librarian.net

As with last year and the year before, I tracked the libraries that I visited this year. I usually take pictures if I can. I use Daytum to track visits. The graph it produces is weird because the one big chunk is the library I work in but the other big chunk is called “twenty-four more items” which is sort of a weird way to display data. If anyone has a better lifetracker app they enjoy, please do let me know.

I went to forty-four different libraries for eighty-three visits total, I’m sure I have forgotten some. It’s a big increase over last year. Here’s the short annotated list of what I was doing in libraries last year. I have a few library photos in this Flickr photoset.

• Kimball Library, Randolph VT – this is the library where I work as an on-call part timer since I live up the street, and also where I check out books
• Hartness Library, VTC, Randolph VT – this is the good college library nearby me where anyone in the state can get a library card
• Westport, MA – the library in the town where my father lived and where I still spend a good amount of time. Great booksale.
• Fletcher Library, Ludlow VT – I was part of the e4VT program here and taught a basic skills computer class with ARRA grant money, a lovely old school library
• Ann Arbor PL, MI – gave a few talks over a few days and got to hang out here, love this place
• Milwaukee Public, WI – a library I hadn’t been to in a long time, an impressive building that maybe used to be a zoo?
• Howland Green, New Bedford MA – one of New Bedford’s “not the main library” libraries.
• Terraza PL, Austin TX – a cool little branch near where I was staying.
• UNT – Willis – got a tour, enjoyed the open spaces
• Hudson PL, MA – a small funky branch right by a river
• Chapel Hill NC – in the mall for the time being, but pretty neat for a temporary library
• Lubec, ME – lovely and small with great furniture and mosaics outside
• Central Branch, Portland OR – long been one of my favorites
• Marquette, Milwaukee WI – got a tour from a friend and saw the abandoned old entrance
• SIBL/NYPL – the best place to check email downtown
• Southworth PL, Dartmouth MA – another small branch in Southern MA
• Emily Fowler Library, Denton TX – got some local history and learned about local architecture here
• Central Branch, Austin TX – another perennial favorite – got some books for the plane
• Ryerson Library, Grand Rapids MI – an impressive library with a lot going on inside
• Pierson, Shelburne VT – underneath the town hall with a good board game collection
• Kalamazoo Public – neat and fancy, got a tour of the basement
• UNT – Eagle, Denton TX – checked out the new learning commons getting set up
• Denton North Branch, Denton TX – a weird side-of-the-highway large branch
• Kent District, Kentwood MI – neat suburban library with some cool public art and terrific views
• Bar Harbor, ME – got a tour while they were setting up for the booksale
• Lawler PL, New Bedford MA – another small New Bedford Library, sort of sad looking
• Roanoke PL, Roanoke TX – a small library doing a lot with what they had
• Twin Oaks PL, Austin TX – a fancy new little branch
• Bailey-Howe, UVM, Burlington VT – one of my faves, especially the special collections in the basement
• TWU, Denton TX – got a tour from my friend Greg and enjoyed the history and the air conditioning
• Maine State Library, Augusta ME – a great hideout after a long day conferencing
• Ransom PL, Plainwell MI – one of the little libraries we saw driving from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids
• Kilton PL, Lebanon NH – tour from my friend Virgil! Neat new branch.
• Olin College, Needham MA – tour from the head librarian, neat materials science collections
• Alling PL, Williston VT – a small library good for checking email when on the road
• Hartland VT – my friend Mary works here!
• Allegan District Library, MI – a pretty straightforward library
• Parchment PL, MI – a diaorama of the parchment factory is hidden in the basement here
• Peabody Institute, Danvers MA – a beautiful building with a lovely landscaped grounds, nice for hanging out
• Putney PL, Putney VT – warm and small with a lot going on for a teeny place
• New Bedford PL, New Bedford MA – beautiful old building sort of clunkily repurposed, always great for a visit
• Ferguson Library Stamford CT – went to a CLA event here and bought expensive books from their booksale
• Holland MI PL – fancy and with turtles
• Brooks PL Brattleboro VT – some neat open source stuff going on there, got a tour after giving a talk

Because I am a detail-oriented nerd, I track the libraries that I visit. I usually take pictures if I can. Here is my post about the 2009 visits. I’m still using Daytum to track visits and I learned they just came out with an iphone app last month. I went to twenty-six different libraries for fifty-five visits total, I’m sure I have forgotten some. Here’s the short annotated list of what I was doing in libraries last year. I have a few library photos in this Flickr photoset.

• Kimball Public library (18) – my hometown library where I often worked this year.
• Hartness/Randolph (10) – the local academic library, open late, great DVD collection.
• Howe/Hanover (2) – my favorite bigger town library, so comfy, so lovely.
• Boxboro MA (2) – my Mom’s library, great for unwinding.
• Loussac/Anchorage Pl AK(2) – went here twice when I was at AKLA, neat architecture, busy place.
• Chelmsford MA(1) – came to see Brian, stayed to do work.
• Surprise AZ (1) – on a tour with my boyfriend’s parents. Neat libraries, so unlike New England libraries.
• Stowe Free VT(1) – former workplace of my great library pal Stephanie.
• New Bedford Pl MA(1) – I was on a weird research quest and they helped me out.
• Montpelier VT(1) – popping in to check email, lovely old wood in here.
• Burnahm Library, Colchester VT (1) – on a 251 club drive, nifty busy library.
• Goddard VT(1) – for a WordPress training, home library of my friend Helen.
• Beatley/Simmons MA (1) – before I gave a public speaking workshop.
• Cambridge (1) – walking distance from my boyfriend’s place, amazing renovation.
• Peoria AZ (1) – modern and fancy but sort of empty.
• Alling/Williston, VT (1) – fun history room and a snazzy bookmobile.
• Fort Lauderdale Reading Center, FL (1) – a weird non-library in some ways, well-loved clearly.
• Jericho/Deborah Rawson VT(1) – Fireplace and wifi, a great place.
• Palm Beach State College, FL (1) – busy place, old-fashioned building but modern collection.
• N Regional/Broward County Library, FL (1) – big and bustling, a little hectic.
• Niceville Pl, FL (1) – fun design, nice people, memorable fish tank
• Waterville NY (1) – doing great things, big lovely windows and light for a small place.
• Lantana Public Library, FL(1) – old fashioned and full, great location.
• Warren Branch, Indy (1) – super busy old style library/
• Nat’l Archives – Waltham MA (1) – friendly staff helped make awkward renovations managable.
• Maynard MA (1) – last library of the year, bright and busy w/ a great book sale.

I’m a nerdy list-maker. This should come as a surprise to no one. In addition to all the other reasons I enjoy the end of the year, it’s also when I make my year-end summaries. I did a guestroom wrap-up on my personal blog. I have two bookish wrap-ups to put here. This first one is about library visits. 2009 was the first year I kept track of all my library visits in an orderly fashion. Longtime readers of this blog may remember I did library reviews in 2003. I found I had a difficult time with constructive criticism if I knew the people who worked at a library, so I stopped doing this.

This year I made 67 library visits, about one every five days. A lot of these were for work [either local work or giving talks] and the rest were either fun or curiosity. I used a website called Daytum to track my visits which was really easy. So, here’s a short annotated list of what I was doing in libraries last year.

• Aldrich/Barre (1) – killing time before dinner with friends in town. The first library in Vermont I did any work for.
• Austin (1) – LBJ library, sort of a flyby right beore it closed for the day.
• Belfast, ME (1) – a small pretty library we stopped at while on vacation
• Belmont, MA (5) – my boyfriend’s local library
• Boxboro, MA (1) – my mom and sister’s library
• Cambridge, MA (1) – got to see it after the renovations were done. It’s nice!
• Camden, ME (1) – another fancy little Maine library
• Chelmsford, MA (1) – home of the Swiss Army Librarian
• Concord, NH (1) – stopped in here during a rainstorm
• Des Moines, IA (1) – I helped change their photo policy!
• Elko, NV (1) – A small library with a great mining collection
• Hartness/Randolph VT (7) – my local college library
• Houghton Library, Harvard University (1) – special tour and Samuel Johnson exhibit
• Howe/Hanover, NH (4) – one of my favorite all-time libraries
• JFK Library, MA (1) – mostly a museum and a general disappointment
• Kimball/Randolph VT (6) – my town library, a great place
• Library of Congress (1) – thanks Dan Chudnov for the tour.
• Long Branch, NJ (1) – fun to poke around in while I was at NJLA
• Montreal, QC (1) – ducked in here during a subway bomb scare
• McGill/Montreal, QC (1) – gave a talk, saw the library
• NYPL (2) – hiding out with good wifi in the periodicals room, highly recommended
• NYPL/SIBL (1) – fancy library, right downtown
• Portland, ME (1) – another hideout from the rain
• Portsmouth, NH (1) – gave a talk and stuck around
• Rochester, VT (1) – classic small-town library in a funky old building
• Toronto, ON (1) – no wifi, sort of surprising
• Tunbridge, VT (21) – where I work most of the time
• Westport, MA (1) – my Dad’s library.