Announcing the Triumphant Return of a Silly Old Bear
They don’t tell you when you go to library school that one of the jobs you may have to hold someday is that of Official Tourist Disappointer. Have you ever made a tourist cry? I mean really cry? I have. Repeatedly. I don’t want to, mind. As a transplanted New Yorker I have an infinite fondness for people who visit the city in which I live. And yet for the last five months I have been in the unenviable position of telling folks who come to my library that Winnie-the-Pooh is not on display.
Do you know what that’s like? "But we came all the way from Texas." "But we came all the way from England." "But we came all the way from Germany." Gah! Please, please take this I’m-sorry-there’s-no-Winnie-the-Pooh postcard and forgive me, people. Forgive me.
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Well no longer! To my infinite delight I came into work yesterday to find an old friend waiting for me. Yes! Just behind the reference desk in The Children’s Center on 42nd Street (a.k.a. in the-library-with-the-lions) the original Winnie-the-Pooh toys are back on display!! There they sit in their carefully controlled, dark little room. And to my infinite pleasure when someone came in yesterday asking "Where is Winnie-the-Pooh?" I was able to make a quarter turn to my left and say loud and proud, "THERE! There’s the rascal! Have at ’em!"
Or something to that effect.
Further Pooh info may be found here. Welcome home, love. Don’t tell anyone but you’re my favorite co-worker.
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About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Kirkus, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social
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An infinitely delightful post.
And the Mary Poppins’ umbrella?
*sigh* Not so much. Give it a couple years.
How I’ve missed those critters! I’m glad they’re back.
YEAH! I’ll be one of those tourists in another week! I’m so happy to read that Pooh and friends will be on display!
What???!!!! I was just in NYC today and missed him?