Reading Room, The Field Museum Library

May 8, 2007

View of the reference desk in the reading room of the Field Museum library.

While at the library, Michael Godow, library director, gave an excellent overview of the rare and special collections of the library. Other library staff were also helpful on my visit where I gave a talk to the research staff on the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

Chicago Public Library Book Truck

May 7, 2007

One of the Chicago Public Library book delivery trucks at the loading dock of the Harold Washington Library.

I was visiting the library as part of a Smithsonian Libraries' panel exhibition, "Picturing Words".

Green Spring Gardens

Research Library and Horticulture Center

Encyclopedia of Life Launch

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic.

Reception held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington to celebrate the launch of the Encyclopedia of Life and the Biodiversity Heritage Library

Encyclopedia of Life/Biodiversity Heritage Library launched!

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic.

At long last, the Encyclopedia of Life and the Biodiversity Heritage Library were launched (May 9). The BHL received great notice in the press (see the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a quote from Doug Holland). E.O. Wilson spoke at the National Press Club and the National Academy of Sciences hosted a reception where the project was officially sent out into the world.

The Smithsonian Libraries hosted a preview of the BHL/Internet Archive scanning station and showed a scanner, print on demand books and demoed the BHL portal.

• EOL: http://www.eol.org
• BHL: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
• More photos of the events

Libraricus Park

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic.

Libraricus Park: where the Jurassic meets the Dewey. Where reality meets, ..., osmeting else. The memorable visit will include squished pennys; modarama, a trip to the McDonalds, and of course, the restroom

Water, water, everywhere

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic.

We've all seen some fancy water fountains in our time, but how many times have you filled an old bottle from a bathroom on a trip? Here at the Chicago Club Quarters, a full ice cold water fountain - with fresh new bottles - awaits.

The perfect hotel accoutrement for the thirsty traveller!

Out of Order

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic.

Seen while visiting Boston Public Library. For those of you who may not recognize this device, it is a microfiche reader. Microfiche was the microformat beloved by scientists who could slip a 105 x 148 mm film under a microscope and not worry about devices such as those pictured!

Popular for directories (e.g. telephone books) and other content where random access was more important than linear reading, many find fiche much less nausea inducing!