If you’re on Facebook, you may see a lot of red squares with equal signs on ’em today. As you probably know, they symbolize support of gay marriage. Of course, several variations have appeared, including one with matzah crackers and a Mark Rothko version. Emily Lloyd has created two library card versions. Thanks, Emily Lloyd and Kathleen Kirk!
Jocasta Nu, Jedi Librarian
Here’s an excellent short piece on the library and librarian in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, with a link to a ridiculously detailed video about the Jocasta Nu action figure. (Sample quote: “This [light saber hilt] does have the little hook on the end of it where it could have possibly attached to a belt, but she doesn’t have the little hole in the side so she can’t attach it to her belt…”)
Jennifer, author of the piece, rightly complains about the poor quality of the reference interview between Jocasta Nu and Obi-Wan. She holds herself back from making a fuss about the fact that the library shelves appear to be filled with bands of light, sooo futuristic except that, apparently, you have to go to the library in order to access these digital texts.
Thanks, Daniel M. Shapiro!
Late library valentines
A bit late for Valentine’s Day, but here are two library shenaniganish valentines making the rounds on Facebook. The Meow Kapow shop on Etsy is behind at least one of these, possibly both.
25 mini-adventures in the library
Mama Scout has some fantastic ideas here. I especially like the idea of the Kind Bomb in the library. Some of these ideas are more shenaniganish than others, of course. “Take a present to the librarians” is a nice one! Thanks, Heather McHale, for this one.
Flash mob at Tutt Library, Colorado College
Man, I wish I could have seen this. It took place on Tuesday, February 12, at 8:30 p.m., and lasted 3 minutes and 16 seconds, the duration of the song “The Harlem Shake” by Baauer (2013, more information here).
The UT-Austin library also took part in this meme:
Thanks, Steve Lawson and Joan Petit!
Keep the door closed due to bats
Mental Floss provides “9 Very Specific Rules From Real Libraries.” Thanks, Steven Kotok!
A wedding in the library!
In February of 2013, Barbara Morrow and David Kurland were married in the Northwest History Room at the Everett Public Library in Washington State. A librarian performed the ceremony. Best quote from the Paris Review article: “Following cake with the staff, the bride renewed her library card.”
I’m surprised there aren’t more weddings in libraries, when I think about it.
Thanks, Dina Wood!
“I don’t remember the title, but the cover was blue?”
An unknown library created this display to help those patrons who can only remember the color of the cover of the book they wanted. Thanks, Lynne Thomas! Lots more funny library stuff at The Library News on Facebook. One commenter draws our attention to a related video, “The Confusing Library” by The Two Ronnies.
Dream interpretation made easy
Madame Le Marchand’s Fortune Teller and Dreamer’s Dictionary (1863) will tell you the meaning of everything in your dreams. Each fruit, for example, has a particular meaning: cherries “portend vexation and trouble in marriage”; gooseberries “indicate many children,” and filberts “forebode much trouble and danger.” (Has J.K. Rowling’s Sybill Trelawney been reading this book?)
The numbers after each entry are the lucky numbers your dreams have provided. Visit Special Collections and request the book to begin interpreting your own dreams the official 1863 way.









