Kyle Cassidy
Author of This Is What a Librarian Looks Like
About the Author
Image credit: Kyle Cassidy
Works by Kyle Cassidy
Associated Works
Who Killed Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Photographic Evidence (2009) — Photographer — 200 copies, 8 reviews
Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2019) — Photo — 154 copies, 5 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1961-10-31
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Rowan University (BA|English)
- Occupations
- photographer
columnist
writer
instructor - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Woodbury, New Jersey, USA
- Places of residence
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Map Location
- USA
Members
Reviews
Volume 12 of Shadow Unit continues the fourth and last season of this mock TV-show over from the last installment. We get no less than four episodes here, which I think is a record for the e-book publications of the series, but barely any additional material – not sure whether that is a sign that the authors are getting tired of the series or of increased focus as they are nearing the finish line.
I’m leaning towards the latter, as I at least was not able to find any signs of exhaustion show more while reading this; to the contrary, I was impressed how the authors still managed to keep everything fresh even so many volumes into the series. The first two episodes here, “Five Autopsies” and “Hope Is Stronger Than Love” achieve this by giving us an outside perspective on the team and its work, the remaining two by furthering the main story arc and deepening relations between the protagonists, and all of them by presenting a well thought-out and excellently written crime plot which, in keeping with the rest of the series, stays as rigorously realistic in its depiction of FBI procedures as it is compellingly imaginative in the invention of the crimes that are being investigated. Good stuff, and I know I’ll be sad when I get to the end of it. show less
I’m leaning towards the latter, as I at least was not able to find any signs of exhaustion show more while reading this; to the contrary, I was impressed how the authors still managed to keep everything fresh even so many volumes into the series. The first two episodes here, “Five Autopsies” and “Hope Is Stronger Than Love” achieve this by giving us an outside perspective on the team and its work, the remaining two by furthering the main story arc and deepening relations between the protagonists, and all of them by presenting a well thought-out and excellently written crime plot which, in keeping with the rest of the series, stays as rigorously realistic in its depiction of FBI procedures as it is compellingly imaginative in the invention of the crimes that are being investigated. Good stuff, and I know I’ll be sad when I get to the end of it. show less
This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information by Kyle Cassidy
I will admit that I am a little partial to this book because I'm one of the librarians featured in it, BUT that is not the only reason by a long shot! Kyle Cassidy has done an insanely impressive job compiling the essence and passion of librarianship into one beautiful coffee table book. Over 300 librarians from all over the world are featured and all have a gorgeous photo accompanied by a quote or statement on what being a librarian means to the. Some are wordy and eloquent, some are show more moving, and others are passionate pleas. Also included are mini essays from Kyle about different libraries and librarians, as well as essays from bestselling authors like Neil Gaiman John Scalzi, George R. R. Martin touting how libraries and librarians have helped their lives. A wonderful book that deserves a spot in very personal and public library. What an honor to have even been involved in this. show less
This is what a librarian looks like : a celebration of libraries, communities, and access to information by Kyle Cassidy
The stories in this book testify, over and over, to the importance of the Library as a great equaliser that serves every person and group and enables democratic access to knowledge, citizenship, and community. This I knew, and appreciated hearing from so many different voices, but what particularly struck me was a sentiment expressed by Daniel Ronsom, Institutional Services Librarian at the California College of the Arts (p. 174), and echoed by others throughout.
Libraries are crucial to a community, especially for marginalised and underserved groups. Many of the services are public and free, which is hugely important for people who don't have other resources. In the book, a few of the authors write about how they don't have the need to or habit of going to their library and using the services there, but they still make a point of giving back to their library, because they know it benefits people who depend on it everyday.
This is a great point that I had never consciously thought of before. I love libraries and books, and do often check out books, but with access to and familiarity with technology, it is much easier to look up information, read content on the internet or on a device, or even to figure out questions through online resources than it is to do those things physically or with a librarian. I assume most of my peers and much of my generation have the same experience. Bluntly speaking, we may not typically feel the need for libraries, librarians, or their services. However, Daniel Ronsom and a few others in the book challenge this viewpoint, suggesting that me and my peers are people who have the privilege of not needing or depending on libraries, but we thus have a responsibility to support the maintenance and development of libraries for those in our communities for whom libraries are crucial.
An wonderful book of wonderful people, and I am now convinced that libraries are the best institution there is. show less
The greatest challengeshow more
libraries are facing is the apathy of the privileged. Libraries are busier than ever before, but then someone writes a 'think piece' stating that 'libraries are dead' and politicians cite it when slashing the library budgets. It's what actually happened to the Great Library of Alexandria. Yes, it was damaged by fires, but contrary to popular conceptions that's not what destroyed it. In fact, it was time and the apathy of its leadership that led to its slow decline. We can't let the apathy of today's leadership have the same disastrous effects on the libraries of today.
Libraries are crucial to a community, especially for marginalised and underserved groups. Many of the services are public and free, which is hugely important for people who don't have other resources. In the book, a few of the authors write about how they don't have the need to or habit of going to their library and using the services there, but they still make a point of giving back to their library, because they know it benefits people who depend on it everyday.
This is a great point that I had never consciously thought of before. I love libraries and books, and do often check out books, but with access to and familiarity with technology, it is much easier to look up information, read content on the internet or on a device, or even to figure out questions through online resources than it is to do those things physically or with a librarian. I assume most of my peers and much of my generation have the same experience. Bluntly speaking, we may not typically feel the need for libraries, librarians, or their services. However, Daniel Ronsom and a few others in the book challenge this viewpoint, suggesting that me and my peers are people who have the privilege of not needing or depending on libraries, but we thus have a responsibility to support the maintenance and development of libraries for those in our communities for whom libraries are crucial.
An wonderful book of wonderful people, and I am now convinced that libraries are the best institution there is. show less
This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information by Kyle Cassidy
This is a beautifully produced book -- a collection of more than 200 full-color photographs of librarians, accompanied by short quotes from them about their work, their patrons and libraries in general -- in a pleasing layout on smooth, heavy paper. Also mixed in are a couple-dozen essays about library history and the role of libraries in empowering people to realize and become who they’re meant to be, including a number of writers.
It strikes me as nearly a “Humans of New York” for show more librarians, though I wish their quotations were a bit longer to accommodate more depth and evocation. Still, it’s clear that they're passionate about the safe, social, equalizing spaces they’re able to create in libraries. The stunning variety of job titles, specialties and settings (public, educational, corporate ... even LT’s own KJ Gormley!) makes this perfect for anyone considering a library career.
A couple snips from the essays, this from Cory Doctorow, who writes that libraries have long been more than “book depositories”:
When I found the newspaper microfilm, I was blown away, and spent a week just pulling out reels at random and reading newspapers from the decades and centuries before, making notes and chasing them up with books. We have a name for this behavior today, of course: browsing the Web. It was clunkier before the Web went digital, but it was every bit as exciting.
Pre-Internet librarianship was like pre-Internet newspaper publishing: “select, then publish.” [...] Now we live in a “publish, then select” world [...] and the job of experts is to collect and annotate that material, to help others navigate its worth and truthfulness.
And from John Scalzi:
I wouldn’t be a writer without libraries, hard stop, end of story. Which means I wouldn’t have the life I have without libraries, hard stop, end of story.
(Review based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.) show less
It strikes me as nearly a “Humans of New York” for show more librarians, though I wish their quotations were a bit longer to accommodate more depth and evocation. Still, it’s clear that they're passionate about the safe, social, equalizing spaces they’re able to create in libraries. The stunning variety of job titles, specialties and settings (public, educational, corporate ... even LT’s own KJ Gormley!) makes this perfect for anyone considering a library career.
A couple snips from the essays, this from Cory Doctorow, who writes that libraries have long been more than “book depositories”:
When I found the newspaper microfilm, I was blown away, and spent a week just pulling out reels at random and reading newspapers from the decades and centuries before, making notes and chasing them up with books. We have a name for this behavior today, of course: browsing the Web. It was clunkier before the Web went digital, but it was every bit as exciting.
Pre-Internet librarianship was like pre-Internet newspaper publishing: “select, then publish.” [...] Now we live in a “publish, then select” world [...] and the job of experts is to collect and annotate that material, to help others navigate its worth and truthfulness.
And from John Scalzi:
I wouldn’t be a writer without libraries, hard stop, end of story. Which means I wouldn’t have the life I have without libraries, hard stop, end of story.
(Review based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.) show less
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