tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25552235590109956892024-03-13T13:33:20.848-07:00BranchJeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-46934902926335579262009-11-06T18:35:00.001-08:002009-11-06T19:08:17.793-08:00Branch updates<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAz0mtnjP0t3rV9wBHyVm1iXUbZPBdEVsDPdl0UIe3miNMZjthvMtKF2C7JW0l61ppuZs97of8_PHb1lrPaEyDAn5s6ai2DVNtbJA7yLPSARDVc7LHDGSQkh6xa9UArwOOQvrARC5zWYCo/s1600-h/IMG_0787.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAz0mtnjP0t3rV9wBHyVm1iXUbZPBdEVsDPdl0UIe3miNMZjthvMtKF2C7JW0l61ppuZs97of8_PHb1lrPaEyDAn5s6ai2DVNtbJA7yLPSARDVc7LHDGSQkh6xa9UArwOOQvrARC5zWYCo/s320/IMG_0787.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401190687986707954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsnf9TCW5b1rzNohCQtcAZsBcKKSrC2wEOaNm6bijH0DOVB07zk_zSMkUz1wcWT2vuE1VNs-mUU5-HHgEfYKYxULDW-ABv1lUnGSvoPZE_L_ZBAWvq1EgI66OB1-VSjtPUGG5qowxHTDn/s1600-h/IMG_0785.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsnf9TCW5b1rzNohCQtcAZsBcKKSrC2wEOaNm6bijH0DOVB07zk_zSMkUz1wcWT2vuE1VNs-mUU5-HHgEfYKYxULDW-ABv1lUnGSvoPZE_L_ZBAWvq1EgI66OB1-VSjtPUGG5qowxHTDn/s320/IMG_0785.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401191516814697522" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A lot has happened since our last blog post! After 8 weeks (including 2 rainouts), we opened for the last time at the corner of Myrtle and Clinton Avenues on October 25. Filmmaker <a href="http://www.hiddendriver.com/">Astra Taylor</a> and friends hosted a meeting of the Club of Odd Volumes--people gathered to give dramatic readings from strange and obscure texts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcxuy1yLLrgeKi6zBgST-YmdW8kWY9iI-Rc2am220Yh10wX6EvxVGg7KHxAR33vTvCBjgwGH1Grpi0DYsQuMyJ-NYElXVMndxIkrHdQqU4N8uEQ3tCtKaL4usVGZ2rDIh0bGNjz4oA0Uk/s1600-h/IMG_0780.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcxuy1yLLrgeKi6zBgST-YmdW8kWY9iI-Rc2am220Yh10wX6EvxVGg7KHxAR33vTvCBjgwGH1Grpi0DYsQuMyJ-NYElXVMndxIkrHdQqU4N8uEQ3tCtKaL4usVGZ2rDIh0bGNjz4oA0Uk/s320/IMG_0780.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401190368082117410" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One of our newest members, Z, who runs a catering business, stopped by with hors d'oeuvres. So we had a party.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6KdLH_BBXJPjmWaaWe7phAoXjicz2uLw2rjVJfoI3kNwVOmRALMYqoue985uqoBvPsZ-bFPLm51-pSY6OYGDbb98a4yGMW_m1a1ZA-jFhdg3TAzrjZGDPM5LSkxGbU8P34SDSeoJN0ro/s1600-h/IMG_0783.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6KdLH_BBXJPjmWaaWe7phAoXjicz2uLw2rjVJfoI3kNwVOmRALMYqoue985uqoBvPsZ-bFPLm51-pSY6OYGDbb98a4yGMW_m1a1ZA-jFhdg3TAzrjZGDPM5LSkxGbU8P34SDSeoJN0ro/s320/IMG_0783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401191262025017490" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In our last few weeks at the parking lot, we reached a critical mass with the number of books and the arrangement of the shelves. Earlier, we'd spent a lot of time calling out to passersby (along the lines of "Hey, we're a library!"); but by mid-October we hardly had to do anything at all. People stopped, browsed, and came over to ask "What is this?" We'd see it at least a dozen times a week: someone would stumble across this unexpected use of public space and participate-- sign up for a card, grab a book, and go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjcU38_bxYA21i3xQSN_ZGeMctL6v195lrlIOeZevQ8Az98yjVPhtKJElR0j1ZCVI2dvpKeoTLTT3zBpMvXK5nxhrOp-nPvcSOTQjvC567IT4t6LOGNMayptRsJWz8q2SwICcbcovZsxm/s1600-h/storefront.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjcU38_bxYA21i3xQSN_ZGeMctL6v195lrlIOeZevQ8Az98yjVPhtKJElR0j1ZCVI2dvpKeoTLTT3zBpMvXK5nxhrOp-nPvcSOTQjvC567IT4t6LOGNMayptRsJWz8q2SwICcbcovZsxm/s320/storefront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401192731718592130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Last week, we got word that an indoor space we'd had our eye on was available. From now until January, we'll be at the storefronts at 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension on the corner of Flatbush and Dekalb. (It's above the Dekalb Avenue subway and next to the Applebee's.)<br /><br />To celebrate the move to our new home, we held a small parade. (Boombox + mic and amp + vintage guitar + Branch volunteers and members = parade!) We hit all the laundromats and supermarkets on the way to Flatbush and Dekalb, and passed by Ingersoll and Whitman Houses.<br /><br />More photos of the parade and the new space to come next week. In the meantime, stop by any Sunday from 1-5pm!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQvKLxDU4hvG4qXFfcS1gJS_RzT7PJb1HbOjOfN8w25ifZJgjdAcNLG08AnIrhYOoJWl86GYUyzmVKrgu47TiQHu6EOQyCPVPbaCS6DfP5EOyzk_uDo9mAfaBnHcWcM1yiVpqKBPmpxjC/s1600-h/branch_indoor_location.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQvKLxDU4hvG4qXFfcS1gJS_RzT7PJb1HbOjOfN8w25ifZJgjdAcNLG08AnIrhYOoJWl86GYUyzmVKrgu47TiQHu6EOQyCPVPbaCS6DfP5EOyzk_uDo9mAfaBnHcWcM1yiVpqKBPmpxjC/s320/branch_indoor_location.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401193028550913234" border="0" /></a>Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-34857924487042848862009-10-09T15:19:00.001-07:002009-10-09T15:56:11.027-07:00Week 5<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dj-FIT_D_kJvcUFNzdeyU2Mwt9tiDCvL449xX6eH_T0lDpebbIavuHKDVVV5x2R3w2kfms7aBY0g-NUXYvQ7kN6RxUcjUc_Ldd2Wsr9pvaaIqw0VlVimJaYvhQbh5QEfygqgx7f7EYmo/s1600-h/full+library.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 436px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dj-FIT_D_kJvcUFNzdeyU2Mwt9tiDCvL449xX6eH_T0lDpebbIavuHKDVVV5x2R3w2kfms7aBY0g-NUXYvQ7kN6RxUcjUc_Ldd2Wsr9pvaaIqw0VlVimJaYvhQbh5QEfygqgx7f7EYmo/s320/full+library.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390734242475612610" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's official--we're a lending library. Hundreds of books came in this past week, mostly from folks in the neighborhood. It felt like another opening day for us.<br /><br />We've now got three solid sections: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children's. To display our collection, we ended up buying about 25 discounted milk crates from a guy in Poughkeepsie--they're structurally pretty strong, stack well, and at the end of the day the books go into storage in their "shelves."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXSjBVLXK0SItEuWZUPSp_qqn_pnH8JIEZaU0LBxFIWbK9wVYEeNrtWUywXBqRFjmUa5dvYFvrgLpOvyCuWAnMVV03cPmNFidF5032lrarCaqXmDagIlq3j8t-qc0PHTYk9mZBNGvcqLB/s1600-h/stamp.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXSjBVLXK0SItEuWZUPSp_qqn_pnH8JIEZaU0LBxFIWbK9wVYEeNrtWUywXBqRFjmUa5dvYFvrgLpOvyCuWAnMVV03cPmNFidF5032lrarCaqXmDagIlq3j8t-qc0PHTYk9mZBNGvcqLB/s320/stamp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390731527857410018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We stamped each book with the Branch logo. (That's an illustration of George Orwell--not stamped, the actual original illustration--on the inside of <span style="font-style: italic;">1984</span>, which was one of the first books borrowed.) Everyone who has a free library card can check out up to two books at a time; the books are due the following Sunday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxfHqYzym_PCGW0tqmd9xBh4Og4H5_WhYPBT5rTU73wTFrn0NNU6COGvkdTamvyuof62RP-mLDJ098Y2HV7QvsTKD1cMNw9AB56ondxz4QE028KZdyibFp8imntf5B_9pyOj3Gi6DOhD7/s1600-h/memory+card.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxfHqYzym_PCGW0tqmd9xBh4Og4H5_WhYPBT5rTU73wTFrn0NNU6COGvkdTamvyuof62RP-mLDJ098Y2HV7QvsTKD1cMNw9AB56ondxz4QE028KZdyibFp8imntf5B_9pyOj3Gi6DOhD7/s320/memory+card.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390731525650859730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We also started a new activity called <span style="font-style: italic;">Memory Card</span>. We asked each person who stopped by to fill out a blue index card with a memory of the neighborhood--it could be anything they remember, or a story of something that happened to them. We then placed a copy of the card in a due-date pouch in the back of the book, along with a simple description of the project. It's hard to read in the blurry photo, but it reads: "Most Branch books come from people who live nearby. Memory Card lets your neighbors to exchange their own local stories with you."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m-61XEsGoZmu1Z2TVHzwjwWTIg39BYOIktlUlf3zC5YR7XYC7bBk1h2hHkclm7PsUYiCy_DeKN7Ge_d6HYwpmBmNDf1XXGgMdS0V8yzq_NtzbDaSyZUlyPFvQ5xa1pHEZKNoCl-HKTI-/s1600-h/writing+memories.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m-61XEsGoZmu1Z2TVHzwjwWTIg39BYOIktlUlf3zC5YR7XYC7bBk1h2hHkclm7PsUYiCy_DeKN7Ge_d6HYwpmBmNDf1XXGgMdS0V8yzq_NtzbDaSyZUlyPFvQ5xa1pHEZKNoCl-HKTI-/s320/writing+memories.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390734592412763826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That's the main idea: our books are coming from people all over Clinton Hill and Fort Greene, who've sent them out into the neighborhood to be picked up by whoever borrows them. Memory Card allows people's own stories to circulate anonymously.<br /><br />One other highlight. We contacted Regis Pean of the local architecture firm <a href="http://www.omniform.us/">omni/form</a>. He'd submitted a great entry for Architecture for Humanity's Call for Ideas for Branch. (We blogged about it a few weeks ago.) Regis and his partner wanted to test their ideas for using recycled cardboard to build a hybrid shelving/table/support system for a canopy. They found a bunch of discarded boxes off the street, and within the course of the afternoon produced this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiST4c0mHAFvD1enpklZlWJUVWbLhTqJbGFXHRaXzKJlTl8DA1tFG330Ycl4Y7gQ3ZlZ8jKJ-nLIn2gHl_AGtmLPDz_i6hAsliJqV-4DrT6JhdcIETyVSG3FsfxJ6Xr4W1a_RGo0_hP5bhL/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiST4c0mHAFvD1enpklZlWJUVWbLhTqJbGFXHRaXzKJlTl8DA1tFG330Ycl4Y7gQ3ZlZ8jKJ-nLIn2gHl_AGtmLPDz_i6hAsliJqV-4DrT6JhdcIETyVSG3FsfxJ6Xr4W1a_RGo0_hP5bhL/s320/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390736970256016834" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We plan to use it for the first time this Sunday.<br /><br />Lots of new program events coming up: kids storytime, author readings, a Closing Party. Stay tuned!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHg-astTxQCFwT02gCfRSAvccQsoVcsAsC8jUCT7XZy58BKgpqQNWBCPJpH9c7PzhaYOzPNcSPhU02SI0w2teaDEaqVUb5Sa75cTjJnRlYYnZno_Nf1b4IJ8bT9lPpOg5x-UUr0v2Oxn0/s1600-h/noparking.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHg-astTxQCFwT02gCfRSAvccQsoVcsAsC8jUCT7XZy58BKgpqQNWBCPJpH9c7PzhaYOzPNcSPhU02SI0w2teaDEaqVUb5Sa75cTjJnRlYYnZno_Nf1b4IJ8bT9lPpOg5x-UUr0v2Oxn0/s320/noparking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390737404757566194" border="0" /></a>Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-78365311757390357952009-09-23T19:49:00.000-07:002009-09-23T19:54:58.036-07:00Branch in the newsWell, not exactly news. But we have gotten some nice coverage from local blogs. Here's a roundup:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.clintonhillblog.com/2009/09/15/chb-interviews-jerome-chou-of-branch/">Clinton Hill Blog</a><br /><br /><a href="http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/libraries-branch-out/">New York Times Local</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.brokelyn.com/missing-sunday-trips-to-the-library-new-diy-branch-is-stepping-in/">Brokelyn</a>Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-42136428701947676362009-09-22T16:01:00.000-07:002009-09-22T16:09:26.009-07:00designing the temporary library<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGKGIdhHdHwNR-Et15KAI2xGDDVNArbmvPK07epIdDlYQLJTBbbfXChERPcZBWyqsUQLpfXdAz9assrHTI3cerFDgGa2nQOVO7ytYacmPubo4lflrpkFwTxkHMkgi8wJGBw4UnhSVrnIh/s1600-h/umbrellas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGKGIdhHdHwNR-Et15KAI2xGDDVNArbmvPK07epIdDlYQLJTBbbfXChERPcZBWyqsUQLpfXdAz9assrHTI3cerFDgGa2nQOVO7ytYacmPubo4lflrpkFwTxkHMkgi8wJGBw4UnhSVrnIh/s320/umbrellas.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384431830237435378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWSw7QwHwtFrAjR5bRPcBe8w9lZolJvOe0UrdtT-UgLQWnOghxsV6ru0S05-_rfuHJYCaAjqmfJ62h_eluK8415SVpERPJYXPVBb9eBqf8Ygv_vHlybjzMYdnT0odozLT9Qiv9dcRmrxJ/s1600-h/branch_design.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWSw7QwHwtFrAjR5bRPcBe8w9lZolJvOe0UrdtT-UgLQWnOghxsV6ru0S05-_rfuHJYCaAjqmfJ62h_eluK8415SVpERPJYXPVBb9eBqf8Ygv_vHlybjzMYdnT0odozLT9Qiv9dcRmrxJ/s320/branch_design.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384431824359553554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctjEm7XfdOEZQMS7G7cwGtDQNX2HwcdXF66wUH789vun4uklE8mO7kvxZvTz23fph8V68Tfmh_lMT6yCXY9z0nGsayyeBhY3QqHIOEB3EMpvIE3YKKcMkZ7-O0_jS637UC23BcaAkL4PG/s1600-h/foam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctjEm7XfdOEZQMS7G7cwGtDQNX2HwcdXF66wUH789vun4uklE8mO7kvxZvTz23fph8V68Tfmh_lMT6yCXY9z0nGsayyeBhY3QqHIOEB3EMpvIE3YKKcMkZ7-O0_jS637UC23BcaAkL4PG/s320/foam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384431814431501250" /></a><br />A few weeks ago, <a href="http://www.afhny.org/">Architecture for Humanity New York (AFHNY)</a> posted a Call For Ideas for Branch: how should we design a temporary, low-cost installation that would provide shelter for the library, and house shelving, tables, chairs, and space for program such as readings or performances. We got a bunch of great proposals; the three shown here demonstrated ways to use common, everyday, or local materials to create a new kind of space. Thanks to everyone who submitted ideas!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-73814300075532280832009-09-20T19:55:00.000-07:002009-09-21T06:11:58.765-07:00Week 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fO4fJFR8kQPXN_AmKnJ7tUJfZPypRT40EAndmP21N5mETfBAcagCjVLsQrJmp2i5DOxPSL6A862_3An7nVgDB34yst8bv2_c7oPyQr5Z_9RAyia1YaUhZqMiFBmrCgoR6nCgpMmalexO/s1600-h/books!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fO4fJFR8kQPXN_AmKnJ7tUJfZPypRT40EAndmP21N5mETfBAcagCjVLsQrJmp2i5DOxPSL6A862_3An7nVgDB34yst8bv2_c7oPyQr5Z_9RAyia1YaUhZqMiFBmrCgoR6nCgpMmalexO/s320/books!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383907632762201682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DMPMMOXAdWi7mlS7RTWnAUQr10wKl6F7iE8SYEyDwvXB02wUvPA1SbvFBYp_VP4CvP92CgzeEJ2YajyIrPOE56aqXSB6K-CFYJWHAE3YqQMcZF9MZRJ52m765jbxfXLX-OEb-xJcyDF8/s1600-h/gracereading.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DMPMMOXAdWi7mlS7RTWnAUQr10wKl6F7iE8SYEyDwvXB02wUvPA1SbvFBYp_VP4CvP92CgzeEJ2YajyIrPOE56aqXSB6K-CFYJWHAE3YqQMcZF9MZRJ52m765jbxfXLX-OEb-xJcyDF8/s320/gracereading.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383907424802625474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeJbzeBImMJRUsU4RUSHOZnUAZ0dSGLP5p511wXxi4mk3I1fhH_RAeuvQxr5S0TPCxUJYbJKiC7zCXw04-3us2lNaL5pvM9B42AVM-S6fTSGenC7t8JpYM_UQtbGGj_3O-48uhIGE0y0y/s1600-h/crowd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeJbzeBImMJRUsU4RUSHOZnUAZ0dSGLP5p511wXxi4mk3I1fhH_RAeuvQxr5S0TPCxUJYbJKiC7zCXw04-3us2lNaL5pvM9B42AVM-S6fTSGenC7t8JpYM_UQtbGGj_3O-48uhIGE0y0y/s320/crowd.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383907422621878722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmUrR-zGEcVIZdXAjQy_h04Q22DLNttl04YvUjxdkTUMbMJuq8iMrlD-azOlknY_xVSK5X9sNciyK53wXUiC2G4Jor7qEciM5D7x43wtVN0K_kSLs4kIWiRFirUPn_3c5KO9oCXfSH_kK/s1600-h/couplebrowse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmUrR-zGEcVIZdXAjQy_h04Q22DLNttl04YvUjxdkTUMbMJuq8iMrlD-azOlknY_xVSK5X9sNciyK53wXUiC2G4Jor7qEciM5D7x43wtVN0K_kSLs4kIWiRFirUPn_3c5KO9oCXfSH_kK/s320/couplebrowse.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383907415596166514" /></a><br /><div><br /></div>Earlier this week, we put out a call for book donations--at our fundraiser (photos to come) and to our 250 members. People responded: we got three big boxes of books at the fundraiser, and yesterday at Branch, dozens of people from the neighborhood stopped by with bags and bags of books. One woman came by twice to donate books. Another group of families put two books on hold, a new service we hadn't even thought of until that moment.<br /><br />That's been one of the fun things about the project. Everyone is improvising and getting by without a lot of resources or a set plan, but making good decisions on the fly. Seems like a fitting way to operate during a recession.<br /><br />We're busy cataloging our new books this week. Sunday we'll stamp each one with the Branch logo and hopefully we'll be able to start lending books out. In the meantime, if anyone knows where we can get a lot of milk crates donated, please e-mail us! librarybranch@gmail.comJeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-19729884311968654142009-09-14T16:11:00.000-07:002009-09-14T16:26:28.444-07:00Week 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvu3lDUrU3w4srQqlg8Rov5ecrEggX4fLfDfthfemExJ455YDUAnbAoWJlWZ9kmHgYhpT5jW_zMnL4SSsndk2ANFAIOxEeH5GEe-VJQjZfmt-d-cNfMUFvZEiEzxQorcxx4HtZFSBMm_N/s1600-h/makeyourownlibrary.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvu3lDUrU3w4srQqlg8Rov5ecrEggX4fLfDfthfemExJ455YDUAnbAoWJlWZ9kmHgYhpT5jW_zMnL4SSsndk2ANFAIOxEeH5GEe-VJQjZfmt-d-cNfMUFvZEiEzxQorcxx4HtZFSBMm_N/s320/makeyourownlibrary.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381468184936812514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri-JIbj6T-rRHFeZOTlHTDflaL748ho1l1WWcPI9xlzppe0w2JJJk-5b26YczmF_tL9JTut42RVHuxJJRPo1M4UBrl8Td_TBREEaBz1866QE_4pjkNTGaDfhTKaHcpysWzMDdYHzAO97T/s1600-h/bball.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri-JIbj6T-rRHFeZOTlHTDflaL748ho1l1WWcPI9xlzppe0w2JJJk-5b26YczmF_tL9JTut42RVHuxJJRPo1M4UBrl8Td_TBREEaBz1866QE_4pjkNTGaDfhTKaHcpysWzMDdYHzAO97T/s320/bball.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381468181211021106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTVyXd88q2Vo-4LAmyp40iSgVDy9jN8w6uzQuksxa_jYXFy8mD4S_lM4OHmWrn31AxVfJ5gNkUVTdYUEs4kKr7yl43mUsTpe0t6nfBOTOI_4Tp3XmOLGPU3POnapW5FowSat5n-8Y2WMN/s1600-h/programbanner.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTVyXd88q2Vo-4LAmyp40iSgVDy9jN8w6uzQuksxa_jYXFy8mD4S_lM4OHmWrn31AxVfJ5gNkUVTdYUEs4kKr7yl43mUsTpe0t6nfBOTOI_4Tp3XmOLGPU3POnapW5FowSat5n-8Y2WMN/s320/programbanner.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381467965803766530" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>Another busy Sunday: more than 250 people now have signed up as Branch members and received their library cards. One woman who stopped to talk asked us what the project is all about; when we said transforming unused public space, she said "We were doing that in the 1970s!" Branch is still a work-in-progress, but we're happy to be thought of as part of that long lineage of public space projects.</div><div><br /></div><div>More updates tomorrow...</div>Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-69275137915910053842009-09-11T14:40:00.001-07:002009-09-11T14:54:38.366-07:00party for Branch!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraBtC_cXNMX1-LIQpxz_z8eFaU701oYYkQAaPL23LD8BNoJl3_ezp5K5E121seSWWOignwBmgqqEBIeBJaqS4sZKW3rKO39kzYmG8lB2mjOcHlQ5jEgPlFr0fRvDLvzLmIdx8lb90FBb3/s1600-h/Branch_fundraiser_invite.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraBtC_cXNMX1-LIQpxz_z8eFaU701oYYkQAaPL23LD8BNoJl3_ezp5K5E121seSWWOignwBmgqqEBIeBJaqS4sZKW3rKO39kzYmG8lB2mjOcHlQ5jEgPlFr0fRvDLvzLmIdx8lb90FBb3/s320/Branch_fundraiser_invite.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380330594404800402" /></a><br />Our fundraiser is next Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 7-10pm at <a href="http://www.mhpbooks.com/">Melville House</a>, a book publisher in DUMBO. (Flier courtesy of our awesome graphic design partner <a href="http://www.rumors-online.com">Rumors</a>.) Whatever we raise from the fundraiser is our budget for the rest of the project. Come on out--we've got great raffle prizes (Tickets to BAM! Tickets to 6 Flags!! $100 gift certificates for dinner!!!), lots of booze, and a very cool space, all for only $5 cover. Perfect place to donate books, too. (See our Branch 100 Books wishlist below.) Hope to see you there.Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-51404270317734938992009-09-11T14:22:00.000-07:002009-09-11T14:39:38.813-07:00Branch 100 BooksWe're building our book collection so that we can open the lending portion of the library by Sept 27. Our members specifically recommended the 100 books and authors below because they thought other people in the neighborhood would like them. (The first 4 titles/authors got multiple votes.) If you would like to donate any of these titles, please contact us at librarybranch@gmail.com. Thanks!<div><br /></div><!--StartFragment--> <ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Thomas the Train (2)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Harry Potter books (2)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Alchemist</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Paolo Coelho (2)</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Judy Blume books (2)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">International policy books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Where the Sidewalk Ends</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Shel Silverstein</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Snow</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Orhan Pamuk</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Namesake</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Jhumpa Lahiri</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Things Fall Apart</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Chinua Achebe</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Go Dog Go!</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Books about: robots, treehouses, Cob building, minerals</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Old Man and the Sea</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Ernest Hemingway</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Time and Again</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Jack Finney</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Curious George books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Los Tres Cerditos</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>1984</i><span style="font-style:normal">, George Orwell</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i>Girl with a Pearl Earring</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Dreams of My Father</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Barack Obama</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Horton Hears a Who</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Dr. Seuss</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">kids books about science—planets, seeds, castles, cooking</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Jitterbug Perfume</i><span style="font-style:normal">, ss</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Introduction to Human Services </i><span style="font-style:normal">(textbook)</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Bloody Jack</i><span style="font-style:normal">, L.A Meyers</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Seer & the Sword</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Victoria Hanley</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Eoin Colfer books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Parable of the Sower</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Octavia Butler</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Life of Pi</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Yann Martel</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Graphic novels: Drawn & Quarterly; Watchmen; Spiderman</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Roald Dahl books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Sophie’s Choice</i><span style="font-style:normal">, William Styron</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Purpose-Driven Life</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Rick Warren</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Phineas & Ferb</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Spongebob books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Walter Mosley books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Foxfire</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Joyce Carol Oates</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Fannie Flagg</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Chosen</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Chaim Potok</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Emigrants</i><span style="font-style:normal">, W.G. Sebald</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Michael Moore books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Can’t Stop Won’t Stop</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Jeff Chang</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Jacqueline Woodson books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Omnivore’s Dilemma</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Michael Pollan</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Whistle for Willy</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Ezra Jack Keats</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Jack London books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Jack Kerouac books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Grapefruit</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Yoko Ono</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Exploring the World of Lucid Dreams</i><span style="font-style:normal">, xx</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Coldest Winter Ever</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Sister Souljah</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Romance novels</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Victoria Holt books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Baby Beluga</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Artemis Fowl series</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Their Eyes Were Watching God</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Zora Neale Hurston</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Jonathan Safran Foer</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Chuck Klosterman books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">James Baldwin books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Wole Soyinka books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Ann Rand books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Ralph Ellison books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Monica Ali books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">design magazines</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Kam Khao children’s book</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Douglas Adams books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Tom Clancy books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Haruki Murakami books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>To Kill A Mockingbird,</i><span style="font-style:normal"> Harper Lee</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>A Wrinkle in Time</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Madeleine L’Engle</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Stephen Covey</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">A Short History of Women</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Stones from the River</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Ursula Hegi</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Forged by Fire</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Sharon Draper</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Tears by</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>a Tiger</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Judy Blume books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">David Sedaris books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Gunslinger</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Stephen King</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Sandra Boynton books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">magazines (New Yorker, Brain, Child)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>I’m</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Down</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Simple</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Justice</i><span style="font-style: normal"> </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The Prophet</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Paulo Coelho</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Board Books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Edwidge Danticat books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Known World</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">, Edward P. Jones </span>[DONATED--thank you!]</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Bridget</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Jones’s</i><span style="font-style: normal"> </span><i>Diary</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Midnight’s Children</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Salman Rushdie</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Little</i><span style="font-style: normal"> </span><i>Mermaid</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Little</i><span style="font-style:normal"> Red </span><i>Riding Hood<o:p></o:p></i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Native Son</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Richard Wright</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Magic Tree House</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>The</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Diary of Anne</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Frank</i><span style="font-style: normal"><o:p></o:p></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Redemption</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Emma Farry</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Guns, Germs</i><span style="font-style:normal">, </span><i>and Steel</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Jared Diamond</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Nostalgia</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Mircea Cartarescu</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Motherless Brooklyn</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Jonathan Lethem</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Jeff</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><i>International</i><span style="font-style:normal"> </span><i>Publics</i></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Arjun Appadurai books</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in">Howard Zinn books</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span><i>Goosebumps</i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Damien, </span>Herman Hesse</li></ol> <!--EndFragment--> <div> </div>Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555223559010995689.post-84686370216176326152009-09-09T17:39:00.000-07:002009-09-09T18:26:50.547-07:00Branch opening day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVg89bL_bHza1w9Xyd6wHfP8Ul1J5g-nr8G0CXgvPfy7TsxTXq3V9IPZUvWKfjLKFt7BUOBc4fp-u8LyWrZ_KH6tWH5LqfBs1DlJsZwzEWWCS-_LOAEp0m922QVxdbfkEo0ZGQQP2GeQUR/s1600-h/webenzo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVg89bL_bHza1w9Xyd6wHfP8Ul1J5g-nr8G0CXgvPfy7TsxTXq3V9IPZUvWKfjLKFt7BUOBc4fp-u8LyWrZ_KH6tWH5LqfBs1DlJsZwzEWWCS-_LOAEp0m922QVxdbfkEo0ZGQQP2GeQUR/s320/webenzo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379642321969605666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfRpvJxXpIPHLvr5f_lOY5OYjaLNHNjD0SZz01jMIOzzwp7diW_YHy-PxAqhhI4c014YEO_sB1UJfwE5OMzJp41Y_bpg0vy9dmAf5b3c-KNJWPf8ruQZk1zKBGWa4wZN_0_GUHJ2QaNPW/s1600-h/webtish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfRpvJxXpIPHLvr5f_lOY5OYjaLNHNjD0SZz01jMIOzzwp7diW_YHy-PxAqhhI4c014YEO_sB1UJfwE5OMzJp41Y_bpg0vy9dmAf5b3c-KNJWPf8ruQZk1zKBGWa4wZN_0_GUHJ2QaNPW/s320/webtish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379642031297969970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0RPi638p0OmzPHs_H6M-_60ZK3Aku_N0NC2XRUSYrr3OPR_E3qxSoBKeWkuJCFa27BwQZDRpKG5U2g2jXSV0WdpJc7bb0GcvQEzU1tQ7CcHeaV4UXcFz0izBYbtKXBkUqey9O8g8a2hh/s1600-h/webreadingroom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0RPi638p0OmzPHs_H6M-_60ZK3Aku_N0NC2XRUSYrr3OPR_E3qxSoBKeWkuJCFa27BwQZDRpKG5U2g2jXSV0WdpJc7bb0GcvQEzU1tQ7CcHeaV4UXcFz0izBYbtKXBkUqey9O8g8a2hh/s320/webreadingroom.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379641800711641490" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Last January, the <a href="http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/">Brooklyn Public Library</a> was forced to cut its Sunday hours throughout the borough. In response, a group of volunteers organized Branch, a temporary Sunday library free and open to all. We saw that people were being asked to accept budget cuts that affected all kinds of public space (libraries, parks, subways); Branch is about pooling resources to reclaim those spaces, in partnership with the people using them.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family:Tahoma;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Back in August, we got an e-mail from the <a href="http://myrtleavenue.org/">Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership</a>, a nonprofit community organization in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene. They were organizing a month-long arts festival called <a href="http://www.myrtleavenue.org/blog/index.cfm/2009/9/8/Check-out-the-lineup-for-Move-About-Myrtle-on-September-13th">Move About Myrtle</a> that would close 7 blocks of Myrtle Avenue to car traffic, and they wanted to know if we could open Branch for their festival. We'd been looking for a vacant storefront all summer with no luck, and it didn't seem like there was anything available on Myrtle Ave. But there was an unused Citibank parking lot on the corner of Myrtle and Clinton.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family:Tahoma;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">That's where we were this past Sunday, setting up our first temporary installation for Branch. At the end of the day, more than 150 people signed up as members and received Branch library cards. We'd brought a suitcase full of discarded hardcover book covers, donated by a Boston-area printer; we asked people to write down the name of a favorite book or author on the book covers, and we installed over 100 of these on the fence around the site. (Councilmember Letitia James visited and recommended <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Justice-Richard-Kluger/dp/0394722558">Simple Justice: A History of Brown v. Board of Education</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Im-Down-Memoir-Mishna-Wolff/dp/0312378556">I'm Down</a>.) We set up a Quiet Zone, covering a 10' by 10' area of asphalt with a canvas sheet, and adding lawn chairs, plants, free Sunday newspapers, and earplugs. We had to share the space with a few parked cars, but we're told that next week we'll have the lot to ourselves.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We'll be open again this Sunday (and every Sunday until the end of November) to offer a workshop on planning and designing a larger installation. We'll also be showing drawings and images from local architects who've reimagined the space. Contact us at librarybranch@gmail.com if you want to volunteer or donate books. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div>Jeromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008419018346273594noreply@blogger.com0