Talk:Boston Public Library

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[edit] largest

Although I try to avoid grand claims, the BPL does happen to be the largest, by far, library in the US. This changed from "one of the largest" to "the largest". This is measured by volumes in its collection, which is typically how libraries are measured. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.5.24.11 (talk) 19:48, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wifi

izzysanime wrote the following in the body of the main article. Perhaps (s)he wanted to do it here. Cema 21:34, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

One of the features that the Boston Public Library offered first is FreeWi-Fi wireless internet. It is offered throughout the entire library giving access to anyone who has wireless enabled laptop to access the biggest library in the world, the internet. Many large libraries now offer Wi-Fi, but not as fast and reliable. --izzysanime 01:59, 30 Nov 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Criticism

Library lovers can be uncritical in their affection for the institution. There's another way to be an aficionado of our Boston Public Library. Developing a critique of what needs improving. BPLers who staff the lib and BPLusers attempting to navigate the buildings' floors lament the lack of a good directory at the entrance that lists the lib's departments, locations and names and/or titles of department heads. dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu 9 December 2005

Wikipedia is not a forum for publishing personal opinions, but if there are published or well-known criticisms, those would be welcome additions. - Beland 03:07, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] random comments

How do you get http://overdrive.bpl.org fixed so that it's accessible to Boston Public Libraries' Mac users!?...

Boston Public Library board chairman Jeff Rudman http://bpl.org/general/trustees/trustees.htm should advocate for improving the navigability of the BPL buildings floors, department, collections. Entering the buildings there need to be building directories indicating a) floor by floor, b) room by room, the locations of c) departments, the names of the people who are the d) curatorial heads of the departments and e) the locations of collections. The library graphics at http://bpl.org/guides/plan.htm need a redo by a graphics experts like Edward Tufte http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_ei see also http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_visex

Locations inside the Boston Public Library buildings need to be renamed and graphics around the floors of the BPL buildings need to be designed so people can move about more easily. A lot of the battle at BPL is how to figure out where are the parts of the collections that interest you and where are the BPL people who are the curatorial heads of departments and where are the experienced subject specialists of the BPL who have their own expertise with their favorite parts of the collections. Often BPL people are temporarily reassigned to other departments during staffing shortages or holidays.

Two listings are needed on the Boston Public Library website... Listings of BPL's experienced subject specialists and their expertise with their favorite parts of the collections.

Listings floor by floor, room by room where the departments, the collections and the names curatorial heads of departments. Boston Public Library curatorial department heads should be given more credit for their good works and more recognition individually as curators. For example at the Museum of Fine Arts the MFA curators get recognition individually there and in the media.

What can be done about the Boston Public Library bureaucracy?...

For more details next time you contact the lib ask for The Real Sheet newsletter of the BPLPSA Boston Public Library Staff Association http://bplpsa.org/ see also http://www.local1930.org These organizations have interesting critical analyses of the kinds of institutional bureaucratic practices. We have theater critics, we have restaurant critics, we have motion picture critics, we have art critics. We need more critical reviews of our libraries and more critical reviews of the curatorial departments of our libraries. dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu 12:35, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

Please don't feed the troll. 121a0012 01:10, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Publications of interest about Boston Public Library

. Annual Report

. Spring Gala booklets
. Celebrating Treasures of the Boston Public Library
. Treasures of the Boston Public Library
. Treasures of the Boston Public Library building map

. Boston Public Library Foundation The Campaign for the Library
. BPL Press Catalog of Publications

. The Boston Public Library Telephone Directory

. Boston Public Library Floor Plan Directory and Guide to the Central Library
. Boston Public Library Dudley Branch Library 65 Warren Street Roxbury, Massachusetts opening day brochure
. Opening day brochures for branch libraries of Boston Public Library
the zak 02:43, 18 January 2008 (UTC)