About AD 150, Ptolemy, based his map Cosmographia on voyages and itineraries of early travelers and their fantasies as well.  His account was the first to locate places in terms of latitude and longitude.

British Acts of Parliament are still printed on vellum.

What holds Post-it notes in place holds them in place are little globules of adhesive that explode when you stick them to a page.  The adhesive is stronger than the paper, so it eats away and makes the paper translucent if left there too long.
"Your library is your portrait."
Lethal Legacy, Book 11 in the Alex Cooper series by  Linda Fairstein  
Dedication reads:  For librarians--Guardian angels of the mind and the soul, And for my favorite librarian, David Ferriero, Andrew E. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries
Acknowledgements:  Paul LeClerc, President of the New York Public Library, has the most splendid professional home in America.  He has called libraries “the memory of humankind, irreplacable repositories of documents of human thought and action,” and I agree with him that the NYPL is such an institution, par excellence.  My lifelong love affair with librarians reached a fever pitch while working on this book.  David’s enthusiasm for the world he inhabits is impressive and infectious.  He and Zelman Kisilyuk led me from the rooftop through the treacherous stacks with great care.  Isaac Gewirtz educated me about the Berg Collection; John Lundquist let me explore the Asian and Middle Eastern works; Shelly Smith and her colleagues in the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation Division helped me understand the critical nature of their work-and the incomparable gift bestowed on the NYPL by Barbara; and Alice Hudson, and her assistant chief Matthew Knutzen, thrilled me with their displays of the breathtaking and vulnerable riches of the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division.  Wherever you are, use your libraries and support them.  And when you are in New York City, come visit the great New York Public Library and behold its treasures.

Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947), Mt. Vernon, New York) is an American feminist author and former prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children.  She served as head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002 and is the  internationally best-selling author of a series of crime novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.  The novels draw on Fairstein's legal expertise, as well as her knowledge of and affection for the rich history of the city of New York.  Find a list of her writings at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Fairstein

Vellum is a translucent material produced from the skin, often split, of a young animal.  The skin is washed with water and lime (Calcium hydroxide), but not together.  It is then soaked in lime for several days to soften and remove the hair.  Once clear, the two sides of the skin are distinct:  the side facing inside the animal and the hair side.  The “inside body side” of the skin is the usually lighter and more refined of the two.  The hair follicles may be visible on the outer side, together with any scarring, made while the animal was alive. The membrane can also show the pattern of the animal's vein network called the “veining” of the sheet.  Any remaining hair is removed (“scudding”) and the skin is dried by attaching it to a frame (a “herse”).  The skin is attached at points around the circumference with cords; to prevent tearing, the maker wraps the area of the skin to which the cord is to be attached around a pebble (a “pippin”).  The maker then uses a crescent shaped knife, (a “lunarium” or “lunellum”), to clean off any remaining hairs.  Once the skin is completely dry, it is thoroughly cleaned and processed into sheets.  The number of sheets extracted from the piece of skin depends on the size of the skin and the given dimensions requested by the order.  For example, the average calfskin can provide three and half medium sheets of writing material.  This can be doubled when it is folded into two conjoint leaves, also known as a bifolium.  Historians have found evidence of manuscripts where the scribe wrote down the medieval instructions now followed by modern membrane makers.  The membrane is then rubbed with a round flat object (“pouncing”) to ensure that the ink would adhere well.  The important distinction between vellum (or parchment) and leather is that the former is not processed using tanning techniques.  The distinction between vellum and parchment has been made in several different ways, and no one definition can be considered correct, but vellum has always denoted the better quality.  In Europe, from Roman times, the term vellum was used for the best quality of prepared skin, regardless of the animal from which the hide was obtained, calf, sheep, and goat all being commonly used (other animals, including pig, deer, donkey, horse, or camel have been used).  Although the term derives from the French for "calf", except for Muslim or Jewish use, animal vellum can include hide from virtually any other mammal.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vellum

The origins of the New York Public Library date back to the time when New York was emerging as one of the world's most important cities.  One-time governor Samuel J. Tilden (1814-1886), bequeathed the bulk of his fortune -- about $2.4 million -- to "establish and maintain a free library and reading room in the city of New York."  At the time of Tilden's death, New York already had two libraries of considerable importance -- the Astor and Lenox libraries -- but neither could be termed a truly public institution in the sense that Tilden seems to have envisioned.  The Astor Library was created through the generosity of John Jacob Astor (1763-1848), a German immigrant who at his death was the wealthiest man in America.  In his will he pledged $400,000 for the establishment of a reference library in New York.  The Astor Library opened its doors in 1849, in the building which is now the home of The New York Shakespeare Festival's Joseph Papp Public Theater.  Although the books did not circulate and hours were limited, it was a major resource for reference and research.  New York's other principal library during this time was founded by James Lenox and consisted primarily of his personal collection of rare books (which included the first Gutenberg Bible to come to the New World), manuscripts, and Americana.  Located on the site of the present Frick Collection, the Lenox Library was intended primarily for bibliophiles and scholars.  While use was free of charge, tickets of admission were required.  By 1892, both the Astor and Lenox libraries were experiencing financial difficulties.  The combination of dwindling endowments and expanding collections had compelled their trustees to reconsider their mission.  At this juncture, John Bigelow, a New York attorney and Tilden trustee, devised a bold plan whereby the resources of the Astor and Lenox libraries and the Tilden Trust would be combined to form a new entity, to be known as The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.  Bigelow's plan, signed and agreed upon on May 23, 1895, was hailed as an unprecedented example of private philanthropy for the public good.  Following an open competition among scores of the city's most prominent architects, the relatively unknown firm of Carrère and Hastings was selected to design and construct the new library.  The result, regarded as the apogee of Beaux-Arts design, was the largest marble structure ever attempted in the United States.  Before construction could begin, however, some 500 workers had to spend two years dismantling the reservoir and preparing the site.  The cornerstone was finally laid in May 1902.  Work progressed slowly but steadily on the monumental Library which would eventually cost $9 million to complete.  During the summer of 1905, the huge columns were put into place and work on the roof was begun.  By the end of 1906, the roof was finished and the designers commenced five years of interior work.  In 1910, 75 miles of shelves were installed to house the immense collections.  More than one million books were set in place for the official dedication of the Library on May 23, 1911—16 years to the day since the historic agreement creating the Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations had been signed.  The ceremony was presided over by President William Howard Taft and was attended by Governor John Alden Dix and Mayor William J. Gaynor.  The following morning, New York's very public Public Library officially opened its doors.  The response was overwhelming.  Between 30,000 and 50,000 visitors streamed through the building the first day it was open.  http://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/history

BERLIN, Germany — July 4, 2012  Librarians in southern Germany have found a lost copy of one of the first maps to use the name "America."  They believe it is a smaller version of the famous 1507 map drawn by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, sometimes refered to as "America's birth certificate."  The A4-sized copy resurfaced in Munich University Library, where two members of staff came across it by chance in a 19th-century Viennese book on geometry.  It had probably been bound there by librarians who didn't realize its significance, the library's head of ancient books, Sven Kuttner, said in a press release.  "There hasn't been a find of this dimension since World War Two," Deutsche Welle quoted him as saying.  Around 100 copies of Waldseemüller's map are thought to have been printed, according to the library, of which only four were known to survive – until now.  There are some minor differences between this and other versions, which leads Kuttner to conclude that it was probably printed some time after the first edition in 1507.  Researchers aren't sure where the copy was made, or how it ended up where it did.  According to the US Library of Congress, which houses the original and one of the surviving copies, Waldseemüller's map was the first to portray the New World as a separate continent, and the first to name it America, in recognition of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.  Germany officially gave the original to the US in 2007.  http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/germany/120704/lost-copy-waldseemuller-map-america-birth-certificate

September 29, 2012  The Full Corn Moon corresponds with the time of harvesting corn.  It is also called the Barley Moon, because it is the time to harvest and thresh the ripened barley.  This month, we also celebrate what we call a Harvest Moon, which is the full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox.  It can occur in September or October and is bright enough to allow finishing all the harvest chores.  The Full Harvest Moon is different than all our other full Moons.  Around this date, the Moon rises at almost the same time for a number of nights in our northern latitudes.   http://www.almanac.com/content/full-corn-moon-septembers-moon-guide