Library Cats

August 8 is International Cat Day!  I must confess that our striped tabby, Tiger Belle, was less than impressed with our low-key celebration, although she did love the extra crunchy treats.  This celebratory day in honor of our feline friends was established by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.  Here is another cat from the Bell Library collection to enjoy.  It was used as a printer's mark by the Venetian Sessa family, active in the printing and book trade in Venice from 1501 to 1617.

Sessa Printer's Mark, 1519

My Las Vegas Vacation

Everyone is always surprised when I tell them that I'm going to Las Vegas for my vacation.  It's assumed that we're going to gamble and party, etc, which apparently seems out of character -- and of course it is.  However, we actually like Las Vegas the city.  There are museums, art galleries, other sites, and wonderful restaurants that are not on the Strip.  And, it's where we were married.  The last time we were there, we visited this marvelous lion preserve.  When the city council voted to close the Las Vegas zoo, it had a difficult time placing the animals.  Some locals created a preserve for the lions and a few others just off the south end of the strip:  https://lionhabitatranch.org/  It's worth a visit.

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort

Did you know that the Mormons were among the very first settlers?  The remains of the original fort have been preserved by the park system;  its located in downtown Las Vegas.  There is also a visitor's center where you can learn more about it:  http://parks.nv.gov/parks/old-las-vegas-mormon-fort

This year I'm sure we'll go back to one of our favorite restaurants:  Forte Tapas   Marvelous eastern European food in a funky and eclectic atmosphere, located in an unassuming strip mall well away from the Strip. 

We also highly recommend a visit to the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas.  One of the most well-done museums I've seen -- be prepared to spend several hours.

Blogging Again

It has been a while.  We moved the Bell Library to new quarters this year and prepping for that, the actual move, and then the unpacking and reorganizing have been all consuming.  However, a new space is like a fresh slate and I already have new habits.  For one thing, my office is clean, tidy, and organized!  I still have some artwork to hang on the walls, but otherwise it is a cozy (in the warm rather than small sense) and welcoming -- and most important -- usable space.    It also has a sit/stand desk, which I'm not used to yet -- keep putting files on the divide between the desk and the filing cabinet.  Baby steps.

Another new habit:  better priority setting.  I've found a new app for my phone:  Wunderlist  It helps me keep track of my to dos and lets me to set due dates, reminders, sub-tasks, etc.  The reminders help me keep on track and not succumb to distractions -- well, to as many distractions.

Will weekly blogging become another new habit?  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, here's a photo from a Premodern Food Lab event at the Bell Museum of Natural History (no, we are not the library of the museum!) this past fall.  Our event was "Pickles of Yore" and as you can see, they were a big hit!

On her 4th pickle from a 17th-century recipe!

Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktoo

So, I couldn't resist picking up this book:  The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktoo by Joshua Hammer. Of course, all librarians are "bad-ass" -- just ask one what s/he's involved in and you'll know what I mean -- but these guys were heroic under extraordinary circumstances.

Here's the book blurb:  "In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the world’s greatest and most brazen smugglers.

In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali."

Abdel Kader Haidara

This well written tale left me awestruck by the determination of Haidara and the many people who helped him save these priceless manuscripts, frequently putting their very lives at risk. Today, many of the salvaged volumes remain in danger from poor storage conditions, despite  monumental efforts to preserve them. 

The Timbouktou Manuscript Project web site provides additional information about this endeavor and links to a database of manuscripts as well as to some of the libraries set up to house them, including a library established by Haidara, himself, to house his own family's manuscript collection.

Mapping Cook's Endeavor

Fans of Captain Cook and his adventures and accomplishments might be interested to learn about the work of the Rhode Island Marine Archeaology Project (RIMAP), led by Dr. D. K. Abass.  RIMAP's mapping of  Revolutionary War-era British naval vessels in Newport harbor may have turned up Cook's Endeavour, the ship that took him on his very first voyage of exploration.

The route of Cook's first voyage, HMS Endeavour, 1768-1771

Cook's voyages are well documented.  Not only did he provide the Royal Navy with an account of his ventures, but several crewman on the three voyages also published their own accounts.  Sydney Parkinson, a Scots botanical illustrator, naturalist, and artist, was employed by Joseph Banks, a British naturalist and botanist, to accompany him on Cook's first voyage.  Banks and Swedish botanist Daniel Solander collected hundreds of plant and animal specimens and it was Parkinson's job to draw them in detail.  Parkinson also became fascinated with the people they encountered on the voyage and drew many of them as well, recording his experiences in a journal he kept during the voyage.  Sadly, Parkinson died of dysentery in 1771 while aboard ship.  Although Banks, as his employer, claimed all of his drawings and papers, including his journal, he lent it to Parkinson's brother, who published the journal with some of the drawings in 1773.  We're fortunate to have a copy in the Bell Library collection.

The image at right, depicting the distinctively tatooed face of a New Zealand chief, is one of several published in A journal of a voyage to the South Seas in His Majesty's ship the Endeavour, London, 1773 (Bell 1773 fPa).  Parkinson's images offered the European reading public their first glimpse of Pacific Islanders.

According to the caption on this image (left), sticking out one's tongue at an enemy is a gesture of defiance. 

Check out the Bell Library's online exhibit:  Captain Cook's Voyages of Discovery