[Noisebridge-discuss] Noisebridge Lending Library?

jim jim at well.com
Wed Feb 10 16:29:09 UTC 2010



   I am invested in the library. I have some experience 
working with real librarians, not a lot, but I know 
some basics. I worked for a few years in the computer 
book business and have some sense of what makes a good 
computer book as well as familiarity with some of the 
classics. 
   I have one electrical promise left to keep before I 
feel freed up to start on "library" book shelves and 
vetting the books we have and that are in boxes as 
possible donations. 
   There was a discussion with a few people, including 
Crutcher and his occasional abrasive extremes (which 
I don't take too seriously) claiming space, and Kelly, 
who presented a seeming absolute claim for space, and 
andy, john, ian.... My take on the discussion was that 
it was successful. 
   The whole library thing is in flux. Where to put 
shelves, which prospective new books to accept, which 
books to put on which shelves.... 

   Some comments seem worth considering: 
* books might best be shelved somewhere more nearly in 
the center of the space. Suggested shelf locations 
include on the center columns, against the walls outside 
of the classrooms, against the walls between the storage 
room and the double-doors. 
* the metal shelves that currently house the library 
are not very good for books. 
* electronic books might be shelved in the electronic 
work area. 
* crutcher rightly (it seems to me) criticizes the 
existing library as poorly curated. 
* kelly points out a strip of blue tape on the floor 
that she expects to demark the "big pile of crap" area 
in the north west corner of the space (near the fire 
escape exit). she allows that those books that we care 
least about might have a place in that area. 
* there seems to be agreement that some portion of the 
books are valuable and should be protected. 
* there's a group that's interested in using the wall 
space directly under the western windows for planter 
boxes; none of them were there last night, but i did 
mention their interest in the after-meeting discussion. 
* john reminds us that there's a persistent claim for a 
place that's quiet where people can read. 
* claims on space should be elastic: as the community 
matures in the space, it's likely there will be more 
interests needing space, so the contest between the 
sewing group and the library group presages things to 
come. Seems to me we should try to accommodate each 
interest, but no one interest should claim a great 
deal of space permanently; rather they should try to 
set up a minimal permanent space and the ability to 
expand easily into a "no person's land" area when 
they're working, and collapse (or let the next group 
collapse them) at the end of their work. 
* the current locations of everything should be subject 
to adjustment of some kind. 
* we're not using vertical space much: more shelves up 
the walls would provide more storage and maybe allow 
us to reorient the existing metal shelves so they take 
up less floor space. a counter argument is that more 
storage allows more stuff, and more stuff is likely to 
be unwanted and forever-ignored junk. 

   Bottom line for the library: 
* build shelves in some locations, 
* inspect the books in boxes to accept some or all as 
donations, 
* review all books to classify them as to type, shelving 
location, and value. 
   I hope to begin some work within a week. The likely 
locations in my mind are on the columns, on the wall 
in the electronics work area, somewhere in the "big pile 
of crap" area, and against the south wall between the 
storage room and the double doors. 
   Note the discussion list seems to be settling on a 
means of tagging books, perhaps with a rubber stamp or 
with stickers, doesn't seem resolved yet, but shows 
direction. 
   Help with building shelves and vetting and classifying 
books, please. 
jim 



On Tue, 2010-02-09 at 23:49 -0800, steve camuti wrote:
> Hi Jim et. al,
> I am jumping into this discussion very beyond the start... sorry. I
> would like to help with the Library. Out of a previously expressed
> desire to help with the library, I have been named Librarian, despite
> my lack of experience in this role. Before we moved to 2169, I got the
> G4 iMac (the "desklamp" 800Mhz iMac) that is sitting on the coffee
> table in front of the lime colored couch donated to the space. I also
> donated my copy of Delicious Library and scanned nearly all the books
> already housed on the metal shelving.
> 
> Concerns about a lack of Open Source Free Software aside, Delicious
> Library addresses much of the concerns expressed in this thread. If
> the MacMini previously mentioned would like to be donated, feel free
> to. I would be happy to contribute my time again to scan the rest of
> the library in. (I can get a projected barcode scanner to speed this
> process along. A modded cuecat was insufficient.)
> 
> What needs to happen for the library to come together in its new
> location? Can I help with this? 
> 
> -Steve C
> Mooch
> 
> On Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 4:46 PM, jim <jim at well.com> wrote:
>         
>         
>           i think my response was pretty good. we're talking
>         the problem out (as good consensors should) so's to
>         address each of our concerns. note it reflects my
>         understanding per conversations with those who seemed
>         to care at the time.
>         
>           my big concern is that the noisebridge library is
>         of high value: useful to each of us because of the
>         value of the contents and a draw that helps to bring
>         others to noisebridge.
>           if the NB community in general does not care about
>         a high quality library, i'd like to know that.
>           if NB-ers want a high quality library, i very much
>         want to support that.
>         
>           i believe that it's important to preserve high
>         quality books, and not allowing them off-premises is
>         a clean policy.
>         
>           rachel's right: labels are not a signout system.
>         (back to that: ) those who take away a book that
>         should be returned should record some kind of contact
>         info so others can bug them to bring it back. for a
>         counter example, think of video rental stores.
>         
>         
>         
>         
>         
>         On Tue, 2010-02-09 at 15:11 -0800, Leif Ryge wrote:
>         > On 02/09/2010 02:53 PM, jim wrote:
>         > >     i am still stuck on the idea that some books
>         > > do not leave premises. most books, seems to me,
>         > > can go off premises, some forever.
>         >
>         > Phew! I'm glad we agree that most books should be
>         borrowable. I'm
>         > inclined to note that this is a long way from your original
>         answer to
>         > Will's question at the beginning of this thread, which I did
>         not like at
>         > all:
>         >
>         > [JS] >    No, it is not a lending library. people who take
>         > [JS] > books home tend to keep them, and in those cases the
>         > [JS] > books are not available to others: not excellent.
>         >
>         > If people want to mark individual books with a "please leave
>         this book
>         > at noisebridge" stamp or sticker, I have no objection to
>         that. I just
>         > hope that the understanding for unmarked books in our
>         library remains
>         > that they are borrowable by default.
>         >
>         > ~leif
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