Library Day: Mercantile Library and CPL Main Branch

After the Madeira, Norwood and Corryville branches, the last libraries my friends and I visited were the Mercantile Library and Cincinnati Public Library's main branch.

I only snagged this one photo from Mercantile Library-- it's so austere in there, it's not really the kind of place where you whip out your camera! But if you haven't visited this gem inside the Mercantile Center (duh), you really ought to take the opportunity. You don't need to be a member to visit the Mercantile Library, and it's so full of artifacts and history, it's simply amazing.

The remaining three (crappy, iPhone-taken) photos are from the main branch at the Cincinnati Public Library. The library has these stained glass windows peppered throughout the downtown branch, and I'd love to know more about them. Were they in the walls at one point?

This is the view from one of the higher level windows. Embarrassed admission: I'd never moved above the ground floor before "Library Day." Seeing how many open, bright windows and great reading spaces live throughout the library was a big eye-opener for me! I had imagined it'd be a lot more... stuffy upstairs. Oops!

Of course, there are older artifacts in the higher floors of the library. Dan was thrilled to find a card catalog, and we were all excited to tour the "Cincinnati Room," where they house some great local history pieces and changing exhibitions.

We spent hours in the main branch of the Public Library... there is so much there, I'm going to have to go back with the real camera and document more of it. I was overwhelmed to discover more than I'd imagined was housed in the downtown branch! I've been underutilizing this great public resource.

Mercantile Library: http://www.mercantilelibrary.com/
Cincinnati Public Library: http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/main/

Library Day: Corryville Branch

Noticing a theme yet? ;)

Earlier this week we looked at the Cincinnati Public Library's Madeira and Norwood branches. Our third stop on "Library Day" was Corryville-- I'd never been to this library, but the library's Twitter account suggested it to us!

Isn't this dome gorgeous?! The librarian told us that they used to use this floor for STORAGE, and let patrons come into the ground floor. They recently switched that... thank heavens.

(Insert library pun about checking this guy out...)

Gotta love a branch with some love for graphic novels.

Cincinnati Public Library, Corryville branch: http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/branches/corryville.html

Library Day: Norwood Branch

Yesterday we looked at Cincinnati Public Library's Madeira branch. Today I'm showing off a few photos from the Norwood branch.

The Norwood branch was actually the branch that sparked the idea for "Library Day." Dan and I drive by this gorgeous branch once in a while and always say that we ought to visit... next time. Finally, when our library-lovin' friends Miranda and Erica visited, we had the excuse we needed to visit this beautiful branch of the library.

While Madeira's branch seemed very family-oriented, we saw a lot more about job searching and resume building in Norwood. This sparked a long conversation with Erica and Miranda about how libraries cater to their unique audiences... apparently there are a lot of ways that branches research their readers and community members so they can tailor their content to them.

Love Hunger Games!

(This is our friend Erica, by the way. Ain't she a beaut?)

Cincinnati Public Library, Norwood branch: http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/branches/norwood.html

Library Day: Madeira Branch

I have two beautiful friends who studied library science and now work in Columbus' library system. We decided to have them over to visit a few of Cincinnati Public Library's local branches.

We visited Madeira, Norwood and Corryville, then ended our day at the main branch downtown. I have to throw a shout-out to Cincinnati Public Library's awesome Twitter account-- whoever is running their social media really helped me out when I asked which branches to visit!

Here are a few images from our visit to the Madeira branch. It seemed to be a very family-oriented library... warm, rounded, wooden, inviting, with about half the building dedicated to children's books. A very sweet library!

Cincinnati Public Library, Madeira: http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/branches/madeira.html

Gregory Maguire at the Cincinnati Public Library

Gregory Maguire was just here! (Seriously, as it's only 8:30pm as I write this, he might still be signing books the library.)

Maguire-- best known as the author of the Wicked series-- popped by the downtown branch of the library this evening to give a presentation he called "My Wicked Origins," and to sign books for his adoring fans. I'm always amazed that events like these are free, since to me they're a lot like concerts but for writing, complete with roadies and tech checks and backstage passes. (This event did have a "backstage" option-- for a $100 donation to the library, you could meet Mr. Maguire for dinner and a chat beforehand. A "very cool fundraiser," as Dan put it.)


I was the first one plopped in a folding chair, because I am a nut. I read to pass the time, and just before 7pm, they ushered on a couple of students from the SCPA to belt a few songs from the musical version of Wicked. (For the diehard among you: "The Wizard and I," followed by "For Good.")


(Pardon for the poor photography-- I remembered the book I wanted to have signed, but not a decent camera. Priorities!)

Gregory Maguire was engaging, funny, and flawlessly-timed (he had one piece of his presentation set to music). I feel that, in the same shoes, I might have been fatigued to be talking about a book I wrote 15 years ago, but Maguire completely owned it and melted the hearts of his Wicked-loving audience.


Dan also had a great time, which is important to include as he is not the Maguire nutter that I am. :)

Interesting though tangential: Idina Menzel (the original Elphaba, from the Broadway cast of Wicked) is performing at Music Hall this weekend.

Gregory Maguire's website: http://www.gregorymaguire.com/

AFC: Frank Lloyd Wright symposium

What an awe-inspiring photograph of the event, eh? Really just captures the mood. Urgh.

Anyway. I've mentioned before that I've been getting into architecture lately, beginning specifically with when Dan and I visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. About a month ago I discovered an interesting opportunity: a free symposium about FLW at the Cincinnati Public Library, so we planned our Saturday around it.

(I need to write an entire post about the library itself, I should note. I hadn't been there in far too long-- maybe high school?)

The symposium was... eek, I use "fantastic" too much on this blog. I really, truly enjoyed myself. They had a variety of speakers and all from different vantage points: one woman currently owns a FLW house in Clifton, others were members of the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati (AFC), museum/house curators, etc.

Each had presentations with great photographs and avoided technical jargon that would have lost me (actually something I was a little worried about, considering the source was the AFC). This photograph at right is from when one of the library staff had to shut the blinds so we could see the presentations, but otherwise things went smoothly.

I learned a lot, engaged in non-standard Saturday afternoon fare, spent time in the library I've worked blocks away from for 4+ years, and really just all-around enjoyed myself.

Dan and I both walked away from the symposium more excited than every to visit nearby-ish FLW landmarks, like the house in West Lafayette, IN or the one in Springfield, OH. I will also be keeping a closer eye on the AFC so that we can be sure to attend other events, including exhibitions and tours that they regularly give.

Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati website: http://architecturecincy.org/
Link to the AFC events page: http://architecturecincy.org/programs/programs.html