Night Time Street Preacher in NY

Preaching God at Night

I'm not sure what this fellow was actually preaching, because he wasn't very easy to understand, but he did have this look in his eye like he was possessed, while shouting something like "God will heal you!" It was loud, erratic, and staccato'd in its delivery. He carried a book, which looked like a Bible. And when I stopped near him, he had a blank stare, as if he were blind....or possessed! He then handed me a pamphlet about alcoholism, and then continued his walk and shouts of godliness.

B&N Books Branch Closes Near Lincoln Center

Another Chapter Closes

Just the other evening, I was walking up Broadway near Lincoln Center, and I passed by the recently closed Barnes and Noble (just around 67-69th Streets). I'd been to this same store only a few months back, I think in mid-November, to buy a CD (yes!--I still buy CDs in this iPod Age!!) of Brahms' Requiem. I first went up to one of the top floors to get a light dinner, nothing fancy. And then wandered around the massive book shop. I don't know how many floors there were, but I do remember that I just kept going up and up and up on the escalators! When I got to the music section, and found what I was looking for, I remember going up to a counter, and asked the man if I could check out. He was snippy with me and said, "Can't you read the sign!??" Of course, the sign was poorly placed and very near to the ceiling, far above my head. "Oh, okay, I'm sorry," I said. He gave me a sour look and shook his head. The sign above us read "Information."

It turns out that the store was already on its way out, and the staff must have known that it was closing and that they may have been bracing against lost jobs. Who knows where these folks went, if they were relocated to other branches, or simply let go. Some have suggested that this unfriendly behavior was a direct result of impending job elimination. I'd like to think not, but we have no way of knowing.

The sign above reads, at the beginning, "Yes, it was just a store. But for us, the people who filled this store, it has been our honor and pleasure to serve this community for the past fifteen years." Other signs were put up, which read "No this was not JUST a store." The sentiment throughout the community seems to be somewhat uniform. People don't like losing bookstores, because they create a sort of community within a community, a shared space and place. (Barnes and Noble had to close this location due to much too expensive rent increases). Imagine if everything went digital and there was no more need to meet in shared spaces and have interactive human contact around communal texts? Perhaps we're going in that direction. But for now, let's think about how we can begin anew with creating shared space and developing communities of learning and sharing. And let's hope that "rent" isn't the downfall of books...or community.

A Midtown Stroll: The NYPL, the Morgan Library, and the Library Hotel

"So Someone Walks Into a Hotel..."

Okay, so I actually did NOT go into any hotel. But I walked by a hotel recently. It's not quite the joke you imagine. Just over a week ago, I attended a meeting-tour of the New York Theological Libraries Association (NYATLA), which met at the Pierpont Morgan Library in midtown Manhattan. On the way to the meeting, I happened to walk by the locally famous "Library Hotel," which I'll surely have to explore more in depth at another time, because it is clearly an interesting and curious operation, which bases its floors, rooms, and suites on the Dewey Decimal System. Of course, to many in academic libraries, Dewey is an outdated system, often supplanted by LC classification. To Dewey's credit, he did do a stint as University Librarian at Columbia back in the 1880s. So we'll keep him for now! The Library Hotel is located off of Madison Avenue and East 41st Street, not far from either the Pierpont Morgan Library or the New York Public Library.

The Pierpont Morgan Library, where we met and had our tour was a magnificent place, and indeed, a magnificent institution with an abundance of cultural treasures. Located around E. 37th and Madison Avenue, the library has recently been expanded and updated with a marvelous new social gathering space designed by famed architect Renzo Piano. The New York Times had a review of it back in 2006. It is really quite a remarkable space, full of light and glass and modern angles that make you feel like you're in a fantastically naturalistic outdoor cathedral. This space connects various parts of the museum and library, including the gift and book shop, the dining room, the cafe, the galleries (both up- and downstairs), as well as what I'd consider the focal attractions of J.P. Morgan's study and library. In these rooms, Morgan's study specifically, one can cast a glance at where the seat of American financial decision making and power took place more than a century ago--including the massive vault adjacent to Mr. Morgan's study. Oddly, the vault on the day of the visit was open, and visitors could see hundreds of rare books on the interior shelves, while a table stood in the middle of the vault with a charming couplet portraiture of Martin Luther and his wife Katharina Luther (nee von Bora)! I was assured that this was not Morgan's idea! In the private library nearby, separated from the study by a rotunda-style middle-room with pillars, there were displays of manuscripts of the great classic composers, including Mozart's manuscript of his Symphony No. 35, some Schumann chamber works, and a Cantata of Bach! It was astounding to see such handwriting of the greats, and hard to fathom that they'd touched the very pages that lay within inches of my nose, as I focused entranced on each object! They also had proofs of famous books and scribbles from their authors (Lewis Carol, for example), as well as an early Caxton edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, dating from the 1400s. They also had a great exhibit on the history of diaries. So if you have time to see it before it ends, I recommend it.

I made my way back afterward, past the New York Public Library and snapped this photo of the famous lions (or at least one of those lions!) Inside, there is a wonderful exhibit of "The Three Faiths," which includes dozens of rare books from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The place was packed with visitors when I went in, so I didn't stay that long. But what I saw was remarkable. I think that another visit and photographic essay should be devoted to this whole library, because it is simply extraordinary. As one of the largest libraries in the world, the NYPL has much to offer. And it's a gorgeous architectural gem, right in the middle of the city. I think if I had more time, I would have stayed longer...and not just because it was warmer inside than the freezing temperatures outside! There is a bigger story to tell here about this library, but we'll wait till it warms up.

The Cathedral, the Peacock, and the Books

Some Interesting Bookish Things

A walk through the neighborhood of Morningside Heights can yield a number of interesting sights (and sites). Today's offering was a stroll I took well before the snows of December and January fell upon us, making the city of New York slushy, icy, cold, and at times unbearable and wanting for summer to come quickly! As some of you familiar with this blog know, I have a proclivity for searching out book-objects in every possible form out there in our wide world--whether images of books, furniture designed to look like books, or more common, statues holding books carved from stone or cast in some metallic artisanal sculpture. So it is with this last item that I begin today. I hadn't realized how close the magnificent and splendrous St. John the Divine Cathedral was to my office and library at Columbia. One afternoon I took a walk and ambled up the stairs of the massive structure, which is still in the process of being built, nearly 120 years after it began in 1892! Of course, the old medieval churches took just as long and even longer in many cases to build. And for those interested in this old fashioned building (sort of a "slow build" version of the "slow food" movement), take a look at the hand-built castle they've been working on in France for the last few decades, called Chateau de Guedelon. One of the many interesting things about the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is the statuary near the entrance (see above), which depicts a number of saints and other holy figures. My reason for photographing them, besides their sculptured beauty, is that some of them are holding books. Take a look. I did not take photographs inside the Cathedral, as it is dark and I did not want to interrupt those in prayer. But outside there were some other interesting items in the adjacent park.

One of these things was this "random" peacock! At least, I think it was a peacock! It was startling, because it came out of the park and was wandering off of Amsterdam Avenue, seemingly oblivious to the honking cars and taxi cabs. Some folks ushered the bird back into its fenced park area, to shield it from any curbside harm.

It is in this park that one can find some other interesting sites, including the "Peace Fountain."

As the online Atlas Obscura writes: "The Peace Fountain was built in 1985 by Greg Wyatt to depict the struggle of good and evil, shown by the archangel Michael vanquishing Satan."

I did not take a photo of the fountain, but it can be seen on the Atlas Obscura site here.

What I wanted to show was a series of interesting smaller sculptures, which surround the fountain: all of them book sculptures, made out of some sort of metal (bronze?), and which decorate the park. Each book sculpture is different. I've read that there are some sculptures in this park created by children, but I'm not sure if these books were those same sculptures. Nevertheless, if you're ever in the mood to go for a stroll and get a good dose of architectural splendor (or just want to see some bookish sculptures), check out St. John the Divine Cathedral. The peacock will be waiting.

Welcome to the Burke Library!

A Pretty Big Theological Library

So if there is anyone wondering why I've been such a slacker with this blog, I'll give you one word: Burke. This September I began a new job at a library in New York City: Public Services Librarian at the Burke Theological Library of Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University. A wonderful job at a wonderful library. So you ask then, "why blame the Burke!?" Ah, I'm not blaming! It all comes to the daily economy of time. In my last job in Chicago, I lived only a few blocks from work. I could get up early or not and work on the blog before work, which was my custom, but now, I live more than 30 miles away from work and commute more than 65 miles round trip each day. So I end up spending a good portion of my prior blogging time on a train! Plus, I have to get up much earlier than before, not by choice, but necessity--so I'm not late for work! So the decreased frequency is the result. I apologize. I need to get the show back on the road! Nonetheless, it has been an interesting transition. Some might say "trial by fire," though I must admit that that is a rather silly expression, even if apropos. Getting acquainted with the entire Columbia University Library system of 20+ institutional libraries, and its more than 100 librarians, support staff, and library student workers was overwhelming at first, but now has become a pleasant part of the job. Columbia University is the 5th largest academic library in North America, according to ARL statistics for 2007-2008, with combined volumes counting 10,296,816 (10.2 million). The Burke Library, one of the ~23 libraries in the Columbia system, has more than 700,000 volumes, including circulating books, rare books (~150,000-200,000), magazines and journals, and more. It also has a magnificent archival collection (or more specifically, collections--plural). Interestingly, if one does an online search for "largest theological libraries," there seems to be some rivalry'd statement about schools like Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS), for example, who claim the title of "largest." But statistically, this is not accurate. But if we want to be diplomatic, PTS can have the largest theological library "in the US," just as long as we still hold the title of largest theological library "in the western hemisphere." It's only fair.

Of course, there's so much more to tell: about our wonderful staff, our magnificent Friends of the Library group, our lectures, a more. So come on by, if you're in the neighborhood, and we'll give you a tour!