Print yearbooks still rock

From the vantage point of the generally off-limits library balcony, I have a good view of this year's yearbook distribution. Clearly, there's still nothing like having those handwritten signatures in the physical book you take home and keep.

Things started rather quietly -


And then quickly heated up -



This blog will now go into its usual summer recess mode, pretty quiet but for a few periodic updates. Gosh, I just realized the blog is five years old.

Happy summer, everyone!

Bet you have some like these in your house

I've gotten several pointers lately to the very-fun-but-rather-distressing Awful Library Books blog. Here's the blurb:

Awfullibrarybooks.wordpress.com is a collection of the worst library holdings. The items featured here are so old, obsolete, awful or just plain stupid that we are horrified that people might be actually checking these items out and depending on the information.

I hope we've gotten rid of our worst offenders, but I took a quick look through the current batch of books we've identified for removal. Most were perfectly reasonable purchases to make when they were new, but the passage of time has definitely taken its toll. Here's one we - ahem - couldn't decide about retaining.


Don't worry, we decided.

The end is near

Today's senior prank, which mostly consisted of furniture turning up in an extremely odd assortment of places and seniors pulling suitcases on wheels behind them (in "homage" of the younger students whose parents make them use wheeled backpacks), signals the rapidly approaching end of the year. It also signals a crowded field of deadlines and tests, and therefore a pretty full library.





Not everyone is engaged in cramming, though.


P.S. A shout-out to Katy and her OG coverage of my band's visit to Music Club. We had a blast.

Homage to book reviewers

I think we have a pretty good book collection in our library, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the reviewers at Booklist magazine, my number one source for book reviews. There is no way I could ever manage all the reading it would take to know what books would be best to buy. So how do those reviewers actually do it? How can they possible keep up with the deluge of books that are published each year? The folks at AL Focus have investigated this mystery and posted their findings on the ALA YouTube channel. As the caption (below) says, prepare to be shocked and amazed.


"For over 100 years, Booklist magazine has been reading everything--so you don't have to. But how do we read that many books? For the first time ever, the intrepid editors of Booklist provide a glimpse into the their top-secret methods. Prepare to be shocked and amazed."

Don't try this at home

Well, DO try this at home, but read the safety tips carefully. Theodore Gray, author of Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home - but Probably Shouldn't, is especially good at illustrating the importance of safety measures. Should you wear safety glasses? Without a doubt:



Look Ma, all good:


Gray is the author of the Popular Science column "Gray Matter," the proprietor of periodictable.com, and, yes, a 1982 Uni High grad. This book looks seriously good. How could it not be, with chapter titles like "Experimental Cuisine," "Doomsday DIY," and "Twisted Shop Class"? The website is also worth a long look. Just be careful when you convert that Snickers Bar to rocket fuel.

Finis

A full set of hats now, thanks to Paul.

Back and sassier than ever

In February, I posted a candid shot of our founding fathers' busts deep in conversation during their temporary removal from the shelf above the reference collection. Back on their usual perch, it appears they have been busy. Besides Andrew's hat still resting atop Abe, Ben has acquired Charlotte's hat, while George is going for a more casual look. Poor Thomas remains bareheaded. We'll see who has the last laugh when the heat of summer is upon us.