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 [...]
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 the first time. There is a mountain peak in the distance that Cook named Mount Warnings as there he saw the first signs of big storms coming in the bay. We go into the little holiday town and find a very old house with a balcony that has a great restaurant in it. Today’s special is a fish that I have not heard of before, but that goes down really well. Well enough for us to come back that same night. First we look for a camping park and a dive in the sea. The waves and current are so strong, but it is great fun. We have our Lizzard King parked 20 yards from the beach and find some time to edit videos and to write the blog.
The next day we drive on another 2 hours south to Iluka, a tiny town with the most beautiful camping park so far. Woody Head it is called and it has the best rock fishing spot ever. After getting some food and wine we check out the fishermen on the rocks and indeed they catch some big fish. Really spectacular is that I suddenly see Dolphins jumping only 50 yards away from us. Last time I saw Dolphins was at the Zoo in Antwerp, but in the wild is something else. Jaap builds a big fire after dark and we are joined by fellow campers for a chat. At this campsite they have some bookshelves and it says on the shelves that we can return the book at the library. Good plan and when we see a book with the title Surfer Boy we are on our way.
Maclean is a small town that clearly has Scottish history as we see all Scottish names and redheads and they even do Highland games. The library is small, but has everything to offer. A youth department, Audiobooks, local history, computers with internet. They organise small events and they have a book drop. Whoops there goes Surfer Boy back to the shelves. Fran behind the counter says she can not think more than five years ahead as she hopes to retire, but she sees clearly that library work is changing. More and more people are coming in and especially young people, who want to use the internet. The library is becoming more of a community space that fascillitates new technology that not everybody has at home. Infotainment is the word. Communication and information is fun and you find it at the library.
Next stop is Hawks Nest a camping park on a small strip of land between two beaches. On our long drive towards this park we decide to pay an unexpected visit to the library of Taree. Mylee Joseph has recommended this place as they run an excellent youth program. Well it certainly looks good and new and so it turns out to be, We are welcomed by Maggie and Debbie, who tell us that the library in this building has only opened since 2006 and that this location next to the City Council has brought in many new visitors. They run many programs for kids, but also for the Indigenous people. The local Aboriginal people have really discovered the library as a great place to be and they participate in the programs for the children. The future begins today and again the library can play an important role. Like in BCC Library they have a local artist, who has taken the library to his heart and who has volunteered to make great drawings on the wall of the youth department.
The teens have their own space with their own computers and their own evening program, Live and loud at the library. Similar to our DOK Street, the library is turned over to the kids and they bring live bands in to perform on stage and they run their own show. What a wonderful library and what a great team to run these programs. We would have loved to stay a little longer, but it is a long way to Sydney and we need to make some miles.
Dinner that evening at the local SEA cafe restaurant is of unbelievable quality. SEA stands for South East Asian and the woman who runs the kitchen comes from Bali. Duck, marinated with special Indonesian herbs and cooked very slowly in coconut milk served with fresh vegetables and jasmine rice makes extrordinary food that I will never forget. The Beef Redang and the Thai fishcakes, it is all beyond words. I tell the chef that a restaurant in Amsterdam with this quality of food would be fully booked every night and I certainly believe that to be true. One glass of the good old Pinot Noir in front of our mothership and it is off to bed. These days on the coast have been good and we are a little nervous to hit the big city of Sydney, but I am sure we are going to meet new librarians with vision for the future and their stories will bring us further to Melbourne.
November 27th, 2008 at 5:28 am
I think that was a definite “no comment” from Skippy there at the beginning.