is still necessary reading (well, at least very strongly suggested reading) after reading some of the titles listed earlier in the review.

We still need to be angry about mis-depictions of women, and what we do, and what the history says has been done.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Biblioteca Publica Central, Oaxaca, Mexico

The library has been in this building for a couple of decades.  It was put here as part of urban renewal.

This shows the events for June on the noticeboard outside the library. Biblioteca Publica Central, Oaxaca, Mexico
There are lovely reading spaces in this library
Biblioteca Publica Central, Oaxaca, Mexico