Betsy, I do hope there will BE a Central Children's Room. There will be, yes? YES? Its traditions traveled far and wide--I remember learning to "light the story candle" in library school, a ritual from NYPL brought to the U. of Chicago by professor Ellin Greene. Do you guys still do that?

We do indeed still light the story candle. They teach you that when you enter the system. Every branch is outfitted with story candles as a result. As for the fate of the room, nothing is known. Nothing has been decided either. We cross our fingers and hope that people will tell NYPL how important the room is.

Betsy, when I was job hunting and sending off applications two years ago, I would visit the NYPL website from time to time. I remember that there was a section in which patrons' memories and experiences of/with NYPL were posted. Is that still there? Maybe patrons could be encouraged to post there too?

I don't have anything to share, unfortunately, but the patron stories were nice to read.

Speaking of storytelling candles...have you seen Lucia Gonzales's picture book about Pura Belpre yet?

I have and it's gorgeous! Such a good version. I'm holding off on reviewing it until we get a little closer to the publication date, but it's a stunner, no question. Didn't know about that NYPL patrons memories section. I'll have to check that out. Thanks!

There's also the Ellen Tarry & Marie Hall Ets book, My Dog Rinty, published in 1946, that has the wonderful photograph of Augusta Baker holding the story candle during a story time at the Harlem Branch.

I'm trying this again...

Hands down, Central Children's Room was my favorite place to work. I started right after the glorious bruhaha over Dunwoody's mission to return Pooh to England, and stayed through Augusta Baker's memorial service, Paul Fleischman's Anne Caroll Moore lecture, Connie Regan Blake's St. Nicholas Eve storytelling gig, and more. I'll try to limit myself to one or two stories for you. I don't want to be a show-off, after all!

Betsy -
Who at the NYPL should folks contact if they want to express their passion about keeping the central children's room open? What is their contact information?

Click on my name at the beginning of this post and then e-mail me for contact info.

Why is Donnell closing? This is the first I'm hearing of it, and I'm heartbroken--I have loved the Donnell branch for a long, long time.

The "story candle" mention put me in mind also of the 1950 book Rosa-Too-Little by Sue Felt. (If I'm remembering corrctly ... am I?)

I don't have any first-hand knowledge of the NYPL children's room, but I know that Eleanor Estes was the head librarian until resigning around 1944 to write the Moffat books with illustrator Louis Slobodkin.

I'm terribly sorry to hear about the Donnell Center closing or moving. Best of luck, Betsy!

I put a post in this morning, but I don't see it yet. The author and illustrator for the new book about Pura Belpre will be at the Donnell Library in the Central Children's Room on April 3 at 6 p.m. It should be a great program!

Sorry, Margaret. This here blog is more persnickety than that doggone self-checkout machine in the children's room. Technology shouldn't be allowed to have attitudes. It just shouldn't! Thanks for the info.