Category: BPL News & Information

Categories
BPL News & Information

We See You: Defining Your Library Personality

by Public Service Associate & Content Coordinator Hannah

How would you describe your library persona? 

Are you a social butterfly? Popping by once a week (or more), you know staff members’ names, and we know what day/time it is based on your arrival. Perhaps you leisurely read the newspaper before catching up on book recommendations, or you relish receiving the latest program guide and eagerly register for events. I see you wearing a beloved Summer Community Read or brand new Centennial t-shirt telling everyone how much you love BPL. 

the library patron at leisure

Or are you an adventurous, free-roaming browser like me? Our only plan is to show up with a tote. After all, this lovely place has so many books, films, and board games to explore. We often take home a new genre alongside a work of art or ukulele. We may say things like, “This book found me when I needed it most.”

Perhaps you’re a make-a-list and stick-to-it kind of patron? You come in for what’s trending on #BookTok. You know exactly who and where your go-to authors are. Your curated monthly Personalized Pick bundle is waiting on the holds shelf. Sometimes, one of our displays manages to catch your eye or a waitlist is so long you need to grab something off the new shelf. But on most visits, you leave with what you researched and requested.

Or maybe you are the technologically frustrated type? You know our tech librarian by first name. You appreciate a home delivery. Once-in-a-blue-moon you come in to use the printers. 

These personas do not begin to describe everyone who calls BPL their library. No matter your style, we love having you here.

Categories
BPL News & Information Programs Youth Services

Get Ready for a Summer Full of Adventure at Your Library!

By Youth Services Manager Julie

With Bexley Public Library’s Summer Community Read theme, “100 Years of Adventure,” we’re marking the library’s centennial birthday and celebrating the endless adventures that await you in the stories you hear, books you read, movies you see, and people you meet at your library.

Continue reading “Get Ready for a Summer Full of Adventure at Your Library!”
Categories
BPL News & Information Recommendations

Preservation

by Public Service Associate & Creative Content Coordinator Hannah

Did you miss Preservation Week? Don’t worry, it will be here next year!

My bad jokes aside, preservation – an umbrella term for activities that reduce or prevent damage to extend the life of things – can easily slip one’s mind. But a recent trip to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Library of Congress thoroughly renewed my appreciation for preservationists and collecting institutions. In this BPL blog post, I hope to get you to think about, thank them, and as always share some great books.

Continue reading “Preservation”
Categories
BPL News & Information Programs

Celebrate 100 Years of Lifelong Learning at Bexley Public Library!

By Library Director Ben Heckman

Bexley Public Library is excited to be celebrating our 100th birthday this year, and we are honored to share this once-in-a-lifetime birthday with the wonderful community we’ve been honored to serve for more than a century. While April marks the start of our many celebratory festivities, we invite you to join us for the host of engaging authors, talented musicians, inspiring artists, and more that will join us throughout the year.

Continue reading “Celebrate 100 Years of Lifelong Learning at Bexley Public Library!”
Categories
BPL News & Information staff favorites

Secondhand Treasures

by Public Service Associate Hannah

“A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness, this unmistakable smell is as much a part of the book as its contents.”

~ Matija Strlic, lead scientist behind a 2009 study to find what is behind the smell of old books

It is once again Friends of the Bexley Public Library (FOL) book sale season! This twice-annual event sees the auditorium filled with neat rows of romance novels and science fiction, picture books, biographies, cookbooks, and more. So why would I, someone who already spends my days surrounded by audiobooks, music CDs, and titles that I can borrow for free, visit this facsimile of our book stacks? The allure of the unknown secondhand treasure of course! 

Continue reading “Secondhand Treasures”
Categories
Bexley History BPL News & Information Programs

Let’s Celebrate Family History Month!

by Public Service Associate Juliana

The U.S. has commemorated Family History Month every October since 2001 when Congress passed a resolution for its annual observance. Did you know that here at the Bexley Public Library we have our very own Memory Lab for preserving photos, documents, and audiovisuals into a digital format? The lab features a photo scanner, VHS converter, slide/negative scanner, and more. Come cross something off your to-do list this October and preserve your family’s history for future generations. 

Continue reading “Let’s Celebrate Family History Month!”
Categories
Bexley History BPL News & Information Online Resources

The Torch – Newly Digitized

by Public Service Associate Owen

Bexley Public Library is happy to announce that The Torch digital collection is now live and accessible to the public! The Torch, Bexley High School’s student newspaper, has been a fixture of the high school and of the greater Bexley community for nearly a century. First published in October of 1925, The Torch has since received multiple awards for its excellence in student journalism. And now, thanks to the digitization efforts led by our Local History Librarian David Distelhorst, there are hundreds of early edition copies of The Torch, now accessible to the public, that contain a bounty of fascinating insights into Bexley and its history. I hope to feature some of my personal favorite editions of The Torch from this collection, as well as share a little bit about how The Torch works and how it has affected me in a positive way.

Continue reading “The Torch – Newly Digitized”
Categories
BPL News & Information Recommendations

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library

by Youth Librarian Kelly

Did you know that Hispanic Heritage Month first began in 1968, but it only lasted for one week? Then in 1988, it was expanded to a whole month. September 15 is of special significance because many countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – celebrate their independence. Throughout the month and beyond, it’s a great time to learn more about the traditions, history, and contributions of people of Hispanic and Latin American descent.

Continue reading “Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library”
Categories
BPL News & Information

Banned Books – A History

by Public Service Associate Owen

Yesterday marked the beginning of Banned Books Week, a week that aims to celebrate the freedom of literary expression. Book censorship is a rising problem in the United States, with the American Library Association reporting an “unprecedented” number of book challenges, as well as The New York Times dictating in January that “parents, activists, school board officials and lawmakers around the country are challenging books at a pace not seen in decades.” For whatever the reason, there has been a consistent rise in censorship attempts; Banned Books Week is an effort to both raise awareness in opposition to these attacks on literary freedom and to celebrate the books that have been targeted. I hope to lay out a brief history of book censorship, especially in the United States, to provide context as to why this week is so critical.

Continue reading “Banned Books – A History”
Categories
BPL News & Information Programs Recommendations

Summer Gardening

by Public Service Associate Owen

Other than the shock of spring, summer is far and away the most verdant time of year. It is the perfect time to get the overalls on, find your gardening gloves and trowel, and spend hazy days in the garden. If you’re the sort of person who finds fulfilment on your knees in the soil, or even if you simply appreciate a good house plant, then this blog is for you! I’d like to highlight our extensive plant and gardening section here at the library, as well as shout out a fantastic event we’re having here involving plants and gardening that you won’t want to miss!

Continue reading “Summer Gardening”