Tournament of Sadness: Round 4

This is the fourth in a series of posts I will be writing to determine the most depressing movie we have in the library’s film collection. I will be watching 16 devastating movies in the coming months — feel free to join in the “fun” and share your feedback!


Throwback Thursday: In Praise of the Short Stack

One of the many things I love about CLP – Main (oh, let me count the ways …) is how we feature new short story collections in their own special place. I adore short stories. Adore them. Alas, from talking with my bookish friends, I know that sentiment isn’t shared by every reader: they’re very much of a you-either-like-’em-or-you-don’t kind of genre. Here’s why I love them, along with some of my favorites.


A Year to Read

This year, I’ve set intentions to read much more than I currently do and engage in as many joyful experiences in my daily life as I possibly can. The catalyst for this isn’t the “new year, new me” resolutions that I normally make and break, but rather my experiences over the last 18 months working for the Library. This place is seriously joyful.


Whispers of a Good Friend

This past Christmas, the world lost George Michael, which capped off the list of great musicians who left this Earth in 2016. As a kid, I grew up listening to George Michael because my father is a fan of him. I heard “Father Figure,” “One More Try” and “Praying For Time” a lot over the years. I know that Michael had his share of personal issues, but I don’t want to focus on that. I want to focus on his music and how it made me feel.


Best of BARD: December 2016

Grisham. Patterson. Connelly. Baldacci. Bell. I suppose my challenge has been answered in the form of the hardest hitting male writers around. But I can’t say I blame you all, … Continued


Gotta Have Faith

“Wham!” said the headline, “star George Michael dies.” And that’s how I read it. If you pretend for a moment that Wham! isn’t the name of a band, the statement … Continued


Self-Directed Learning at CLP

A lot happens in five years: falling in love and breaking up, finishing school and starting work, making and losing friends, losing and gaining confidence and, above all, learning, lots of learning. Five years can be full of turbulence, but you can get through them with the help of a good anchor. In my case, I found the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.


Databases for Young Researchers

Information literacy is becoming an increasingly important topic among students immersed in the digital age. While information becomes more widely available online, it has become increasingly difficult to not only … Continued


Throwback Thursday: Books (But no Snakes) On a Plane

I try not to go anywhere without at least one book. You never know when you’re going to be stuck in rush-hour bus traffic, or sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room, or standing in line at the bank. Might as well have something to read, just in case, right? Here’s a quick peek at some of the books I took.


Trans Women Share Their Stories

This reading list brings together a hard-partying rock star, an excommunicated Scientologist, an everyday teenager, A TV personality with a budding career and a New England professor. What these women all have in common is that they were designated male at birth, but later transitioned to womanhood, allowing their outward gender expression to match their inward gender identity. What they also have in common is that they all shared their stories in riveting books that highlight the ways different parts of their lived experiences and identities intersect with gender.