A mobile library as an interim solution?
[You know how you can differentiate my posts from Jillian's? I always seem to have a question for the title! I don't know why...]
Lynn is currently reading book 1 of The Mobile Library series by Ian Sansom. She picked it up after reading a post on the book by monoceros, who happens to be the bookworm friend of vantan, who blogged about our blog (is that too confusing?).
Back to the book. The first book in the Mobile Library series is The Case of the Missing Books (available at your friendly neighbourhood library and library@orchard under call number: SAN-[MY]).
pssst, by the way, did you know that the job scope of a librarian has been compared to that of a mamasan? Which is why you’ll find that librarians have this habit of promoting books and sharing the books they enjoyed. It’s a job hazard. Check this out:
“Libraries are brothels for the mind. Which means that librarians are the madams, greeting punters, understanding their strange tastes and needs, and pimping their books.”
Guy Browning
(The Guardian column, 18 October 2003.)
As cited from http://www.laughinglibrarian.com/sigliby.htm (accessed 13 Jun 2007)
The above observation and link was shared by colleague Valerie.
Back to the book again. I get sidetracked a lot. The interesting thing about The Case of the Missing Books is that the opening scene starts with new librarian Isreal Armstrong reporting for work, only to see a notice tacked onto the door that the library is closed! Lynn can totally empathise! The same thing happened to her.
The council’s solution to the closed library is to start up a Mobile Library, with Isreal as driver and librarian (or better known as an Outreach Support Officer). But first Isreal has to search for all 15,000 books from the library, which have mysteriously gone missing. Thus begins Isreal’s amateur sleuthing, general blundering about, and wondering what Hercule Poirot will do.
Ian Sansom drops in a lot of references to popular culture along the way, which makes it an interesting read. You’ll see Isreal using books like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time to chase off chickens and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (which is truely just the right weight and size) to break a window.
You’ll also meet a dog named Muhammad (Ali, named after the boxer), read how Isreal feels like he’s stuck in Lost in Translation, and hear someone singing “Hey Mr. Tallyman, Tally me Bananas” (remember that song?).
Lynn has just finished the book and can’t believe the answer was right in front of her all the while – open up a mobile library trawling Orchard Rd so we can continue to serve the community! We will be known as Outreach Support Officers and we can park our bus somewhere where the ERP doesn’t shine.
- Posted by Lynn
August 1st, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Hmm… I’m confused. And this post is written by…? Should add a byline. Better yet, differentiate each post with a photo of the author lah. Like what they do at the BusinessWeek blog — Blogspotting. See this post, for just one example (you can tell it’s Heather who’s blogging, from the photo).
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:29 am
Haha, Ivan, Lynn just likes to refer to herself in third person.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Third person? Only egomaniacs do that!
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Hello, and thanks for your link! A mobile library’s a fantastic idea, if it’s at all possible to set one up in Orchard. If you like more fiction about mobile libraries, check out Masha Hamilton’s “The Camel Bookmobile.” Setting: Africa.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:33 am
Hi monoceros, I’ve come across that title too, haven’t read it tho. btw, it’s based on a real camel bookmobile in Kenya right? I remember one of my colleagues who went on some library conference (yup, there are conventions for librarians and nope it’s not as geeky as it sounds) mentioning it.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:52 am
Hi Ivan, it’s true, I was feeling a bit egomanical that morning. But as you can see, I’m back to normal now =) Don’t think the world needs to worry I’ll be trying to take over it anytime soon.
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Hi Jillian, yes the novel’s based on a real camel mobile library. Oh, I’m sure library conferences aren’t geeky at all! I’m actually aware of some of them (and wish I could attend), having the ALA and BookExpo America websites as a couple of my bookmarks =)
August 6th, 2007 at 10:16 am
I’ve been ALA once, last year’s actually. A horde of librarians descended upon New Orleans… The most amusing part of it was the sychronised library cart championships, it’s like synchronised swimming except with librarians and trolleys…
August 12th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Glad to see my bookworm friend and US prize-winning author monoceros having conversations with nice librarians
Time to get your latest work completed and published, dear! Then maybe *you* can do a book reading at NLB!
(scurries away after shamelessly promoting good friend)
August 14th, 2007 at 6:32 am
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article A mobile library as an interim solution?, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
August 15th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Hi Daniel,
I’m so sorry if my post was a little unclear! Basically a mobile library is one that moves about – hence, ‘mobile’. They are usually buses or vans with shelves and books in them that can be driven from place to place. Mobile libaries are usually employed in sparsely populated areas where people live far away from each other or the city centre. You can read The Mobile Library series by Ian Sansom for a peek into the life of a mobile librarian
August 15th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Hi Van,
Thanks for letting us know of this prize-winning author in our midst. We can’t wait to get her to do a book reading once our new libraries open!
September 1st, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Hi vantan and monoceros,
Great that we have a prize-winning author here…perhaps if you can publish your book earlier, you can do a reading or even just a preview reading at our closing!