New York Public Library Day
On this day in 1911, in a ceremony presided over by President William Howard Taft, the New York Public Library, the largest marble structure ever constructed in the United States, was dedicated in New York City. It is said that the head librarian of the NYPL is the smartest person in the world. If you get all of today's words, we'll say you're a bona fide contender for that title. Shhhhh.... and take today's test.
1. bibliopegy: (a) nickname for a librarian named Margaret; (b) the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; (c) a person who loves or collects books, especially as examples of fine or unusual printing, binding, or the like; (d) the art of binding books.
2. carrel: (a) an antique desk of very small size which features a single drawer under the writing surface; (b) a truck that serves as a traveling library; (c) a mark or number assigned to a book to indicate its location in a library; (d) a table that is often partitioned or enclosed and is used for individual study especially in a library.
3. chapbook: (a) a type of book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples; (b) a small book containing ballads, poems, tales, or tracts; (c) a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or occasionally leather); (d) a book with blank pages used for making a collection (as of autographs, stamps, or photographs).
4. athenaeum: (a) a building in Rome, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome, and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD as Rome's first library; (b) a room or other area where people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it; (c) a building or room in which books, periodicals, and newspapers are kept for use; (d) virtual facility for the deposit of academic publications such as academic journal articles.
5. depository library: (a) hiding place especially for concealing and preserving provisions or implements; (b) a library designated to receive United States government publications; (c) a secure room where money and other valuable things can be kept safely; (d) an individually secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault.
6. Bigelow: (a) someone responsible for putting returned books and other items in their proper places on the shelves; (b) a middle manager responsible for the operation of departments or other functional areas such as "all library branches"; (c) standard name for one who assumes the role of main leadership in a library; (d) the brains behind the NYPL's formation.
7. colophon: (a) an inscription placed at the end of a book or manuscript usually with facts relative to its production; (b) a recognizable sign, design or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others; (c) a manuscript book especially of Scripture, classics, or ancient annals; (d) an object that represents, stands for, or suggests an idea, belief, action, or material entity.
8. envoi: (a) the opening words of a text of a medieval manuscript or early printed book; (b) the usually explanatory or commendatory concluding remarks to a poem, essay, or book; (c) the dedication of a book or work of art; (d) a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement.
9. rubric: (a) a heading of a part of a book or manuscript done or underlined in a color (as red) different from the rest; (b) a sheet of paper, usually of a larger size, that is printed on one side only; (c) a list of errors and misprints in the text of a book; (d) a book listing medicinal substances and formulas.
10. vellum: (a) a fine-grained unsplit lambskin, kidskin, or calfskin prepared especially for writing on or for binding books; (b) the part of a book to which the pages are attached and on the cover of which usually appear the title and author's and publisher's names; (c) a supple and tractable book cover; (d) a spongy unsized paper for absorbing ink.
Check your answers to see how you rate for a job at the NYPL.
