@bplmalibrary.

Iceburns captures the lions inside the old wing of the BPL main branch in Copley Square.

Copyright Iceburns.

Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library report their favorite branch has been Number 1 in circulation among BPL branches for the past four months.

The Boston Public Library is doing something very cool: They're posting photos from their collections on Flickr. They've already got several collections up, from Boston stereographs to baseball photos to postcards from across New England.

The only problem is the whole thing is like a giant vat of popcorn - you just can't stop eating, flicking from one photo to the next. I'm particularly fascinated by the postcards of old Boston, because they show how the city has changed - sometimes pretty dramatically, as on this postcard of a pre-Storrow Esplanade down by the "West Boston Bridge" (what we'd call the Longfellow). There are long-gone hotels and restaurants; hotels and car dealerships that are now BU dorms, even a huge Gulf "Super Service" station right on Beacon Street in Coolidge Corner (OK, not Boston, but still), where this Town Taxi might have filled up.

The Bulletin reports the Roslindale BPL branch will be closed between Jan. 5 and 20 so its old oil burner can be replaced with a new gas furnace.

Boston Police report at least three patrons of the BPL West Roxbury branch have had purses snatched in recent days:

All three reports state that the individuals were sitting at a table in the facility with their bags at their feet.

Kal Saliba puts a new spin on Science outside the BPL main branch in Copley Square.

Karin, who loves the Bates Reading Room at the BPL main branch, admits to scoping out the male patrons there and even fantasizing about picking one of them up:

... I have no idea how this would actually work. The silence discourages conversation. There's no way to banter via computer (a la Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy's characters in Pretty in Pink, which, speaking of, how the hell did that ever work?). Most folks wear sweatpants and scarves with bed-head and are probably stressing a 20-page brief for Monday's Con Law class.

However, there's something sexy to me about intelligence and academia and those in it who might love this space as much as I do. ...

Scot, who works at the main branch, reads Karin's post:

... Got me thinking about how differently her experience would be if we had online communities on the library web site. As Web Services Manager for the Boston Public Library, its something I think we really need, but I sure hadn't considered the direct user interaction she's got in mind! Maybe we need to provide chat rooms too. ...

BostonZest reminds us that the Boston Public Library's food-for-fines program (every can of food you bring in for donation to local food pantries wipes $2 off whatever fines you owe) ends when the libraries close this Saturday.

This one's right up Don's (the zak) alley. As reported in The Globe:

"Just as the Yankees took Babe Ruth, Boston's loss is our gain," said Tom Dunn, New York education department spokesman. "We are thrilled."

Bernard Margolis, the former head of the Boston Public Library, has gone head-to-head with the Menino administration since he was removed over his management style which Menino felt left the community branches disadvantaged at the expense of the Copley head branch. He will now be leading one of the nation's largest research libraries by running the NY State libraries.