Sports Museum of Los Angeles

My husband Tim and I had the great fortune to attend a fundraiser at the Sports Museum of Los Angeles last night. The cause was completely worthwhile: raising money for Junior Achievement of Southern California, a terrific volunteer organization that teaches kids financial literacy. The real reason we were there, though, was to see the Sports Museum.

Tim, of course, is a far bigger sports fan than I’ll ever be; but I do love baseball and get especially misty-eyed when I see footage of the team I adored when I was a kid: the L.A. Dodgers. We have since switched our allegiance to the Angels, partially because Tim used to work for the radio station that broadcasted their games. Still, as native Angelenos who grew-up here when the Dodgers were truly phenomenal, we retain a soft spot in our hearts for the boys in blue. And having them in the play-offs this year doesn’t hurt either!

I had read about the Sports Museum, but was totally unprepared for what I was about to see. The 32,000 square foot building, located on Washington and Main in downtown L.A., houses over 10,000 items displayed in 30 “galleries.” The museum, owned by entrepreneur Gary Cypres, is the largest private sports collection in the world. Although most American sports are represented, baseball—in particular, the Dodgers and Yankees (Cypres was originally from NYC)—is especially emphasized, with an entire room dedicated to Babe Ruth memorabilia. The walls of another room are covered in framed baseball cards. There are exhibits of the evolution of baseball mitts, balls and uniforms, and several replicas of Ebbets field and other long-gone stadiums. Cypres told last night’s crowd that, even more than the sports themselves, he loves the history of sports and so purposely displays his collection to show how athletics has grown and changed.

As magnificent as the collection is, the museum, from a librarian’s perspective, could stand to be better organized and managed. Descriptions of each item are lacking as are narrative signs explaining the significance of some of the exhibits. I was also appalled at the lighting, which is far brighter than any museum I’ve ever visited. Sure, it’s great from a fan’s point of view, but I worry about the integrity of the artifacts. Will the lights eventually lead to fading or other disintegration? And what preservation techniques are being used overall? I also wonder if Cypres has a collection plan or if he just purchases items on whim and/or instinct. His passion did, after all, start by happenstance when he bought an old tennis racket in London many years ago. Now he’s got thousands of items to care for and house. What will eventually happen to the collection if there is no plan?

Nevertheless, if you’re a collector and/or sports aficionado, the Sports Museum of Los Angeles is a must for you. It’s open now only through appointment, so if you get invited to an event there, by all means go!

Carma Leigh (1904-2009)

I first met Carma Leigh in the early 1980s when I was a young librarian with the San Diego County Library. No longer able to drive, she would accompany friends or colleagues to library-related social or professional events. I knew she had been California state librarian, but had no idea what that meant until many years later.

Then in 1996, one of my doctoral studies professors suggested that I do a paper on Carma’s career. My professor had done research on Carma’s husband Robert D. Leigh and, in the process, had become intrigued by his wife. Since I knew Carma from my days in San Diego, I agreed to investigate her accomplishments. I was soon amazed!

An alum of UC Berkeley's School of Librarianship (1930), Carma worked briefly at Berkeley Public Library before becoming director of the Watsonville
Public Library (1931-1935). In 1938, she became Orange County library director and then director of San Bernardino County library in 1942. She left California in 1945 to become Washington state librarian only to return six years later when a search committee recruited her to interview for the job of state librarian. Not surprisingly, she got the job and was appointed California state librarian by Governor Earl Warren in 1951. She eventually retired in 1972, making Carma the longest-tenured state librarian in California library history.

Over the years, Carma was very involved in the American Library Association (ALA)—this despite the fact that long-distance travel was far more complicated then than it is today. In 1952, ALA asked her to be part of a cultural envoy to West Germany as part of the post-WWII reconstruction effort. Among her traveling companions were deputy Librarian of Congress
Frederick Wagman and sculptor Alexander Calder. The following year she
was asked to become part of DACOWITS (Defense Advisory Committee on
Women in the Services), which toured military bases and reported on
the living conditions, etc., of servicewomen.

Although Carma considered the creation of public library systems in California her greatest accomplishment, her influence was far wider than just the west coast. For ten years, she was one of a group of stalwart librarians who regularly lobbied Congress for passage of the first Library Services Act, which finally became reality in 1956. She also lobbied for reauthorization after the law was renamed the Library Services & Construction Act. In addition, she and her husband Robert helped reshape the general library philosophy of the mid-20th century by emphasizing the power of cooperation in maximizing library services for all. In 1996, Carma was honored as one of several “Legislative and Grass Roots Library Champions” feted by ALA in Washington, D.C. I met with her shortly afterward and decided to write my doctoral dissertation about her career.

She was a wonderful research subject—still as sharp as a tack despite her advanced age: 91 years old when we decided to work together on her life story. She was very involved in the research process and opened numerous doors to former colleagues whom I then interviewed. Without any prompting, they all noted how dedicated she was to the profession and how
beautiful and charming she was. (I always imagined actress Geena Davis playing her in the movie version of my dissertation!) One former colleague called Carma’s time as California state librarian a “golden age” of innovation and modernism. My own conclusion was that she was that rare mid-century woman who managed to shatter all gender and library stereotypes.

Carma died peacefully on September 25th. She was 104 years old. She was a remarkable librarian and role model for many of us. To say she led an extraordinary life would not be an overstatement.

(Photo credit: California State Library photo archives - Carma in 1954)

How I See It - My Place

One of the best teen projects I've ever had the privilege of being associated with is "How I See It - My Place," a writing and photography program developed by the California Council for the Humanities and financially supported by the California State Library. The purpose of the program was to get kids to think critically (i.e., intelligently) about their surroundings and to record those thoughts through words and pictures. The results of that fabulous project are now posted online. Get ready to be blown-away by the teens' insights and critical eye.

California Library Association conference, Oct. 30 - Nov. 2, 2009

Information about CLA conference and registration is now available online. As the chair of this year's conference planning committee, I can tell you we've worked long and hard to offer the best, most cost effective sessions possible. Please let me know if you don't find anything here of interest.

Comic-Con 2009

In recent years, July has become one of my favorite months. Sure, it’s the midway point of summer. But even more importantly, July is when the annual Comic-Con is held in San Diego.

During the 1980s, I attended a couple of Comic-Cons when I lived in San Diego. In those days, the Con was mostly just collectors buying and selling comics and science fiction/fantasy books to each other. Well-known authors would show-up to discuss how to incorporate, say, Arthurian elements into a short story, but the celebrity factor was kept to a minimum.

Not so much today, of course. Over the past several years, Comic-Con has become the most massive pop-culture event in the world, welcoming all sorts of media celebrities to hawk their current and upcoming projects. This year featured the likes of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland), the cast of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, James Cameron (director of the original Terminator, Titanic and the long-awaited Avatar), and the stars of Iron Man, to name just a few. All this in addition to a gynormous exhibits area where everyone from Disney to Southern California Comics displays his/her wares.

So why even mention this on a library blog? Well, for one thing, librarians are a presence at Comic-Con, with at least one annual panel discussion dedicated to library collection development issues. This year’s topic was “Graphic Novels in Libraries,” moderated by Snow Wildsmith, reviewer for SLJ and Booklist. Other panels of potential interest to librarians included “Evolution of Fantasy,” where authors tried to predict the next big fantasy series, “A Darker Shade of Ink: Crime and Noir in Comics,” “Underground Comix,” and “What’s Up with Penguin and DK.”

Youth services librarians—and actually anyone interested in media and/or pop culture—would enjoy the vendor area, which is always larger and certainly ten-times louder than ALA’s exhibits. The big themes this year were: TV remakes (new versions of The Prisoner and the cheesy 1980s series V), sequels (Iron Man, Twilight), 3-D (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Tron), and anything having to do with vampires.

Gaming seemed to be less of a presence than previous years, while publishers (e.g., Abrams, Chronicle Books, DK, McFarland, and Random House/Del Rey) were in more abundance—but maybe I’m just reflecting my own media preference. I did see lots of people lined up to get autographed books and graphic novels, almost to the point of looking like a BookExpo convention. I’m starting to think librarians should be given special badges (like at BookExpo) so Comic-Con vendors can promote their products directly to us (e.g., my snappy new Rex Libris poster above).

What about the rest of you? Did any other librarians attend Comic-Con?

Advice to Students Attending Conference

Although I’m not attending the American Library Association (ALA) conference this year (I’ve done Chicago in the summer—too hot!), I have gone to many national conferences in my 30+ years as a librarian and so have lots of advice for first-timers who have never experienced ALA before:

1. ALA’s annual conference is ENORMOUS! Not only are there meetings and exhibits in the convention center—which, in Chicago, is miles away from anything else—there are also meetings and events in the various conference hotels, restaurants, and local venues (e.g., the Art Institute and Navy Pier). Therefore, you should plan ahead by carefully reviewing the online conference program before even boarding your plane. As you’ll see, there are hundreds of programs offered over the course of four days and many of them conflict with each other. Choose the ones that interest you the most and then plan how best to get there. If two (or more!) good programs are scheduled at the same time, there’s no penalty for leaving one early so you can attend others. However, if you think you are going to leave early, then it’s best to sit toward the back of the room so as not to disrupt the proceedings when you sneak out.

2. Shuttles (i.e., the infamous “Gale buses”) transport attendees for free to and from the various conference sites. But be prepared to stand on long lines of librarians waiting for the buses to arrive. Also, if you’re not staying at one of the official conference hotels, then you’ll need to find the closest one to you if you want to catch a free ride to the convention center, etc. Conference hotels should all have big signs in the lobby describing shuttle times and locations.

3. Plan to spend at least half-a-day (or more!) at the exhibits as this is where you’ll see all the new library products (e.g., technology, furniture, services, etc.) that vendors have been waiting to rollout. This is also where you can grab lots of freebies, like books, bags (canvas are the best!), posters, magnets, etc. If you go hog-wild, there should be a special post office set-up inside the convention center where you can mail all your precious SWAG back home. And, oh yeah, be sure to wear comfortable shoes as there are miles and miles of aisles to walk before you see the end of all the exhibits.

4. Which brings me to: What to wear at conference. You’ll want to dress comfortably but professionally, because you never know where you might meet your next job prospect. So women: a dress or skirt (or nice pants) and blouse; be sure to pack a sweater as conference rooms are always freezing! Men: slacks and shirt, no tie necessary unless you’re actually interviewing for a job at conference. Save jeans, t-shirts and shorts for after-hours events and/or sightseeing after the conference. Shoes should be comfortable.

5. If you don’t already have some, then make business cards to take along and distribute when you meet someone you’d like to see again. As I said above, you never know where you might meet your next job prospect (or future colleague), so it’s always best to be prepared with business cards in hand. If you just graduated from library school, then list your name (followed by your degree, e.g., MLIS), phone number, e-address, and web site (if you have one that’s suitable). You could also list your areas of specialty, but only if you want to limit your possibilities.

6. Chicago is going to be rife with librarians, so take advantage and make new friends. Talk to the person next to you on the shuttle. Offer to share a table with someone waiting to eat lunch at the same restaurant. It’ll be pretty obvious who’s attending ALA from the bags they’re carrying and their general librarian “look.” Conference is no time to be shy.

7. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for free social events (e.g., the New Members Round Table’s Friday night “meet and greet”) and vendor parties. If you work in a library, you’ve probably already received invitations to various after-hours soirees. If you haven’t, then check with your coworkers to see if they’ve got invitations lying around they’re not going to use. Parties are a great place to meet new (and old) colleagues; plus the food is usually pretty darn good, too.

8. Have fun! This is the one time of the year when you’re surrounded by thousands of your peers, so relax and be yourself. Librarians are the warmest, most generous people on the planet. They’ll be very happy to see you and welcome you into the profession.

Librarian Trading Card

I am now #27 in Amy Pelman's pack of librarian trading cards! Hooray! Thanks Amy (one of my stellar former students)!