Category Archives: library history
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Ashurbanipal’s Library, Queen Readers, and the Intolerably Stupid
Leave a commentMay 23, 2022 by libroshombre
Once upon a time, back when literacy was really rare, no one ever read silently to themselves, and all …
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Inventors, Scientists, and WorldCat
Leave a commentApril 23, 2022 by libroshombre
You won’t find me arguing with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s claim that “One must be an inventor to read well. …
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Tea, Twain, and Tomes
Leave a commentMarch 30, 2020 by libroshombre
One’s personal collection of books, or lack thereof, is often interesting, hence my curiosity about other people’s libraries. Perhaps a …
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Bibliolaters, Bibliophiles, and Booksellers
Leave a commentMay 13, 2019 by libroshombre
Here’s a story about a pricelessly unique 16th century book that’s just been rediscovered that describes 15,000 other books. Last …
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Elvis, Casanova, and Dr. Dee
Leave a commentJanuary 1, 2018 by libroshombre
Being a librarian isn’t as straightforward as you’d think. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the mother of all dictionaries, …
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Service Animals, Sheepskins, and Marc Antony’s Gift
Leave a commentMarch 23, 2017 by libroshombre
No one at my library school ever mentioned a number of items that would later loom large. For example, …
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The Britannicas of the Dick Van Dyke Show
Leave a commentNovember 3, 2016 by libroshombre
“14 Unusual Items You Can Get at Libraries,” an article in a year-old issue of Mental Floss magazine, included …
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Cheeks, Civility, and Locofocos
Leave a commentMarch 21, 2016 by libroshombre
Cats and dogs are very different creatures, yet, with some exceptions, they can get along together civilly, as evidenced …
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Hill of Books 