get out

I think I've been hearing the collective sighs of relief in the city as people finally, tentatively started to emerge from hibernation and believe in the reality of spring.  (Perfect stoop sitting weather!)

If you're like me, warmer temperatures get you itching to travel. That's one of the fun parts of this job--when I'm scouting for books for the library, I get to fantasize about where I (and you) might want to go, and provide you a travel guide to get there. Our collection is heavy on Lonely Planet and Rough Guides to be sure, but one book that heads off the beaten path is Ayun Holliday's "Zinester's Guide to NYC."   The author (who's a zinemaker herself) has a great subject to work with, and she doesn't disappoint. Places to eat are primary on her list (with some excellent vegetarian and vegan choices), but then she also highlights bookstores, comic books stores, thrift shops, green spaces (including cemeteries), and various odds and ends (like where to go in a heat wave) that will make you feel like a local. Plenty of coffeeshops are highlighted in it too.

In her forward, Ayun encourages people to make a one-shot zine about their NY trips and mail it to her.  If you borrow the book and feel so inspired, drop off a copy to us too, and we'll add it to our zine shelf.

Sunrise

Science fiction is a large part of our collection, and we're proud to include local author and Temple English professor Samuel Delany's "Fall of the Towers".  The book's been called "quirky and compelling." Check it out for yourself and see if you agree.

Numbering the pages

For the past few years, there's been a lot written about the future of publishing.  Some say that the major presses are on their way out.  Others say that all print publishing is going the way of the dinosaur, and that digital books will soon be the majority.  Others point to the growth of indie presses and the opening of new bookstores and see a re-visioning of the publishing industry.

I definitely don't have the answers.  I know that as a librarian, I see an increased usage in Kindles and tablets. Lots of people checking out e-books from the library. Some people moving away from reading full books, and taking more time to read blogs and feeds and writing online.

I also know that Friday night, at Vice's First Friday event, I saw lots of people browsing through our library, holding books in their hands, exclaiming over old favorites or getting excited about titles they hadn't seen before. I catalogued books and watched quietly over the top of my laptop the other day as a guy relaxed and lingered with his coffee and one of our graphic novels. The staff tells me stories of books checked out with enthusiasm, fines delayed ("can I keep it just a little while longer?"), moments of serendipitous browsing.

So it may be anecdotal, my sample size might be small, and of course publishing and readers will evolve, but I'm hard-pressed to believe that print books, with their heft and spines and dog-eared pages, are going away anytime soon.

What do you think?

Circles

One of the shop's owners found this one---fascinating and beautiful. Only wish the photos and illustrations were in color!

Inked

My latest book-buying excursion took me to Locust Moon Comics in West Philly.  I was impressed by the wide range of their titles, the friendliness and knowledge of the owners, and their two sweet, fluffy cats.  (All booklovers know that having a cat is a sign of a real bookstore.  Having two is pretty exceptional.)

I picked up a Love and Rockets compilation, as well as the first collection of Strangers in Paradise.  I was eyeing the Cerebus compilations too, but we might have to wait a bit for those.

What graphic novels would you like to see in our library?  What authors/titles are you reading (old or new) that we should be checking out right now?