Michael Lambert, SF City Librarian #KeeperoftheDay

“He certainly defies the stereotype of a librarian. He’s a 44-year-old Palo Alto resident who lives with his 15-year-old son. He runs 5 miles every day and lifts weights every other day. He was a competitive skateboarder who during the summer after eighth grade visited San Francisco and skateboarded down the curvy part of Lombard Street. (And if my boys ever do that, I will kill them.)”

Listen to a conversation with the newly appointed San Francisco City Librarian on the Chronicle’s SF City Insider podcast.

Also catch him on KALW’s City Visions from earlier this year.

Scott Carrier #KeeperoftheDay

Scott Carrier is one of our favorite producers. You’ve probably heard his stories on This American Life and All Things Considered. His voice, his storytelling style. They’re unique and memorable and compelling. On the latest episode of our podcast, The Kitchen Sisters Present… we’re thrilled to bring you a story from his podcast, Home of the Brave. A story from below the border in Chamelecon, Honduras.

The Egg Wars #KeeperoftheDay

Smithsonian Magazine recently published a story on their website about the Farallon Island egg rush, that took place as San Francisco was experiencing the Gold Rush. We thought we’d share our Hidden Kitchens story on the topic, The Egg Wars, originally produced for Pop-Up Magazine and NPR’s Morning Edition. Listen to an expanded version of the story on our podcast.

#keeperoftheday #keepersofeggs

What We Left Unfinished #KeeperoftheDay

“It is not simple to work with an archive in a country like Afghanistan, where books, films, and monuments are all subject to burning; stupas are looted and statues shattered; and sites sacred for one reason or another are eroded by both natural and human disasters. Understandably, Afghans are wary of anyone who proposes to ‘mine’ any cultural resource they still possess.

“If you want to work with an Afghan archive, therefore, you cannot address your desires to it directly. You must sidle up to it sideways, as if approaching a horse with an uncertain temper. You must turn up your palms and turn out your pockets to demonstrate the purity of your motives. You must persuade it to yield its secrets, slowly and obliquely. Above all, you must try to understand what the archive desires of you. You cannot hope to extract anything from the archive without giving something back.” – director Mariam Ghani, Field Notes for What We Left Unfinished

Houston Hip Hop Research Collection #KeeperoftheDay

“The Houston Hip Hop Research Collection documents the unique music and culture of Houston hip hop. Among its riches are approximately 1500 vinyl records owned by DJ Screw, originator of the “chopped and screwed” genre. The personal and business papers of other musical and visual artists are also represented. This collection captures the creativity and drive of the musicians, producers, visual artists, and entrepreneurs who built an independent music scene in this city which has influenced others around the world.”

Also check out the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard and the Cornell Hip Hop Collection.

National Library Workers Day #KeeperoftheDay

Today is National Library Workers Day. How has a library worker changed your life? (Please comment below, or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter)

Fear and Loathing at UC Santa Cruz #KeeperoftheDay

UC Santa Cruz recently received a significant Hunter S. Thompson collection.

From UC Santa Cruz Magazine:

UC Santa Cruz Special Collections & Archives recently received an 800-volume collection of works by famed author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

The campus received the gift from Eric C. Shoad, who is the author of Gonzology, an extensive bibliography of Thompsons work.

Shoaf had no previous connection to the campus, but he said, “I found UC Santa Cruz to be an institution young enough to accept the collection and to appreciate it for what it represents and how it dovetails and augments the Grateful Dead archive.”

Good Times, the Santa Cruz weekly did a big old cover story about the collection. Read that here.

The ARChive of Contemporary Music #KeeperoftheDay

#KeeperoftheDay – The ARChive of Contemporary Music (ARC)

ARC, a nonprofit archive/music library/research library, with the largest popular music collection in the world, is running a GoFundMe campaign to keep the collection in NYC, where they’ve been since 1985.

Our Independence is important to us. We operate without any City, State or Federal funds. We cherish the ability to work on projects of choice and free from restrictions or the dependence on governmental/taxpayer support. Our once affordable rent on White Street has skyrocketed to $21,000 a month, making it increasingly difficult for a pure research organization to survive in Lower Manhattan. Our home is in New York and we would love to stay here.

Our simple goal is to guarantee that the world’s musical heritage is preserved for future generations to study and enjoy.

A Walking Library #KeeperoftheDay

#KeeperoftheDay for #NationalWalkingDay – A Walking Library in London, from the 1930s.

Forbes Pigment Collection #KeeperoftheDay

#KeeperoftheDay: The Forbes Pigment Collection

“For Edward Waldo Forbes, pigment hunting and gathering was not just a matter of creating an archive of lost or languishing color. It was about the union of art and science.”

Learn all about this intriguing collection in The New Yorker