#California State Library

[deadpresidents]

Can you recommend any active history blogs?

I don't follow all that many blogs, so I'm sure some of my readers can share their recommendations in the replies. Of the blogs that I do follow, here are a few activate sites that regularly update with some great material:

•The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum (@richardnixonlibrary)

•The California State Library (@californiastatelibrary)

•The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library (@fdrlibrary)

•Today's Document from the National Archives (@todaysdocument)

•The National Archives (@usnatarchives)

I really wish that the LBJ Library (@lbjlibrary) still updated their Tumblr regularly because they used to post some interesting stuff. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum (@fordlibrarymuseum) has also been inactive for a few months, but they were one of my favorite things to see on my dashboard when they posted regularly. A few years ago, the National Archives actually started an awesome Tumblr called Our Presidents (@ourpresidents) that was like the mothership for all of the other Presidential Library blogs in the NARA's Presidential Library system. It was a GREAT idea and one of my favorite blogs, but it just stopped posting a couple years ago. I wish they would get that one going again. I think those inactive sites still have their old posts and archives available, so you can still go back and see what we're missing.

Like I said, I'm sure some of my readers have better suggestions than I do about this that they can share in the replies, so what are some of your favorite history blogs?

[msilverstar]

"Official Tumblr account of the California State Library. (Seriously.)"

Riding into the weekend like...“Woman on Ostrich,” 1922.

[auraofdawn]

me collecting library cards in Libby like the infinity stones to assemble enough catalogs to find any book I want whenever I want

[intothestacks]

The ALA has reached out to offer support to the California Library Association. We urge everyone to join us in supporting those impacted by these devastating wildfires.

Here are a few ways you can help:

Donate money to local relief efforts and to the ALA Disaster Relief Fund for damaged or destroyed libraries. We will work with the ALA Chapter to distribute funds.

Volunteer your time to local libraries and organizations mobilizing to assist those in need.

Advocate for policies and funding that ensure libraries can continue their critical work during and after disasters.

Together, we can reinforce our communities’ resilience. Libraries are pillars of support in times of need. Let us work united in our commitment to ensure that our libraries, schools, universities, and museums remain strong and accessible for all.

[nuttysaladtree]

@californiastatelibrary do you have a similar email list?

Stay Informed: Library Legislation

Haaaave you heard about Indiana Freadom to Read? Probably not! It's a brand new tool from the Indiana Library Federation to help Hoosiers stay in the know about Indiana legislation concerning libraries.

And before you ask, no, there's nothing (new) to be alarmed about right now (right now being April 2024). Which makes it a good time to get on their mailing list - so you'll know ASAP if something does come up.

Emails should be infrequent (we hope we hope we hope). You can also follow them on their socials if that's more your thing.

People ask us all the time what they can do to support libraries. This is an easy step to take that'll help you stay informed!

[strongbookthoughts]

Notes on Knitting California by Nancy Bates

Hhhnnnnng. Just. Look at that cover. Is that not absolutely gorgeous???

Yeah, so I saw this book at a yarn show last fall, and it's the reason that I wanted to learn stranded color work in the first place. At the time, I had a pretty limited budget, so I bought yarn and trusted that the book would be waiting for me later.

And I found out last week that my library system had several copies of the book, so needless to say, I smashed that hold button like it was bubble wrap. And then the only reason I didn't speed on my way to pick it up today was 'cuz my neighbor drove. (We are errand buddies. I highly recommend having an errand buddy!)

Right, so while I do madly adore California poppies, that's not the pattern that made me lose my mind. It's this one.

So.... yah, I need to make that. But I gotta learn a new skill first. Also, my mom wants to make it (tho maybe by converting the chart to crochet??) so I need a copy for her.

So, anyway, I'm clearly mad for the colorwork patterns in this book, but there are a few patterns that are cabled instead. There are also a few colorwork patterns that have a smidge of cabling to create a texture that supports the vibe of each hat.

I also like how each pattern has a 2-3 page introduction about the significance of each landmark or natural phenomenon that inspired a pattern. I know a decent amount of the trivia in the book, but there were still a few bits here and there that were new to me.

So is the book going to be good for people who aren't California dreamin'? Yeah, I think so. Maybe not every single pattern, but some of the patterns inspired by nature are just lovely out of context.

On the other hand, the author also created beanie patterns for every single national park. You can get those separately or all in one book as well. Check out the website here!

[escapismsworld]

📍Carolands Château, Hillsborough, California, United States of America 🇺🇸

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 559

Historical Atlas of the United States

Derek Hayes

University of California Press 2007

You’d think a person with this many cartography books wouldn’t get lost as often as I do. (Is there a correlation between my predilection for cartography and the fact that I have absolutely no sense of direction?) Really, I think this is the last one, but I can’t swear to it. I don’t see any more, but that doesn’t mean much. By my count, this is my third book by Hayes. So, I don’t know what else to say. They’re all pretty, well laid out, informative, interesting, and thoughtful. And they all have great maps, so what else is there?

[chiropteracupola]

The love of the Wanderer is to wanderers.

[itgetsbetter]

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ GOOD queer news for the TL: a bunch of students across the U.S. are using grants to make their schools more welcoming for LGBTQ+ youth

Queer students deserve to feel safe at school! We're in our third year of giving grants to put the power in their hands to make their schools more welcoming - students know what they need most in their own communities and their own schools.

Through 50 States, 50 Grants, 5,000 Voices, we've awarded over $1.5 million in grants across the U.S. to support student-led projects. Our third season has some of the most badass projects yet, like these:

❤️ “With this grant, we’ll establish an LGBTQIA+ community space in the library, open to all students, with guest speakers, arts and crafts, LGBTQIA+ books and literature, and LGBTQIA+-specific resources.” - Pocatello, Idaho

🧡 “Our project aims to support LGBTQ+ students through teacher training, development of gender-neutral bathroom protocols, and the organization of a district-wide Queer Prom.” - Gypsum, Colorado

💛 “We’ll take students from the 3 middle schools and our local high school to Honolulu Pride to make local LGBTQ+ friends, feel accepted in a large group, and see the community beyond just school.” - Ewa Beach, Hawai'i

💚 “We’re going to increase access to queer literature by working with a local nonprofit to expand our school’s collection, host storytelling events, and foster community connection." - Mobile, Alabama

💙 “Our plan is to create new Inclusivity Zones across the state in critical areas for local GSA clubs to meet, plan shared events, and be their own safe space.” - Charleston, West Virginia

💜 “We’ll host the Rainbow Youth Summit for LGBTQIA+ youth from across southern California to network, learn, and have fun in a safe, judgement free and supportive environment.” - Cathedral City, California

These students are truly the definition of making things better - you can see the rest of the amazing projects lined up across the country on our blog here!

[cynicalclassicist]

God, that's... creepy, seeing Nixon's head melting and becoming even more jowly.

He's just sitting there... ✨menacingly✨

Please enjoy meeting our resident Slowly Melting Wax Nixon Head, he lives in the California History Room and he does not have eyes.

[rainbows-caught-on-film]

I miss California...

[tmblriscompleteshit]

President George HW Bush, with former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California - November 6, 1991.

[aanews69]

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[linusjf]

Pat Nixon: Sacrifice

Photo of First Lady Pat Nixon (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “I have sacrificed everything in my life that I consider precious in order to advance the political career of my husband. “ —Pat Nixon.

[luulapants]

Adding into the discussion of the incarcerated young people fighting fires in California:

I can think of no place worse than prison for emotionally stunting or regressing a person or for dismantling their ability to make good decisions.

You take an adult or child who maybe has exhibited some antisocial behaviors, right? So you remove them from whatever community and support network they have, put enormous financial and logistical barriers between them and any communication with that community. Incarcerate them hours from home in a place not accessible by train or plane with narrow visiting hours that conflict with people's work schedules, and maybe you're fighting to prevent in person visits at all, maybe you got a kickback from a company selling expensive video call visits so people can't even hug their kids when they drive 6 hours on a Wednesday to see them. Get a kickback from a phone service provider that's going to charge extortionate prices for every minute a person spends talking to their loved ones, and if the state passes a law saying you can't do that anymore, pivot and go after the mail. Subvert USPS. Get a kickback from a company that'll give prisoners shitty scans of letters or refuse to deliver it because it was flagged for drug contamination by a machine with a 70% false positive rate, force them instead to send texts at extortionate rates through their proprietary app.

Put them in an environment with a bunch of other people with social issues and force them to compete for resources. Give them no mental healthcare. If they are victimized by other prisoners, punish the victims with solitary confinement. Transfer people around so they can't form meaningful long-term friendships. Tell them that once they get out, it will be illegal for them to talk to any of the people they meet here.

Hire guards who have no qualifications other than a willingness to be a modern day slave overseer or the ignorance to not realize that's what it is, give them complete control over every aspect of other people's lives and tell them those people want to kill them and that any object can be covered in drugs so dangerous that touching them can kill. Allow the guards to traffic drugs into the prison with impunity. Have the guards discourage racial mixing because racial conflict in the prison means the prisoners won't join up against the staff.

You do all of this and you ask if a 20-year-old, who's been in the system since 14, is emotionally mature or psychologically healthy enough to choose to risk their life in exchange for slightly better living arrangements.

You take someone who has probably made some bad decisions, right? And you put them in a place where every detail of every day is decided for them: what they eat, when they eat, when they sleep, where they sleep, what clothes they wear, who they talk to, where they work. Or maybe you give them big decisions that have no right answer. Maybe at the start of the day, you open the cells and they have 10 minutes to decide if they want to be stuck in their cell all day - no shower, no recreation, no library - or go outside and be stuck in genpop all day - no napping, no alone time, no escape if someone is hassling you. You let them decide if they're going to eat breakfast at 3am (because there's too many meal shifts) or sleep in and spend their precious commissary funds on toaster strudel (they have no toaster) or sleep in and not eat even though you're barely giving them 1000 calories a day. You let them start to make decisions about how to spend their day, then you put them on lockdown, take all those decisions away.

You do all this and then you ask if anyone who's spent time in this environment has the decision-making skills to choose to risk their life in exchange for slightly better living arrangements.

All of the incarcerated firefighters in California are 18 or older, and all of them volunteered, but there is no world in which they were adequately prepared to make that decision.