Damon-Moore Laura C. - The artists library : a field guide from the Library as Incubator Project

COPYRIGHT 2014 by Laura Damon-Moore and Erinn Batykefer

FOREWORD COPYRIGHT 2014 by Jessica Pigza

COVER PHOTO Pleated Language Lisa Occhipinti

COVER & BOOK DESIGN Linda S. Koutsky

Interior photos shot at the Minneapolis Central Library

LIBRARY AS INCUBATOR PROJECT LOGO designed by Rebecca Light

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T HIS LITTLE BOOK would not be possible without the help and support of many, many people. First and foremost, we need to express our heartfelt thanks to our team on the Library as Incubator Project: Katie Behrens, Holly Storck-Post, and Angela Terrab. You three make the work fun and inspired. A great deal of gratitude is due to Christina Jones (ne Endres), our cofounder and a wonderful librarian; and to Dr. Louise Robbins, who was the Projects first advisor and continues to be a great cheerleader. Many thanks also to Trent Miller and Jesse Vieau, who not only supported the Project from the start, but also allow us to take over the Bubbler at Madison Public Library on a regular basis, and who have shaped our vision of the ideal arts-incubating library with their incredible work. The Library as Incubator Project would not be possible without the hundreds of artists, writers, performers, librarians, bloggers, and educators who work so hard to make the arts and art-making available to their communities, and who share their experiences and ideas with us. Jessica Pigza deserves a special shoutout for her lovely foreword and generally, for her support and enthusiasm. Thanks is also due to the fabulous staff of Coffee House Press, with special hat tips to Chris Fischbach, Caroline Casey, Anitra Budd, Linda Koutsky, and Kelsey Shanesey, all of whom have invested a great deal of time and energy to make this book project a reality.

DEDICATION

To JTB, who inspires my art-making.

LDM

For my mom, who knew I was a librarian before I did.

EB

By Jessica Pigza, Rare Books Librarian,

New York Public Library

V ISITING A LIBRARY HAS LONG BEEN A VERY HANDS-ON activity. You might run your hand along book spines as you browse, pull a volume off the shelf, and flip through pages in search of answers to your questions. Today, even though gathering information at the library is just as likely to include clicking and typing, the act of learning by doingby tactile experienceretains its importance. And, in libraries both large and small, the power of hands-on creation today also manifests itself through makerspaces, collaborative skill-sharing partnerships, library scavenger hunts, and other creative arts programming for all ages.

What the founders of the Library as Incubator Project reveal so effectively and so enthusiastically is how the efforts of individual librarians and institutions to connect with their users in hands-on ways are part of a bigger picture. From its initial launch as an inspired student project, the Library as Incubator Project has quickly developed a much-deserved reputation for offering a one-stop shopa place where a broad variety of creative lifelong learners, artists of all kinds, and librarians could gather to share ideas about programs that support hands-on creativity. Ive been consistently impressed with their scope, surprised by their finds, and energized by their information. Along the way, I have learned how my own work to build a community engaged in handmade pursuits at my library fits into a much larger world of ideas and inspiration that is taking place in libraries all over the country.

In this book, Erinn and Laura extend their reach and offer an invaluable roadmap devoted to inviting more people to get creative with their libraries. An especially engaging feature of the book is its inclusive conception of who artists are. Dilettantes and professionals, performers and hobbyists, DIY devotees and tinkerers, crafters and poets, kids and grown-upsall are welcome in The Artists Library, just as they are welcome in libraries everywhere. In the pages of this book, this welcoming perspective is front and center as Erinn and Laura provide guidance and ideas for ways to use libraries as sources for collaboration, creation, and community connection. No matter what you are interested in making, this book will show how the libraryits collections, its spaces, and its friendly staffcan join you on your creative journey.

Jessica Pigza

Jessica Pigza is a librarian, an avid seamstress and knitter, and an enthusiast of books and other objects you can learn to make by hand. She oversees reader services and outreach as assistant curator of the Rare Book Division at the New York Public Library.

L IBRARIES HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE come to educate themselvesto expand their recreational reading, to learn how to do everything from start a new business to bake the perfect cupcake. More and more, libraries not only provide information in the form of books (physical and digital), media, and periodicals, but also in the form of workshops, classes, and other opportunities for hands-on learning. Events on your librarys calendar may cover topics like dance, filmmaking, grant writing, gardening, and resume writing.

At the Library as Incubator Project, we believe the library is a place to connect and create. Through our website, social media networks, and national partnerships with libraries and arts organizations, we highlight the many ways libraries and artists can work together to incubate creativity.