#LibrariesOfTumblr

[ai-adventurer]

Journey to the Floating Libraries of Elara

Hey, adventurers! 

Today, I’m taking you on a journey to a place that exists somewhere between reality and the dreams of every book lover: the Floating Libraries of Elara.

These libraries aren’t your typical brick-and-mortar buildings. No, on Elara, the libraries are alive. They float gracefully in the sky, drifting between the clouds like ships on an endless sea. Each island is unique, with its own architectural style that reflects the nature of the knowledge it holds. Some are grand and towering, with spires that reach toward the stars, while others are humble, nestled among lush greenery and vibrant flowers. But all of them are filled with books, scrolls, and manuscripts from every corner of the multiverse. 

I chose the Orb of Lost Legends, and before I knew it, I was standing on the Isle of Forgotten Myths. The island was covered in mist, with ancient stone pathways winding through dense forests of towering trees. The library here was a magnificent ruin, its walls covered in ivy and moss, with bookshelves that seemed to grown out of the very ground. As I explored, I found stories that had been lost to time — tales of heroes and monsters, of gods and mortals, of worlds that had long since faded from memory.

But Elara isn’t just a place for passive reading. The stories here have a life of their own. As I read through a particularly old and weather tome, the words began to glow, lifting off the page and swirly around me. Suddenly, I was no longer in the library, but in the world of the story of itself, experiencing it firsthand. I fought alongside legendary warriors, navigated treacherous landscapes, and even outwitted a few cunning tricksters along the way. 

After what felt like days — though time works differently on Elara — I returned to the Great Index, my mind buzzing with the adventures I had just lived. As I stood there, looking out at the other floating islands, I realized that Elara is more than just a repository of knowledge. It’s a living, breathing testament to the power of stories, a place where imagination is not just encouraged, but celebrated.

Until our next adventure, keep dreaming, keep exploring, and never stop seeking out the magic in the world around you. 

Peej Ai

[southwestcollectionarchives]

This week's #WFHArchives features Robert Weaver, Southwest Collection Manuscript Archivist, and details his harrowing escape from our archive back in March.

“I was one of the last people in the building in March before campus closed. Our Registrar and Associate Dean didn't want me to leave the exhibit case we were cleaning out. Not for quarantine reasons, but because that's long been the dream of every single one of my co-workers. I'd like to say I overpowered the Registrar and made my escape, but I'm not sure that's humanly possible. Using only a spoon and a transcript of that one documentary about Andy Dufresne, I dug my way out. Now I perch in a quiet, secluded Bat Cave full of guitars, a mouse pad facsimile of The Dude's Rug, and my favorite thing on this Earth: whiteboards.

If the world must know what real, legitimate work I'm doing, then by all means imagine me daily plugging away at updating the XML in our many outdated finding aids, as well as creating new finding aids for long-hidden collections. This is in between conference calls with Texas Archival Resources Online and other archival entities, all of whom are helping me make sure that patrons still know what research materials we have...even if they can't get their hands on them for a few more weeks.

Oh, also, I'm thrilled beyond measure that Dr. Elissa Stroman has taken over social media duties for the duration of these strange days. Send her all your appreciation. Encourage her to take on the responsibility full-time. If she does so, I'll personally buy all of you a calzone for lunch.”

** note from Elissa: I'd like to keep One Guy in business for as long as possible. So I do plan to continue with the social medias for the foreseeable future. Please form an orderly six-feet-apart queue and contact Robert for your calzone. **

[umllibraries]

Celebrate Black History Month by remembering Ida B. Wells. Check out her autobiography, Crusade for Justice: the Autobiography of Ida B. Wells   or this documentary, Ida B. Wells: a Passion for Justice

[uispeccoll]

#MiniatureMonday!

This week we celebrate the history of books! The Book in History : from Manuscript Volumes to the Present Time describes the long history of printing and books in Europe, starting from manuscript traditions and ending in the 19th century, all within this tiny book. Amazing how the printing press revolutionized the world, and how small you can make it!

Published in 1985 at the Hillside Press by Eleanor I. Irwin. Bound in full leather with gilt decorations and marbled endpapers. Includes several reproductions of printers’ marks.

Smith Z4.Z9 I7 1985

[escondidolibrary]

Last night’s PJ Storytime was “WHOA!” as one of our little patrons said. They learned about how islands are formed and got to make their own volcanoes! Science project idea? #escolibrary #escondidolibrary#storytime #pjstorytime #crafts #volcanoes#librariesofinstagram

[pgcclibrary]

Finding Relevant Sources Workshop

Learn to identify relevant sources to answer your research question, select useful search tools, search effectively, and evaluate your search results to select the sources for your assignment.

Thursday, Oct 10 | 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Accokeek Hall, Room 109

[mobpublib]

☝🏾 Take me with you

Library at Strawberry Hill House [danielapardor/ig]

[lahistory]

Vintage bookplate for the Los Angeles Public Library.

[the-wayfaringstranger]

My walk to work aka teaching the loveliest bunch of 18 year old French students 💫

[biodivlibrary]

Happy #InternationalBiodiversityDay! 

#BHLib holds 500+ years of knowledge about Earth's biodiversity and natural history. Explore more on our website by clicking the link in our bio or by visiting: www.biodiversitylibrary.org. 

[mobpublib]

I'm ashamed by how much I relate to this post 🤦🏾

every book release ever

[upennmanuscripts]

We refer to our manuscripts using shelfmarks, but what is a shelfmark? Find out in today's #ManuscriptBasics. In this series curator Dot Porter will answer the basic questions. Ask your own question and maybe we'll make a video to answer it!

[southwestcollectionarchives]

This week on the blog, we provide some resources for the Lubbock tornado, fifty years later, including some newly-digitized Lubbock Avalanche Journal images.

https://southwestcollection.wordpress.com/2020/05/06/the-lubbock-tornado-fifty-years-later/

[umllibraries]

Peace! Love! Grooviness! The 60s were that and so much more! Learn about this world changing decade in these books and many others at your library.

[uispeccoll]

#MiniatureMonday!

Enjoy this miniature example of hiramaki-e, or “a style of Japanese lacquerwork with gold decorations in low or flat relief.”

Hiramaki-e technique can be dated clear back to the 1100s. It involves sprinkling a metal dust onto a wet lacquer pattern and then covering that with a further layer of lacquer. 

This small charm has a tiny illustration of a mother hen and chick, and it contains five dice. For a small game of Yahtzee? Well, okay, probably not.  According to the seller’s card, this was made in the 1920s.

Smith NK9900.7.J3 M56 1920z

[uchicagoscrc]

From Le vrai et le faux chic, an illustrated tome chronicling the ridiculous fashions worn by Parisian ladies in 1914, by an illustrator simply known as SEM. See more examples by checking out our other social media pages! Facebook Instagram Twitter