Dear Class of 2022:
You’ve put in all the work, crossed that grand stage, moved your tassel from right to left, and had the big celebration with family and friends. Perhaps a great many of you already know your next steps: offers from colleges or potential employers, maybe a new city or country to explore, maybe staying home for an extended break before the “real world” begins? Wherever you may find yourself, Brooklyn Public Library provides resources and guidance on what’s next through our Business & Career Center (B&CC). Your library card is the key to accessing sites like Brainfuse JobNow or Career…
Borrow a Telescope: One Teen's Mission to Share the Stars
Off the Shelf Editorial Staff ; Erik Bobilin
The Telescope Lending Library launched on a clear night in November 2021, with an outdoor viewing event attended by an enthusiastic mixture of public, library staff and members of the Amateur Astronomy Association (AAA) of New York. Absent from this experience, however, was the eleventh-grade astronomy lover whose plan to lend telescopes as freely as books—evolved over months of proposals and Zoom conferences—was finally coming to fruition. Yui H.’s passion for astronomy began with a different plan, formed at age nine while living in Singapore, after several screenings of…
Spotlight: Macon Library, a Classic Carnegie Representing the Bed-Stuy Community
Macon Library, located at 361 Lewis Avenue, is one of the best-preserved Carnegie branches in Brooklyn. Opened in 1907, the two-story, Classical Revival-style building retains its original fireplaces, oak paneling, alcoves and wooden benches, along with the warm charm that has welcomed the Bedford-Stuyvesant community for more than one hundred years. With Bedford-Stuyvesant being rich with African American history, BPL staff. local residents and community leaders made the preservation of that history a priority with the Dionne Mack-Harvin Center, Macon Library's African American…
See the Movie, Read the Book: Christmas Edition
Christmas was last week, but that doesn't mean it's over. Just ask any die-hard Hallmark Channel viewer—they've been enjoying holiday flicks since before Daylight Saving Time, and will probably watch more for weeks to come. There's a definite lure to the comfort these movies depict: fireplaces galore, cups of tea and cocoa, fair isle sweaters, hats and scarves (barely worn but ever-present), and true love realized through the magic of Christmas. And guess what? All of that holly-jolly splendor is even better when it takes place in a good book. Grab a candy cane and check out…
Plot-Driven Audiobook Thrillers for Long Autumn Road Trips
By Sally Z., a BPL Librarians of Tomorrow (Lot) Intern Stories of true crime have always interested me. Whether it be a part of the daily news sequence or front page on the newspaper, the capitating thrill sequence of mystery and murder seem to capture a variety of audience. When looking at a “BREAKING NEWS” headline, emotions are being rushed in: concern, anger, fear, interest, etc. The unwelcoming setting of a crime scene with black and yellow barricade tape labeled in all bold and capitalized letters “CAUTION”. And endless searches for crucial evidence and conversations with first…
Brooklyn by Bike: Staff Reflections on National Bicycle Month
There's a learning and comfort curve to cycling in this city that every cyclist understands. There are laws to learn, upfront costs and scary, aggressive drivers. And for those used to traveling by train, there's a whole system of bicycle-friendly routes to learn in order to get started. But despite all of this, there is a magnificent joy that comes from biking around this town. We would not do it, after all, if it weren't for the joy. And there is perhaps no easier time of year to experience this joy than in the month of May when most of the weather conditions that might dampen the…
The Oy of Cooking
Passover with the CookMobile BKLYN CookMobile is a cooking program for teens and other beginners. We cook our way through Brooklyn’s diverse cultural heritages, with an eye to scientific inquiry and food justice. Naturally, we relish holiday ceremony and celebration! Here’s what we recommend for Passover: Leave Me Alone with the Recipes: The Life, Art, and Cookbook of Cipe Pineles by Cipe Pineles Peneles was the first female art director at Condé Nast. If her style looks familiar, it’s because food illustrators are influenced by her work to this day, often without knowing it. This is…
You, Too, Can Be a Revolutionary: A Black Panther Party Booklist
We’re coming up on the end of Black History Month, and this is usually the time when all the performative allyship starts to wane: people post one last Martin Luther King, Jr. quote or recycle a few facts about Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglas. It’s the perfect time to remind our audience that Black history is American History, and as such, something that should be studied/brought up/shared throughout the year, not just in the shortest month. So, as we tiptoe into March, let’s keep our momentum going and read up on a prominent revolutionary organization (and one of its more known leaders…
That Guy Was President? Five Books on Forgotten Commanders-in-Chief
There are some presidents that—for better or worse—dominate the headlines decades after they’ve been in office, and others that fall into obscurity with every generation that passes. And it’s hard to pinpoint who our descendants will choose to still talk about (although I have a pretty good idea on a couple). But whatever the outcome, it’s good to know that for every random, “oh yeah, that guy was a president,” we encounter, there’s a historian willing to write about him. Here are five books about the men history likes to forget. Happy President’s Day! The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold…
Interview with Farzana Doctor
Off the Shelf Editorial Staff ; Liza
Growing up, my favourite places were my town’s public library and my school libraries. I still love these spaces for the sense of possibility they offer.... Brooklyn Public Library is delighted to welcome award-winning author Farzana Doctor to Off the Shelf as our latest guest. A true Candian triple threat, she’s a psychotherapist and activist as well as the author of a new book Seven hailed by Ms. Magazine as “fully feminist and ambitiously bold.” I couldn’t agree more. Seven follows Sharifa, a middle-aged wife and mother, on her trip to India where she begins an ancestral research…
Overheard: Deliberations of the 2020 BPL Literary Prize Committee
Each fall, the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize recognizes an outstanding work of both nonfiction and fiction with an award and a $5,000 prize. The 2020 awardees will finally be announced on Friday, November 20th at the Brooklyn Classic–the signature fundraising event of the Brooklyn Eagles. To pick the winners, a volunteer team of two dozen librarians spend the better part of a year evaluating titles submitted by staff from across the borough. The committee looks for books published after June 1, 2019 that push boundaries, bring light to unheralded stories, or give voice to…
When Did You Fall in Love with Reading?
A little birdie told us that, when our collective quarantine happened, many avid readers just couldn't focus on books anymore. We're sure it's quite scary to suddenly find the thing that felt like home, now feels as if it's 'too much'. If this sounds like you, fear no more! In an effort to help you jumpstart a new love affair with the written word, Off the Shelf editors asked our book-obsessed colleagues: What books made you fall in love with reading? Below are some selections for anyone looking to revisit some childhood classics, or if you're in need, possible inspiration. Happy…
Interview with Author Bonnie Tsui
Off the Shelf Editorial Staff ; Erik Bobilin
"Water is the great equalizer—no matter your age or size or color or physical ability, it buoys us all. Libraries are the same. They are portals to magical worlds beyond the ones we currently inhabit. And we all could use that right about now." For an unexpectedly rewarding thought experiment, ask yourself: why do we swim? If a flood of fond memories of water and sun return for you, it probably makes little sense at first to ask why we, humans, swim, but as author Bonnie Tsui reminds us, primates are among the only mammals not innately possessed of swimming instincts. “Elephants, dogs,…
Être Vivant: A Night of Philosophy and Ideas 2020 Reading List
AN ALL-NIGHT MARATHON of philosophical debate, performances, screenings, readings, and music. For the fourth year in a row, Brooklyn Public Library, in partnership with the Cultural Services of French Embassy, hosted A Night of Philosophy and Ideas. Thousands of New Yorkers gathered in our walls from 7p.m. on February 1, 2020 until 7a.m. on Feburary 2, 2020. Some of the most innovative and provocative thinkers of our time led lectures on topics from How to Come Up with Your Own Philosophical Questions to When a Robot Decides When You Live or Die. At the start of the…
Library Selection Team Recommends 3 Books You'll Love This Feburary
What books are you looking forward to this winter? Note from the Off the Shelf Blog Editors: This list of books has been curated by the BookOps book selection team. BookOps carries the responsibility of meeting the library collection management and distribution both New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. If you're looking for reading inspiration this winter, then look no further than these upcoming releases. They've been hand-picked by the team that selects all the books you've loved at Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library. Shuggie Bain: A Novel…
Library Staff Reveal Their Reading Goals for 2020
Off the Shelf Editorial Staff ; Erik Bobilin
Must Reads of 2019 from our BookMatchers
A 15-year train wreck. Gorgeous and evocative. Magisterial work. Just a few descriptions our very own BookMatch Librarians have used for some of their favorite books of 2019. Take a look at these recommendations to figure out your end of decade reads or a head start to your 2020 reading goals! Please check back often as we will add more titles to this list. Fiction The Archive of Alternate Endings -- Lindsey Drager This is a slim, gut punch of a novel. Told in interlocking vignettes that follow the 75-year path of Haley's comet from 1378 to 2365, it reimagines the…
Quiz: Which Literary Character Should You Be For Halloween?
Off the Shelf Editorial Staff ; Jennifer
Are you more of a Nancy Drew or a Pennywise? You won't find anyone who loves Halloween more than the people who work at a library. You'll forget every stereotype you had about what a librarian looks like when you see them decked out as their favorite character or spooky alter ego. Book lovers have a deep catalog of inspiration to mine every year when it comes time to think of a costume. If you are searching for a last-minute Halloween costume for yourself, take our quiz to discover the literary character you should impersonate this season! (function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.…
Behind the Scenes with the BPL Literary Prize Committee
Off the Shelf Editorial Staff ; Erik Bobilin
The 2019 Literary Prize Shortlist Announcement: an Opportunity to Check-In with the Committee On Tuesday, September 24, Brooklyn Public Library announced its shortlist for the 2019 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for fiction/poetry and nonfiction. The eight selections—including two books of poetry, a short story collection, a novel and four works of nonfiction—were selected by a team of librarians. The shortlist constitutes the final stage in a rigorous, year-round process for determining the winners of the annual Prize. Last year, Jeanne Theoharis was…
Neverending Summer: Literary Descriptions of Summer
Here in Brooklyn we’re not quite ready to say goodbye to summer yet. However, with school just around the corner, we might have to admit that autumn (and winter) are closer than we’d like. To try to keep the summer vibes going, we asked the Brooklyn Public Library staff to submit their favorite descriptions of summer from literature. Have a few favorites of your own? Let us know in the comments!