I’m currently working on a book, a crafter’s library companion. It’s going to have a bunch of library collection-inspired projects by a cast of talented contributors, and it’ll also include heaps of guidance to help you learn how to find and use library collections both in person and online for your own creative inspiration and information. I’m working on the guidance section right now, and I wanted to ask fellow crafters for help.
Are there skills you wish you had that would help you to understand the sometimes mysterious process of navigating a library? Is there something you wish you knew how to do at a library? Are there kinds of materials you’d like advice on how to find? Is there a system, a process, a policy that you’ve encountered at libraries that’s confusing? Are there certain subjects that you wish were not so elusive? Do you want tricks for searching catalogs? What do you need to know when it comes to tracking down digital collections you can browse online?
Basically, what do you think would be most useful to include in the guidance section of my book? If you’ve got a suggestion, please tell me–either in a comment below or, if you feel like being private, as an emailed message just to me.
I’m always offering to help people I meet at parties with their library searches, and I appreciate becoming better at anticipating what designers, crafters, stitchers, and other creatives need to know when it comes to using libraries. Thanks so much in advance for your help and ideas. And I’ll try to return the favor by responding and sharing my own ideas here too.
