Posts by Lauren Lampasone

The New York Public Library recently announced a partnership with The Floating University to present the 'Great Big Ideas' video lecture series. The first one took place yesterday, and was a lecture titled If You're So Free, Why Do You Follow Others? The Sociology and Science Behind Social Networks, Altruism and the Genetic Origins of Human Interaction presented by Professor Nicholas Christakis.

Go to nypl.org/floatinguniversity to see the schedule of upcoming screenings, some featuring live Q&A with the professors:

It's time for scares it's time for screams IT'S HALLOWEEN.

This month on the NYPL blogs we have all just been gearing up for this one special night. Our costumes were as varied as our blog subject matter, can you guess what we dressed up as?

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is a 2011 update of a 2004 research guide from the Mid-Manhattan Library. A printable version is available to download.

You know who you are. You have your barcode memorized. Your hold requests are always maxed out. You juggle lists of TO READ and HAVE READ and SOMEDAY and NOT YET PUBLISHED. Now you are exploring the many new options available to you in our new catalog, and maybe geeking out just a little bit.

You are a library catalog superuser, and we salute you!

Back to school! The NYPL blogs have been practicing their penmanship.

The New York Public Library is one of several libraries now using BiblioCommons — a new catalog interface that greatly improves the search experience. Searching for books, ebooks, DVDs, music, and all of our other holdings is easier than ever. It is also easy for you to share your expertise in new ways — rate and review materials, add videos, create new lists on a theme or a Top Ten, and browse lists from other users you follow. Now you can also save items to read later and keep track of what you've already read.

Have you heard? Library books are now available to borrow on Kindle devices and other devices with Kindle reading software (Windows, Mac, Blackberry, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Windows Phone 7) as well as their Kindle Cloud Reader (read without downloading software in your web browser).

Here is a walkthrough of how it works. (If you're scrolling-averse, check out this video from OverDrive.)

Ask NYPL gets a lot of questions about the sidewalk on Library Way. If you haven't seen it before, on your next trip to the main building on Fifth Avenue, be sure to approach from the east and walk along 41st Street. You'll have a perfect view of the building gleaming in the morning sun, and you can stop to read some inspirational quotes about reading, writing, and literature along the way.

Where were you? Uptown, midtown, downtown. Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx. Brooklyn, Manhattan, New Jersey. On the ferry, on the train, in the air, below ground. At the library, at school, at home, at work. Maybe you were somewhere else, and you watched the events unfold from far away on television. 

The 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die series on Current TV has generated a fair amount of controversy... nothing on the list predates 1988, and it's heavy on English-language films, for example. I have posted the list here with links to the NYPL BiblioCommons catalog so that you can read descriptions and put any of the DVDs on hold.

What a wild month. August 2011! Maybe you were away for all or part of it, but it will surely go down in the NYC record books as "Month With the Most Unusual Meteorological/Geological Events." Earthquake! Hurricane! Read Down Your Fines! On the NYPL blogs we didn't just tell you about all of the wonderful collections and services we provide every day; we also gave you useful information for when our doors are — unfortunately for Jake Gyllenhaal fans hoping to reenact scenes from Day After Tomorrow — closed!

Due to the anticipated severe weather conditions, all units of The New York Public Library (covering The Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island) will be closed on Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28, 2011. It is expected that all locations will be open on Monday, August 29, but New Yorkers are encouraged to check nypl.org for the most up to date information.

Before settling in for the storm, be sure to stop into one of our libraries to pick up something to read. (Or visit ebooks.nypl.org from the comfort of your home.) Try following the Twitter hashtag #stormreads for suggestions! Below are resources from city and emergency agencies for information about the 

July was sure hot, but it stayed pretty cool over here on the NYPL blogs.

Summer is in full swing. Maybe you've taken a cruise, a roadtrip, a European jaunt or a trip to the beach, but summer would not be complete without a night spent with only a thin layer of nylon separating you from the starry sky and the cool night air... am I right?

No?! Well to be honest, I haven't always felt that way. I am a reluctant camper. If you are too, all you need is a patient (and preferably more camping-experienced) friend or family member and maybe a few books from the library to get you started.

SUMMER IS HERE! The NYPL blogs are basking in the sunshine of information.

Did you see? This month on the blogs...

Ohio is not that far from New York... two or three states away, depending how you drive. But you wouldn't know it by talking to any native New Yorker. It might as well be Iowa, or Idaho, they all kind of sound the same. "Flyover country."

April can be sort of cruel (I'm paraphrasing...) but on the NYPL blogs it was a blast! I couldn't help but notice...

In like a lion and out like a lamb, right? More like in like a lion and out like a lion around here on NYPL blogs (their names are Patience and Fortitude, remember?)