Last week, the library hosted its version of Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic holiday tradition that includes exchanging books and drinking cocoa. Several staff members, including myself, picked a few of the books we loved from the previous year to talk about, and it was fun to see how different people reacted to titles we mentioned, growing […]
Libraries have always been about sharing. We share books and movies and a vast array of other materials with our communities. We help people learn and share experiences through classes and programs. Libraries also share with each other. This includes sharing our materials but we also share ideas. The first annual Library Giving Day (#LibraryGivingDay) […]
In the midst of anticipating a new year, there’s time to make a difference. As the winter solstice slides by and days begin to lengthen, we’re literally welcoming more light every day, but how, in these fraught times, do we each bring more light to the world? I’ve recently gleaned some lessons from George Washington, […]
Modern art, classical art. World history, American history, New Jersey history. Airplanes, dinosaurs, medical oddities, giant sculptures. What do all of these things have in common, you ask? Cardholders can see all of them for free with a museum pass from the library. The Museum Pass Program is popular, but I didn’t realize how popular […]
In "The Great Good Place," author Ray Oldenburg writes of the places we go – the coffee shops, community centers, taverns, salons, cafes – that encourage informal, public gathering. The places where people get to know each other and develop a sense of innate belonging. They are the "third places," the ones aside from home (first) and work (second) where we choose to spend our time.
This month in a Kirkus Reviews interview, our readers’ services librarian, Kristin Friberg, gives her thoughts about our Princeton-centric corner of the publishing industry. We’re very pleased to see our library’s readers’ advisory services and the broader local reading community recognized as a trend-spotting mecca in one of the premier journals previewing books before their publication.
This year there are so many ways that you can participate in our summer reading program for adults (and win prizes)! You can enter by filling out a raffle ticket at one of our Groundbreaking programs happening all summer long, e-mail a written review, upload a picture of you and your book to Instagram and tag it with #PPLreads13 so we can find it, or
Did you ever wonder how librarians answered questions before the age of the Internet, when there were no computers, and Google, Wikipedia, online bookmarks, and saved files were not available at your fingertips? All librarians had were print reference books, the circulating collection, print magazine indexes, hard copy magazines, the telephone, and each other.
How did we keep track of all those little bits of pertinent information and answers to commonly asked questions?
We had the Funny Facts File.
Every four years, the community gathers at Princeton Public Library to watch the presidential election returns come in, and November 6 marked our third go-round with this tradition. More than 125 people gathered in the community room, where we tuned in to CNN to watch the vote tallies and analyze the results with our election night commentator, Ingrid Reed. At the same time, PPL staffers were busy checking Twitter feeds for early calls on each state’s results while tweeting to others in the community about what was happening at the library.
Ask a teenager, “What is your unique vision for the future?” It’s no surprise that local teens have answers to this question and want to share their thoughts, dreams, and plans with the community. As part of Princeton Public Library’s TEDxYouth event, “Imagine the Future,” on November 16, we have eight teens presenting talks about their passions and showcasing their visions for how their generation can change the world for the better.
What has many hands, threads of many colors, and doesn’t go anywhere without pointy sticks? If you guessed the knitters who come to spend time together at the Knit Nook every third Thursday evening of the month at Princeton Public Library, you’d be correct.
Princeton area knitters recently celebrated Worldwide Knit in Public Day without controversy. Witness our photos on Flickr. It's a safe bet that we'll have Ravelympians in the Community Room for the Olympic viewing sessions in July and August. Who says knitters are quiet, mousy souls? Not the U.S. Olympic Committee, apparently.
I am a serious fan of Worldwide Knit in Public Day. Better living through stitching together? We have a day for that. Every June, the Princeton Public Library hosts a KIP (Knit in Public) event. This year, we knit (and crochet) on Saturday, June 9, between 11:00 and 3:00. Watch and listen carefully. You’ll find knitters and yarn folk from our community clicking our needles, chatting, learning, and sharing our crafts out on the Hinds Plaza.
Just a short walk down Nassau Street from Princeton Public Library, Tigerlabs is getting settled into a new home. Picture an open, beamed loft area painted in bright and cheery colors, with great light, an informal vibe, several rows of wired tables, comfy office chairs, a kitchen, lockers, a ping pong table, and even a traditional red British phone box. People are working at computers, chatting together, taking a break for a snack, having a meeting, and yes, playing a bit of ping pong.
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