Shanachies ask Cory Doctorow about Copyright.
After the conference “Computers in Libraries 2009″ in Washington, The Shanachies: Erik Boekesteijn and Jaap van de Geer, visited the famous Darien Library. John Blyberg gave us a tour of the new building and we talked to some of the wonderful staff members about some of the new services and ideas. So kick back and [...]
13-08-2009 Plakias, Crete, Greece from the most southern public library in Europe I am looking back at our Irish adventure and realize that it is a little more than 2 weeks ago that we were at the most northern point of Ireland. Crazy life we lead sometimes. From the cold Atlantic and the hills of [...]
Shanachies interview Eddie and Georgina Byrne (not related) about libraries and new services in Ireland.
Koen Rotteveel, Interaction Designer and Developer
DOK, Library Concept Center made this incredible application that browses the collection of the local photo archive “Erfgoed Delft” and presents photographs of streets of patrons/users based on their ZIP code.
For more information please contact:
Jaap van de Geer (Head of Innovation), j.vandegeer@dok.info
Koen Rotteveel, k.rotteveel@dok.info
Shanachies are in Chicago to attend the movers and shakers lunch and give a presentation for the LITA President’s Program
Shanachies interview Knud Schulz about new library in Aarhus and the Next Library Unconference. The Libary as a space of desire.
http://www.nextlibrary.net
Scott Nicholson is doing an exciting one month course on Gaming in Libraries at the moment that can be found on http://www.gamesinlibraries.org/course/
Shanachies interview Kathy Dempsey and Helene Blowers at CIL 2009 about the future of libraries and the UGame Ulearn conference.
Shaking and on the last drops of unleaded we reach Sale, Gippsland, Victoria and refuel the Lizzard King. The rain pours down and we are actually getting a bit fed up being the Drought Busters. We get safely to Melbourne and thanks to our Tom Tom we find our camping park at Coburg. Award winning [...]
We wake up early as we know the traffic in Brisbane gets insane and our Tom Tom is not 100% reliable at times. During breakfast we decide that after the four hour presentation and tour around the library we will try to make it a few hours south away from this disaster area and hope [...]
After our touch of summer and presentation in Perth we left early for the airport with the hotel shuttle. The flue is getting worse and all my muscles ache. The last thing I look forward to is another 5 hour flight, but it has to be done. Sharan Harvey is waiting at the airport of [...]
After amazing food at the local Chinese Duck restaurant, where we find out that people in Australia bring their own beer and wine to the restaurant we go for one big beer at a local pub. This day has been so long and we are so tired that we seem like bewildered eskimos looking at [...]
Erik Boekesteijn and Jaap van de Geer, DOK Library Concept Center. travel to Chicago (2007) to explore gaming in libraries. Interviews with famous bibliobloggers Jeny Levine, Michael Stephens and Leah White and visits to Kankakee Public Library and Shaumburg Township District Library give us some insights into potential benefits of gaming for communities in this [...]
Christine Mackenzie interview from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
Shaking and on the last drops of unleaded we reach Sale, Gippsland, Victoria and refuel the Lizzard King. The rain pours down and we are actually getting a bit fed up being the Drought Busters. We get safely to Melbourne and thanks to our Tom Tom [...]
I still have pieces of hat between my teeth and a rather upset stomach. Oz kitchen for poor excuse for a fisherman is deadly. If the snakes and floods don’t kill you a Kangaroo leather hat will. This trip has been well laid out and the travel distances are just managable. It takes us about [...]
Road to Melbourne: Picton Library from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
After another rainy night we pack up our wet chairs and get out of Sydney before it gets to us. It is another 1000 kms to Melbourne and we need to revive a little before we are ready to break some barriers and speak [...]
Sydney from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
There it is. The city unfolds itself and opens like some sort of shell. We find our camping park after some miscommunication with our Tom Tom and see that it is situated only 20 yards of the first graves on a huge cemetary. We probably have a couple [...]
Road to Sidney, part one from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
Byron Bay and the lighthouse are in every way what we hoped they would be. The most Eastern point of the mainland of Australia. We are overlooking the bay and think of the crew of captain Cook and how they saw this country for [...]
Brisbane City Council Library from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
We wake up early as we know the traffic in Brisbane gets insane and our Tom Tom is not 100% reliable at times. During breakfast we decide that after the four hour presentation and tour around the library we will try to make it a [...]
Queensland State Library from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
After our touch of summer and presentation in Perth we left early for the airport with the hotel shuttle. The flue is getting worse and all my muscles ache. The last thing I look forward to is another 5 hour flight, but it has to be [...]
Perth Down Under from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
After amazing food at the local Chinese Duck restaurant, where we find out that people in Australia bring their own beer and wine to the restaurant we go for one big beer at a local pub. This day has been so long and we are so [...]
ShanachieTour Down Under: Trailer from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.
Finally the ShanachieTour kicks off. It seems like yesterday that we landed in Amsterdam after our little tour from London to Monterey. The weather was much the same as this morning. Drizzle and cold and depressing. We really enjoyed getting our ShanachieTour book and the [...]
Amazing. Who could have a thought that in two years time we would be back in London as keynote of the second day at Internet librarian International. It seems yesterday when we were illegally filming at Internet Librarian International 2006 after buying tickets to the conference. The first time we met Marydee, Dick Kaser, and [...]
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Another 4500 miles on our Shanachie flying account. After 12 hours, with one stop on the Dominican Republic we land on tropical Jamaica. The land of Reggea music, rum, jerk food and libraries and we want to explore it all. No flues, fever or other setbacks this time. We are exited and ready to enjoy [...]
Monterey, the final episode
There it is. After 5000 miles we are guided by the sound of the Sea lions towards our hotel and the conference center. Right next to fisherman’s wharf we park the mother ship to leave her behind for two nights. We have been lost in beautiful national parks without internet, so there [...]
The road to Monterey
Salt Lake City PL was the last library on our list, well we had more, but that would have been impossible. I guess we have to come back. That is, if you will have us. But the reception everywhere has been so warm and the people so friendly that I put my [...]
Salt Lake City Pl. let this Northern star be a guide
Coming towards Salt Lake, we are a bit disappointed at first. After a drive through beautiful scenery we see enormous smog hanging over downtown Salt Lake. We expected a clean, healthy town, but as Andrew our tour guide explains, it is because of the mountains [...]
Florence, Co. Brave librarians throw away all lame excuses
After our admired friend Jenny Levine posted our tour on her blog Karen Hixon was brave enough to invite the Dutch gang over to her library. Despite our impossible schedule we really wanted to visit a small town library to see how they are facing [...]
Future history is treasured in Denver Public Library
It is 6.00 am. Nebraska alarm. Temperatures are below zero in the mother ship. This to me is Bruce country. Today we have to cross it to get to Denver, Co and it turns out to be the big void. A sort of Bermuda triangle. We lose all [...]
Barbara Peterson runs a terrific show in Iowa
How big is this country? I feel like there is no end to it. The drone of our rolling mother ship goes on and on. I Feel much better and I am so glad with the all the positive reactions on what we are doing. Just goes to [...]
Mother ship touches Home base Chicago
After what I hope will be the worst drive of my life we reach Chicago. My food poison reached worst stadium and I had to spend nearly 4 hours of the night trip to Chicago banged against bathroom walls trying to sit on toilet. My prayers were heard and we [...]
Eli puts G-force in Ann Arbor’s District Library
This distance, however ambitious we maybe, is not something we can do in 1 day. So from Charlotte we head out for a 5 hour drive in the Appalachian Mnts. Full of inspiration of our visit with Matt we rolled through the red, brown and green mountains in [...]
Matt Gullet is lifting library standards in Charlotte
Very close to being arrested for illegal camping, we were almost at gunpoint directed to a spot in one of the darkest places I have ever seen. Exhausted as we were, we went to sleep early to [...]
NYPL or New York PauL Oxygenizes New York library
After a night without oxygen, which actually made Jaap wake up in the middle of the night screaming for air, we got out of our hotel at 8.00 am to meet Paul Holdengraber at the New York Public Library. Expectations were high as we knew the [...]
OK. After two hours of trying to get our soundsystem to work and having warm feelings about the person who bought this garbage, we head out for Chinatown to get a proper meal.And a proper meal we did find. The Peking Duck House is confirmed to be the place to get Chinese food in New [...]
Finally it has really begun now. Left Schiphol Amsterdam and on a big blue bird we are flying to America. Lost Jaap and Geert in an, as it seems totally absorbing Die Hard movie. After somewhat undefinable airbus food I long for good spicey New York Food. Not a clue how long it is going [...]
Friday the 28th we had an early kick off to the Shanachietour visiting one of the most beautiful libraries in the Netherlands: Amsterdam Public Library. In the next couple of days we will publish the travel plans from New York to Monterey.
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Shanachie Tour Trailer
The Shanachie tour Trailer is made by Robin Slierendregt at 3komma14.
Read more about the tour on the “about page”. Please leave us a comment when you know of innovative libraries in between New York and Monterey CA we should visit.
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Cor Boekesteijn
3 oktober 1931 - 21 augustus 2007
In loving memory of a true poet and shanachie
Grotere kaart weergeven
13 oktober New York - 30 oktober Monterey, CA
New York Public Library-Paul Holdengraber
Darien Public Library-John Blyberg
Charlotte & Meckleburg Public Library-Matt Gullet
Ann Arbor District Library- Eli Neiburger
Mortenson Center-Barbara Ford
Council Bluffs Public Library-Barbara Peterson
Denver Public Library-Dianne Lapierre
Salt Lake City Library-Britton Lund
Route so far. There is still time for one or two more visits. So if [...]

Matt Gullet is lifting library standards in Charlotte
Very close to being arrested for illegal camping, we were almost at gunpoint directed to a spot in one of the darkest places I have ever seen. Exhausted as we were, we went to sleep early to wake up in a beautiful forest surrounded by squirrels and deer. The only thing missing was a white faced girl with vivid red lips and a bundle of singing leprechauns.
This fairytale kept us spellbound just a little too long, so we arrived late at Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library. Luckily there was a parking place for our little home. Matt Gullet and comrades turned out to be exactly what we hoped for. Inspiring, innovative librarians, focusing on the future with the sense to measure the results of their innovations. Imagine Game labs, music studios, animation studios, theatres, story-making rooms, computers that translate to Braille, computers for people with a handicap, you name it they have it in Charlotte. And like I said they measure the results of what they are doing and find that book circulation is increasing and that they are having more visitors especially teens. The awareness of the new ways of making and telling stories is obviously present in Charlotte. Best practice for sure. Hope to be back in a couple of years, but we will definitely stay in touch. Thanks Matt, hope to see you in
You can also view & download the Quicktime Version below.
October 19th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Well well, is is becoming more and more an adventure everyday, and I wish I could be there with you guys. Although I may not be completely the kind of replacement for a whitafaced girl.
Interesting world, librarians. I saw a trailer of a movie “Conan the Librarian”, maybe a nice innovative idea for you?
Beware of darkness!
Have a nice day………
October 19th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Hmm can I speak Dutch on this website?;) ik doe het gewoon;) wow wat gaaf om te zien wat jullie allemaal aan het doen zijn:) en de camper is idd groooooooooooooooooooot:D heel veel succes en plezier, ik hou de site in de gaten!
groetjes Anne
October 19th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Dear colleges,
You understand it is very quiet at de DOK department DOK Library concepts. We share your experiences and advertures by screen but, alsmost be arrested and visit places and people you desribed is unique and maybe impossible to share by screen! Keep energy. Looking forward to you en your stories ->live!
Marjolein
October 20th, 2007 at 12:39 am
This youth-librarian is in serious need of a visit to Charlotte Mecklenburg. Hope you asked a lot about the teens who are visiting the place and how they are using the studios.
Have fun and be good, Gon
October 20th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
OK, boys, I have sent an e-mail to the VPRO and hope they will be interested. If not, I suggest that anyone who cares here or over there (hint hint) finds him or herself a friendly neighbourhood journalist and makes sure that there will be some interest from the newspapers or tv-documentary-makers (overfed and undertakers…..).
If there are any suggestions as to where I might reach for someone with a sincere interest tell me! I think these guys deserve it!
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:22 am
Thanks guys. What you are doing is amazing? Next year I’m going to fly over the big pond and tour your neck of the woods with a video camera, etc. Peace to you all.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:36 am
Jack…
I\’m not sure I agree with you….