Random Book-related items

• A few years ago (back in the fading pre-flood times) a colleague of mine and I were enduring a particularly heavy day on the circulation desk. During one short moment of quiet where we tried to make up for lost time checking in a large pile of returned items, my partner stopped, took a breath, looked over at me and sighed, "I hate books." Still cracks me up to this day.


• It was also about that time that the daily bookdrop became fodder for a running blog item I used to call "Awful Book of the Morning" I am reminded of that feature due to my recent discovery of the "Awful Library Books" blog.


• Former Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks enjoyed a short career as a Literacy Advocate which he later parlayed into Children's Author. One year, Brooks held a press conference at the (now destroyed) East New Orleans library to announce the start of his "Read to Pass" program. After the event, a discarded page of notes was discovered which had been prepared for Brooks by one of his handlers. It was full of sympathetic words of encouragement along the lines of, "I know you hate this but it's good for your image," and so forth. Copies were made and distributed amongst the staff to keep as souvenirs. His book, Rise Above features a photograph of the back of the head of the colleague of mine who once claimed to "hate books."


• Ray Nagin once gave a short speech to a group of middle-school children whom he applauded for being in the library as opposed to "shooting each other in the head, neck and shoulders." It was interesting that the Mayor chose to specify areas of the body which were not being shot that day.


• Today, while reading the The Gambit blog, I discovered that popular entertainer, and now author, Kanye West is, himself, "not a fan of books."


• In a related matter, recovery expert Veronica White will be signing How to Maximize FEMA Funding After a Natural Disaster tomorrow at Dillard University. Click here for details.

Update: I completely missed this Len Paquarelli column on Brooks who, although out of football, is apparently still participating in his literacy program.