You may have noticed a few of our librarians' shining faces around town lately on buses, billboards, subway placards, and more, as part of our ad campaign in partnership with ADLOOP. We thought you may want to get to know a little more about these awesome information gurus who smile back at you every day on your commute home. You've met Adam, K-Fai, and Tiffany. It's now Karin's turn in the spotlight!

Your favorite thing about your job:
I imagine that some form of the answer “because I like helping people” will show up at some point, so ditto that sentiment. My personal addition would be finding amazingly neat things almost every day. For instance, I opened up a box I thought held spare tissue paper only to discover a rhinestone-encrusted headdress that was worn by actress and dancer Gilda Gray in the 1922 Ziegfeld Follies. And no, though I was very tempted, I didn’t try it on.

Your librarian superpower:
I ever so lovingly joke that I am a fount of useless knowledge. Now, in reality, I don’t consider any knowledge to be useless, so I suppose I should say that my librarian superpower is the ability to remember weird and esoteric facts, though not always at the moment that I need them. When it’s working, I’m a great person to have on your pub quiz team. When it’s not, well, that’s just frustrating for everyone.

Most pervasive (and incorrect) librarian stereotype:
There are a lot of them out there, but I think the one I hear most (besides “you don’t look like a librarian”) is people saying how lucky I am because I get to read all day. There are days that I wish that were the case. But in reality, being a librarian is about people. Yes, it’s also about the materials we work with, but what I do, what we do, is match patrons up with those materials and give them the tools to find items they need in the future. Reading is something I do both because I love it and to support my work, but it’s something I only rarely get to do as a part of my job during my work hours. Besides, it’s far more comfortable to read curled up on my couch than sitting at the reference desk.

Most pervasive (and, okay, maybe a *little* correct) librarian stereotype:
Be they paperback, hardback, audio, electronic, or some other format, we like books. We also really like talking about books and sharing them with everyone.  

Insider tip about the Theatre Collection:
This is only an insider tip because so few people know about the Collection (unfortunately). The Theatre Collection deals with a lot more than just theatre. We also have reference books and archival material on film, especially early American film, television, radio, vaudeville, burlesque, circus, puppetry, and other kinds of popular entertainment.  

As for something a little more particular, I’d say for people to keep in mind that a lot of the non-book material in the Collection isn’t searchable via our online catalog and as of right now we only have a few finding aids up, though we’re working on that as best we can.  So if you’re doing research in the subjects we cover, don’t hesitate to send me an email or call to find out what we have available. You never know what I might find, and there’s nothing I like more than sharing the treasures in the Collection. But no, I’m sorry, you can’t try on the headdress, either.

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Today marks what would have been acclaimed children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak’s 85^th birthday. Check out today’s whimsical Google Doodle that celebrates Sendak’s life and legacy as one of the most important children’s book artists of the 20^th century. His revolutionary approach to children’s literature—in which he “wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying, and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche” (New York Times)—earned him a plethora of awards, including the Caldecott Medal (for Where the Wild Things Are), the National Book Award (for Outside Over There), and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children’s literature. The Free Library has plenty of copies of Sendak’s books, and we encourage you take the time to share one with your little one or re-read an old favorite of your own!

For even more Maurice Sendak goodness, check out his collected works at The Rosenbach Museum & Library. (The Rosenbach and the Free Library Foundation jointly announced their intent to merge this past April.) The Rosenbach holds more than 10,000 works of art, manuscripts, books, and ephemera of Sendak’s, including original color artwork from books—such as Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, The Nutshell Library, Outside Over There, and Brundibar—never-before-seen working materials; and rare, unpublished sketches. Learn more about the Rosenbach’s Maurice Sendak Collection, and be sure to check out their upcoming exhibition, The Night Max Wore His Suit: 50 Years of Wild Things!

Tags: Children's books

You may have noticed a few of our librarians' shining faces around town lately on buses, billboards, subway placards, and more, as part of our ad campaign in partnership with ADLOOP. We thought you may want to get to know a little more about these awesome information gurus who smile back at you every day on your commute home. You've met Adam and K-Fai so far. Now, say hello to Tiffany!

Your favorite thing about your job:
Interacting with all sorts of people and hopefully providing them with information that will help improve their lives or sending them out with a really good book (which is also also life improving!)

Your librarian superpower:  
The ability to pinpoint the title of the book with no name

Most pervasive (and incorrect) librarian stereotype:
That we are demure and reserved

Most pervasive (and, okay, maybe a *little* correct) librarian stereotype:
We love order and cardigans!!

Insider tip about the South Philadelphia Library:
We have an expansive DVD collection including blockbusters, classics, Criterion, foreign, and obscure... all free with your library card!

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You may have noticed a few of our librarians' shining faces around town lately on buses, billboards, subway placards, and more, as part of our ad campaign in partnership with ADLOOP. We thought you may want to get to know a little more about these awesome information gurus who smile back at you every day on your commute home. Last week, you met Adam. Now, say hello to K-Fai!

Your favorite thing about your job:
I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to work at the ground level with people. Hot Spots are unique library locations because they're embedded within community centers. Every day I interact with people from the North Philadelphia community in a new and unique way--but it’s on their turf. My job is focused around helping people learn how to use computers and the internet. Many people who come in have never used a mouse before. There’s nothing better than helping someone successfully do something for the first time, like apply for a job or write a résumé. I love cheerleading people through the job application process, because more often than not, applying for jobs can be so discouraging and arduous, particularly when you’re not comfortable using a computer or the internet. I love being able to say “great job” to someone who has overcome a huge learning obstacle--we celebrate every success in the Hot Spot at The Village of Arts and Humanities, regardless of how big or small.

Your computer superpower:
My superpower? I can help someone to write an amazing résumé in 30 minutes--even if they’ve never had a job before.
 
Most pervasive (and incorrect) stereotype about techies:
I think the most incorrect stereotype about techies is that we fixate on minutiae and can’t see “the big picture,” which also means that we’re so detail-driven that we completely lack social skills. It’s not true--I love engaging patrons on all levels, and sometimes you accomplish more with a conversation than by sitting on the internet for an hour.
 
Most pervasive (and, okay, maybe a *little* correct) stereotype about techies:
That we try to push resources on you. We want to help!
 
Insider tip about the Free Library’s digital resources:
AP Images is a great resource to use copyright-free images to create flyers, greeting cards, and more. We use it to help people who want help with graphic design projects. It looks a lot better than clip art!
 

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You may have noticed a few of our librarians' shining faces around town lately on buses, billboards, subway placards, and more, as part of our ad campaign in partnership with ADLOOP. We thought you may want to get to know a little more about these awesome information gurus who smile back at you every day on your commute home. So without further ado, meet Adam!

Your favorite thing about your job:
It’s very satisfying when patrons approach me with questions, curiosities, or in-depth research problems, and I am able to lead them successfully to an answer. Or alternatively, introduce them to new voices weighing in on the topic. Not only is it satisfying to help someone come to those breakthrough moments, but it’s also rewarding to be learning all the time with them.

Your librarian superpower:
Dudes, I’m the people's professor. You’ve been to school. It’s the law after all. Maybe you’ve been to university, or are taking classes now. I know for a fact that teachers and professors have wielded their own position of power against you as a matter of course. Well, my librarian superpowers include the fact that I’m an educator who has no unnatural authority over you. At least no authority beyond my duty to ensure that everyone else in the community can share in the skills we have and the resources we can unlock. If you have the desire to learn, I will join you in your quest.

Most pervasive (and incorrect) librarian stereotype:
I find the idea that we would somehow be scared of the internet hilarious and a little bit sad. It’s as preposterous as a doctor being afraid of nanotechnology or an MRI device. All technologies are tools that make us more powerful at what we do. The folks who think the internet will replace libraries let alone librarians rather than strengthen the two are living in a cave. They are mistaking the flickering of shadows on the walls for the life out in the sunshine. Or something like that.

Most pervasive (and, okay, maybe a *little* correct) librarian stereotype:
Shushing. For a minute it was hip in the professional literature to rag on quiet. I do profoundly agree that the library ought to be a place of collaboration, but a public space where contemplation, reflection, and quiet study can be had is essential too. Basically, I’m excited to witness the conversations that are constantly sparked in the library, but I’m also not afraid to ask you to take your phone call and at least some of your drama outside.

Insider tip about the Music Department:
First and foremost, the librarians who work in the Music Department are extremely knowledgeable and fluent masters of the full spectrum of musical discourses. When you see one of us working at the Reference Desk, please don’t be shy about asking us questions. You’re never interrupting. We’re all enthusiastic about questions big and small.

Secondly, there’s a wealth of print, audio, and digital resources behind the scenes that we can unearth for you. If you stop by to ask, we can reveal everything from lost tunes buried in fakebooks and Tune-Dex cards, to vinyl records not yet digitally catalogued, and on to print or digital journals and magazines and the indexes that get you deep into them.

Finally, recently we’ve been experimenting with a friendly sort-of book club for musicians we’ve been calling Readings from the Chamber Music Collection. This collection represents complete part sets for about 30,000 or so works from the across the chamber music repertoire. Musicians have been forming impromptu groups, checking out the music to take home, and then gathering once a month at the library to “read” through works or movements of works. They form new connections, put together new ensembles, and then the process repeats. Audiences are welcome to check out the Readings.  The next one is Sunday, May 26, after that it’s the second to last Sunday of each month 2:00-3:00 p.m. in Room 108 next to the Home Page Café.
 

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