The Bill Walsh Lending Library Established

My sister-in-law, Jacqueline, shared these photos on Facebook on Friday, announcing that some of my brother Bill's books had been moved to his old newsroom to establish The Bill Walsh Lending Library:

It is an understatement to say that Bill Walsh enjoyed building collections of books on subjects that interested him. His books on boxing, tennis, food, newspapers, Washington, Detroit, Kennedy, serial killers {ahem}, TV, and music along with the sizable lineup of memoirs, fiction, and classics titles could probably function as a wholly acceptable small-town library. But the books that meant the most to him were of course the ones on language and editing. It made perfect sense that he stood in front of these when I took the picture that became the author photo on "Yes, I Could Care Less." ... From Safire's "On Language" to the Buffalo News Style Manual (yes, really) to more dictionaries than any human should own, these shelves do more to keep Bill's legacy at the Post vibrant than just a photo on a wall would ever do.

Each new bit of information puts a giant pit in my stomach -- his familiar handwriting on the sign, the penmanship that was so nice we used it for personalized stationery at my childhood office-supply business (Handitover House), the note he wrote (below) and simply seeing his books again. 

But above all it makes me happy -- and proud -- that the legacy of his knowledge and love of language lives on so beautifully.

Check It Out

 So many of my fondest childhood memories are set in libraries -- from the sunken "wall-less" one at Hiller Elementary School (where I became a library assistant) to Saturdays at the Mesa Public Library with my stepfather, brothers and little sister. My first job out of college was as a researcher in a newsroom library at The Orange County Register (those don't really exist anymore), followed by a stint at the National Gallery of Art's library. As my friend Mike Kelly takes over as the new editor in chief of Library Journal, thought I would share what he has to say about this invaluable institution. Read HERE.

Photo Flashback: 1992

Here I am at my first job out of college, at The Orange County Register. I worked as a researcher and database editor from 1990 until I moved to the East Coast at the beginning of 1993. The job lasted less than three years, but the friendships I made there will last a lifetime.