National Library Week 2026: Find Your Joy

APL survey

Since it’s National Library Week 2026, I am required by my vows as a Master of Library Science to celebrate. Find your joy!

ITEM: Albany city residents go to the polls on Tuesday, May 19, to vote on the library’s 2026-2027 operating budget tax levy. Voters will also elect three new library trustees. Note that the poll locations may vary from the primary and general election locations. 

ITEM: Albany Public Library is currently developing a Strategic Plan with the help of Library Strategies to guide its priorities over the next three years. In order to craft this long-range roadmap, the Library must determine what residents need, want, and expect from their libraries – now and into the future. For that reason, this survey was developed to collect your valuable input.

On average, it takes just 8-10 minutes to complete the survey. The information you provide will help the Library and its consultants scope and prioritize areas of focus that maximize the Library’s return on investment. You will remain anonymous unless you actively choose to self-identify.

ALA

ITEM: From the American Library Association-

This month, ALA prevailed in our lawsuit against the government to protect the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The settlement, alongside our co-plaintiff AFSCME and represented by Democracy Forward, ensures that the only federal agency dedicated to library services will continue to carry out its critical work.

ALA has been showing up for libraries on fronts beyond the IMLS lawsuit and Fund Libraries campaign:

NYSWI

ITEM: Join New York State Writers Institute on Wednesday, April 22, at 4:30 p.m. at Page Hall, UAlbany for a conversation with Heidi Boghosian, lawyer, podcast host, writer, and surveillance and privacy expert, and the author of Cyber Citizens: Saving Democracy with Digital Literacy (2025), which argues that our best chance of thriving in the digital era lies in taking care of our “smart” selves as diligently as we maintain our “smart” devices.

​She will also discuss the looming challenges to democracy posed by AI and other emerging technologies.

Boghosian is executive director of the A.J. Muste Foundation for Peace and Justice, a charitable organization providing support to activist organizations, and the former executive director of the National Lawyers Guild.

FFAPL

ITEM: The Friends of Albany Public Library and, later, the Friends and Foundation of Albany Public Library, have sponsored free Tuesday Book Talks almost every week of the year at the Washington Avenue branch at 2 pm. 

April 21 | Book Review | The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics by Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, & Mark Olshaker.  Reviewer:  Bryon Backenson, Director, Bureau of Communicable Disease Control, NYS Dept. of Health.

​April 28 | Author Talk | David Ricci, from the Berkshires, discusses & reads from his book of photographs, Hunter Gatherer: Salvaged Stories of American Culture, with text by Cheryl Finley.

​May 5 | Author Talk | Jessica Treadway, Albany native & child patron of the Pine Hills Branch, discusses & reads from her short story collection, I Felt My Life with Both My Hands.

May 12 | Book Review | The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Book Lover’s Adventures by Josh Hanagarne.  Reviewer:  John Edvalson, APL librarian.

May 19| Book Review | The Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller.  Reviewer:  Charles Hailer, Empire State Fellow with the NYS Urban Development Corporation.

May 26 | Book Review | The Fear and the Fury: Bernie Goetz, the Reagan ‘80s, and the Rebirth of White Rage by Heather Ann Thompson.  Reviewer: James Collins, PhD, Prof. emeritus, Anthropology Dept, Program in Linguistics & Cognitive Science, U at Albany, SUNY.

Photos

ITEM: Locally, the show of FFAPL treasurer David Brickman, Neighborhood Abstracts, has been extended through mid-May at McGreevy ProLab and ProPress in Albany (link here for hours and address). 

And David and McGreevy are producing a 30-page book of the show, with all the pictures and a little bit of text. The book will be available in two sizes: 8″x8″ signed, limited-edition softcover ($35, tax included, shipping extra if needed; limited to 40 numbered copies plus 10 artist proofs); and deluxe 12″x12″ hardcover ($100 plus tax and shipping if needed). Write to David: dbgetvisual[at]gmail[dot]com 

America Sings: one of my origin stories

Arthur, that dude from New Zealand via Illinois, wrote a post recently titled “One of my origin stories.” He noted, “’There was also a cookbook for kids in our house’, and that cookbook, first published in 1957, was called Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls.”

Moreover, he was motivated to “buy an authorised ‘facsimile edition’ that was a faithful reproduction of the original.” I recall that book, and we may have even owned it.

However, my wife DEFINITELY owned and owns it. She even imagined being in the cover tableau. In fact, she may want a new one because the original has grease and other stains. Maybe a gift idea? 

Music

This story reminded me of a similar item. From this blog in 2006: “At school, we had music class every day with Mrs. Joseph, starting in 4th grade. We used what I knew then was an ancient music book.” I do not recall the title. (Any of you, Daniel Dickinson school chums from Binghamton, NY, remember?)

I wrote: ” I wish I could find a copy of that book; I really liked most of the songs.” At some point in the past half-decade, I found a reasonable facsimile. America Sings Community Song Book from 1935. It has many of the same songs: Americana, religious, et al. It’s even in the same font. The fact that we were using a 30-year-old book absolutely tracks. I even sent a copy of America Sings to my sister Leslie, who would have used the same item. 

Actually, several similar books were published. A Capital Ship, the first song alphabetically, which I well recall, was in:

Songbooks:
Camp-Fire Choruses (1917)
Boy Scout Song Book (1920)
The Golden Book of Favorite Songs (1923)
Twice 55 Plus Community Songs (The New Brown Book) (1930)
The “Everybody Sing” Book, Revised Edition (1932)
America Sings Community Song Book (1935)
The Golden Book of Favorite Songs (1946)

The book didn’t have Shortnin’ Bread, which I didn’t particularly like. (I can’t find a book with both A Capital Ship and Shortnin’ Bread.)

THAT song

But it did have another song. As I wrote:

One day, when I was in the 5th grade, Mrs. Joseph announced that we could sing anything we wanted. One kid asked for an unfamiliar page. I turned to it, and, of course, it was that Stephen Foster classic, Old Black Joe. I had no idea the piece was in the book! What would Mrs. Joseph do? What would I do?

Quickly, I decided that if we sang the song, I would walk out of the room. (To go where, I had no idea.) Mrs. Joseph gets to the page, and she says, “Hmm, let’s sing something else.” Walkout averted.

That said, I loved that book. It reminds me of a specific timeframe and place, and having a great deal of affection for it.

Sunday Stealing with Steph

Communion

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week, we’re once again stealing from Steph, aka Cry Baby. She loves Taco Bell and asking questions like these.

More Questions from Steph

1) Are you the sort of person who can nap or sleep anywhere, any time?
No. But I could take a nap about three days a week. When I do nap, it’s usually once a week for between 45 and 75 minutes.
2) Have you ever walked in your sleep?
Yes, as a child, my mother told me. I usually spoke and, reportedly, occasionally even went to the bathroom.
3) Do you chat with your Uber/Lyft/taxi driver?
I’ve been taking an Uber about once a month, usually the return trip of some medical appointment. I could get home otherwise, but I’ve decided that taking two buses back home over two hours isn’t worth it. I’m too old for that.
As for conversation, it depends very much on the driver. Some have their music on and want to listen to their country/gospel/top 40 tunes. Some are more chatty, and I’m okay with that.
 One guy was playing sports radio, and he was bemoaning the poor start by his team, the Baltimore Ravens. I can be conversational, even though I rarely watch many early-season NFL games.
February 14
4) Do you remember what you did on Valentine’s Day?
Not specifically. But it’s likely we went somewhere not too expensive to eat. This past Feb 14 was on a Saturday, and usually we have a date night once a month on our lunaversary, which is the 15th of the month.
5) How many laptops have you owned over your lifetime?
I don’t know. For the longest time, I had a desktop. My current laptop may have been my third, which I purchased only because my previous one fell to the ground and was irreparable. I’ve bought one since then as a backup.
6) How many countries have you visited?
Four: Canada, Mexico, Barbados, and France.
7) Did you/will you go to work today?
Unless you count going to church to prepare Communion, serve it during the service, and then clean up afterward, I’ll go with no.
Just because: What Does ‘Roger That’ Mean?

 

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

Why I liked early Three Dog Night

Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, Danny Hutton, and four instrumentalists 

I liked early Three Dog Night. And I enjoyed them even more when I discovered they were providing visibility for songs and artists that would become more prominent. At the same time, they highlighted songs that were overlooked or forgotten. TDN was a gateway drug. 

They were vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton,  augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass guitar), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sneed (drums).  All except Hutton and Allsup are deceased. 

Here is the song link code: the title is the TDN version, while the mentions of other artists direct you to their versions.

The album also known as One

One was recorded by Harry Nilsson on his third studio album Aerial Ballet (1968).  “The original issue of the TDN single version fades out about ten seconds before the final notes heard on the album version.” Since the album version is clearly better, it has been used in subsequent compilations.

It’s For You was a Lennon-McCartney song! It was a UK hit for Cilla Black in 1964, but it only reached #79 in the US.

Chest Fever is a song recorded by The Band on its 1968 debut, Music from Big Pink. But I didn’t buy Big Pink until after I had purchased The Band’s eponymous second album (the brown one) in 1969.

Bet No One Ever This Bad was on Randy Newman‘s first, eponymous album, which I never owned until my COVID music splurge. But I did not know this: the Alan Price Set issued recordings of the song (as “No One Ever Hurt So Bad”) and two other Newman songs on their 1967 album A Price On His Head.

The Loner was on the eponymous first album of Neil Young. Wasn’t he the guy from Buffalo Springfield? However, I never owned that album until I had purchased Neil’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th albums, and CSNY’s Deja Vu.

The second album

Feelin’ Alright was written by Dave Mason for Traffic‘s first, eponymous album. (How many times will I write “eponymous” in this post?)  Joe Cocker, among others, also recorded it.

Lady Samantha was an early Elton John song, written by John and Bernie Taupin, that failed to chart. I had a college friend who seemed to heavily identify with this song.

Eli’s Comin’ was written and recorded in 1967 by Laura Nyro. It was first released in 1968 on her album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession.

A live album after only two studio albums? They were very popular.

Third studio album

Cowboy was on that first Randy Newman album.

It Ain’t Easy, written by Ron Davies, was a hit for him in Canada in 1970. It was subsequently recorded by several others, including David Bowie.

Out In The Country is a song written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols. Williams recorded his for his 1972 album, Life Goes On.

Mama Told Me Not To Come by Randy Newman was written for Eric Burdon and the Animals and appeared on a French EP in 1966, then on the album Eric Is Here in 1967, if I understand this correctly. Newman recorded it for his second album, 12 Songs (1970). I also own the Tom Jones and Stereophonics version on Jones’ 34th album, Reload, in 1999.

Your Song, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, has a compelling story. “John was an opening act for the band at the time and allowed them to record it. They did not release it as a single because they wanted to let John, then an up-and-coming artist, have a go with it.” It was a hit.

Liar “is a song written by Russ Ballard of Argent from their 1970 self-titled debut album. It was released as the band’s first single, but did not chart.”

Joy To The World is a song written by Hoyt Axton

That’s enough for now. TDN continued recording songs by other artists, including (again) Axton, Newman, and Williams, as well as John Hiatt and Toussaint, while also leaning into songs by band members.

Helicopter parents

Lenore Skenazy

Late in 2025, my buddy Jim from AK sent me a link about helicopter parents. It’s a topic I’ve thought about for decades, especially after I had my own child. I wrote about it here in 2012, when my kid was obviously much younger. As I noted: “I find myself regularly conflicted between safety and a more laissez-faire attitude.”

Jim’s email hightlighted Lenore Skenazy, who famously, in 2008, wrote a piece in the New York Sun about letting her nine-year-old son ride the subway alone. She is the author of Free Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow (2015). At the end of last year, she wrote a piece called 10 Times That 2025 Tried To Stop Kids From Growing Up.

She noted, “A March [2025] Harris Poll surveyed more than 500 kids ages 8 to 12 and found that most have never walked or biked somewhere without an adult.” This pains me, as I know of kids who were driven to school from three or four blocks away.

I don’t think it’s just nostalgia that that I recall growing up in Binghamton, NY, cutting through Spring Forest Cemetery to play baseball at Ansco Park, for hours, promising to be home by a certain time.  

“At least 45 percent said they ‘have not walked in a different aisle than their parents at a store.” As I wrote to Jim,  “I stood in a line at the local CVS this past autumn when a mom freaked out about her kid, a boy about 9, being 10 feet away and gave him the ‘you don’t know what people will do!’ speech.” Most of the time, he was visible to her when she looked away from the counter. I was  exhausted listening to her, because it was not a single admonition, but multiple scolds.   

Playing in the park


Snenazy: “When asking about 1,000 parents what they thought would happen if two 10-year-old children were playing at a park without adult supervision, another Harris Poll found that 50 percent thought it was ‘very likely’ or ‘somewhat likely’ that the children would be abducted. As I explain in my TED Talk, that calculation is off by about 99.99 percent.”

When I’ve watched some of my nieces when they were over five years old, I might be 20 feet away in a park, still having them in sight. Yet, I heard the voices of some of their parents in my head, them worried about “bad” people.   

“Free-range parents may remember 2025 as the year that proved just how hard it still is to give kids any independence. There were arrests, investigations, panics, and new rules that seemed designed to keep childhood on permanent lockdown. But mixed in with the overreactions and worst-case-scenario thinking were a few welcome reminders that common sense can still prevail.”

Limiting the devices


Jim shared this antidote/anecdote: “This reminded me of a field report’ by a parent, who DID limit use of an iPad. There is no need to view the video – see summary – but if curious go to 53:20. The youngsters are 6 and 8. Policy WAS 15-minutes/day AFTER homework. Then, “the son got in trouble”. Policy then became ZERO USE. What do the little darlings now do?  THEY READ! When flying to New York (from Florida) they brought A BOOK.”

I’m pleased that school districts and parents are attempting to limit the use of smartphones. Even some students are finding the restrictions oddly liberating. But knowing that school shootings is a leading cause of death  for those under 20, I’ve become a big fan of dumb phones. It may alleviate the stress of the parents being able to reach their kid, Just In Case.  

Ramblin' with Roger
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