I bookmarked this song a long time ago but don’t think I ever posted it.
Seems appropriate in light of Canada’s recent success in the Winter Olympics.
“Canadian Please”. (If memory serves, this was made by students at UWO where I did my MLIS.)
I bookmarked this song a long time ago but don’t think I ever posted it.
Seems appropriate in light of Canada’s recent success in the Winter Olympics.
“Canadian Please”. (If memory serves, this was made by students at UWO where I did my MLIS.)
Back from a week in Edmonton (well, “a week in the West Edmonton Mall” would be more accurate!)
During the week, I took advantage of being in a city with an Apple Store to visit the Genius Bar and get some help with a few different questions I had about my laptop and iPhone.
(Unfortunately, they’re not in a position to say why my blog keeps crashing so I’m still troubleshooting that problem on my own. So feel free to drop me a line if you notice that it’s down as my mother-in-law did during the week while we were gone!)
Anyhow, Apple Stores are well-known for revolutionizing retail stores in a number of ways (and it’s most easy to see in the fact that every single tech-type store you encounter these days – Telus, Bell, Microsoft, Bose, SaskTel – have all been re-designed to match the look of Apple Stores)
So after spending just under an hour in one of those revolutionary Apple Stores, it inspired me to think of a few things public libraries could learn from Apple Stores…
Traffic counts are equally amazing, particularly in such a condensed space. Apple is averaging 15,000 customers per week in their stores, which is extraordinary given the compact store size.
I also mentioned that there’s one way libraries shouldn’t try to be like Apple Stores. The reality is that Apple and the products it sells are aimed at customers who have an ability to pay for a premium product. Their pricing, their marketing, their “fanboy” culture – all of it revolves around making Apple something for the privileged, something exclusive.
That is the exact opposite of what public libraries have been, are right now and will hopefully continue to be in the future. We need to be the embodiment of democracy, a place where every member of society can go to seek the information they need without restriction or judgement, regardless of social class or ability to afford $699 iPads and $2500 MacBook Pros!
Now, another question – is there anything that Apple Stores should or could learn from public libraries? If not, then we’re doing something really wrong!
It’s actually kind of goofy how much I look forward to doing a Freedom to Read Week display at the library each year.
A couple years ago, I did one at Central and this year, I got to do one for my new branch. Luckily, I still had my “Caution” tape but unlike before when I did a single static display, this time I decided to extend the display out into the stacks as well.
How’d I do that?
I borrowed a bunch of FTRW quotes that Calgary Public Library posted (can’t find the link now as I can’t remember if it was Twitter, Facebook or somewhere else I saw it. Edit: Found it – and that reminds me that I was on the Calgary Freedom to Read Week Committee the first year that CPL ran their Teen Freedom to Read Week Contest – we even did a presentation to the winners at the annual WGA FTRW Fundraiser Night) and then posted them around the library in relevant sections (it helps that Regent uses a BISAC-based classification system so it’s more like a bookstore than a traditional library.)
Here’s some examples…
Gardening: “Reading can be a freedom or a key to a secret garden, which, if tended, will transform all of life.” – Katherine Paterson
Computers: “Stopping leaks is a new form of censorship” – Julian Assange
Children’s Area: “Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won’t have as much censorship because we won’t have as much fear.” – Judy Blume
Today on Facebook, a friend asked if I’d seen this particular flavour of Hammond’s chocolate bars.
I’d seen the regular kind (and had bought my mom and dad one as a gift when Sasha was born) but if I’d seen this kind, I don’t know if I’d ever eat another kind of chocolate bar again!
A great list from Buzzfeed summarizing some of many Canada’s successes – in competition and beyond – at the Winter Olympics.
Wired magazine asks if what we’re seeing in Sochi is a manifestation of some of the tropes of current dystopian literature like “Hunger Games”, the “Divergent” trilogy, etc. – a gleaming, authoritarian rule masquerading as a utopia but with a barely hidden sub-class, propaganda, televised spectacle, corruption, rigged competitions, doublespeak, etc.
It’s an interesting idea that others are exploring as well.
I know there’s now an (inevitable) pushback against the #sochiproblems stories that have been coming out. And I have no doubt that some of these reports are exaggerated, outdated or simply cultural misunderstandings. (The First Rule of Travel – if you’re in a foreign country, don’t expect everything to be like it is in your home country!)
But I also think it’s fairly clear that these Olympic Games, the most expensive in history, are having many many problems that are very real – from the tales of massive displacement of locals to the much more #firstworldproblem stories of hotel rooms without functioning Internet or whatever.
That’s unfortunate. But also perhaps a glimpse at a potential future for the rest of the planet, not just Russia?
Because coincidentally, today is also “The Day We Fight Back“, a US-based online effort to raise awareness about unconstitutional spying by the US government on its own citizens.
Russia’s is the spotlight but the United States is definitely not utopia either in terms of their current climate.
Yesterday was the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles’ first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show where they performed to a record-setting audience of 70 million people.
Here’s a clip from one of their performances that night…
“I Want To Hold Your Hand” – The Beatles
Saskatchewan’s Mark McMorris brought home Canada’s first Olympic medal, a bronze in the slope style competition. This is pretty amazing considering he broke a rib only a couple weeks ago at the Winter X Games (not to mention that he’s a kid from the flat Canadian prairie of course!) 😉
McMorris grew up in Regina. The closest thing he had to mountains were a couple of valleys. The biggest local hill was 89 metres (292 feet). But he started skateboarding when he was four years old, and he fell in love with snowboarding because he family took yearly trips to Lake Louise, Alta. He became obsessed with it. He became a huge star. He became one of the first three Olympic medalists in the sport. “I’m on an Olympic podium,” he said, “and I’m from Saskatchewan.” – via Yahoo! Sports
No less than the New York Times has a great feature that provides an inside look at what he’s doing when he performs all those amazing flips and spins.
As is probably common in our sparsely populated province, I have my own “one degree of separation” Mark McMorris connection. One of his best friends got married to a girl from my hometown whose mom nursed with my mom. My parents were at the wedding where Mark was one of the groomsmen.
So, uhm, maybe two degrees of separation? 😉 Anyhow, pretty cool stuff.