Today's blog comes from David Ramsey, Central Library staff:

In this era of digital photography, when you are snapping shots of everything (because you can), what do you do with all those pictures? If you secret them away in a computer file, they are soon forgotten. And huddling around a monitor to see all those family photos isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

However, if you compile those images into a printed book, you’ll have something unique to grace your coffee table. It is not an inexpensive venture - but think of the money saved by not having to print every picture before seeing it. There are local photo shops and online companies willing to help you and a new book in our collection to walk you through the process.

Create Your Own Photo Book is the new title by Petra Vogt. She starts by providing all the good reasons for making one and suggests project ideas. She gives an overview to photo albums in general and lists the pros and cons of working with different publishers and service providers.

Vogt goes into every aspect of production, including shooting and selecting pictures, scanning old images, and creating page backgrounds. She talks about the addition of text and graphic elements and provides tips for quality control. For those wanting to sell their work, she gives advice. The last chapter is devoted to concrete examples: 5 photo books using a number of the previously discussed publishers.

After a European trip with the Calgary Concert Band last summer, I discovered photo books and used an online publisher to compile my own. The cover of my book, on the left, shows a convent where the band festival was held reflected in a tuba. Above right, you can see some pictures from our tour of Rome. Note the natty airmail-paper border.

It was an interesting and rewarding project that produced a wonderful memento of my trip that is easy to share with family and friends.

- Dave

For many years I used a trunk painted Chinese red as my coffee table. When I moved to my condo, it no longer seemed to work. If it sat too close to the sofa, you couldn’t stretch out your legs. When it was pushed more to the centre of the room, it blocked the path to the balcony.

I experimented with several smaller tables which made the room feel more spacious. However, with more than three people visiting, serving drinks and snacks was fussy and annoying.

After much agonizing, I chose a lovely 19^th Century Chinese bench and it feels perfect for the room. I wish I had seen this new book in our collection. It would have made the decision easier.

Good Bones, great pieces: the seven essential pieces that will carry you through a lifetime is the new title by designers and bloggers Suzanne and Lauren McGrath. They identify seven essential pieces of furniture that can be used in many different ways and move successfully from house to house along with the owner.

Those seven pieces are loveseat, bench, side table, slipper chair, occasional chair, dresser and demilune. For each piece, they demonstrate multiple uses. They also provide a glossary that shows nine versions in different styles, such as traditional, modern or country.

They show a bench in an entrance, on a porch, in the living room, dining room and at the foot of a bed.

The demilune table snugs up against the wall in a tiny kitchen to provide a charming breakfast spot. It tucks into a hallway or onto the landing of a staircase. A pair of them flanks a fireplace in a living room and another works as a lovely little desk for laptop use.

This is a great source to help you plan major furniture purchases or rethink the use of a favourite piece that you already own.

Today’s blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

The coffee table is a small surface that calls out for the clutter of life: a book, a tea or coffee mug and small things. Small things – either curious or beautiful – invite inspection and reflection.

The art of small things by John Mack considers the aesthetic of smallness and celebrates the art of the miniature. Among many fine things, he profiles two of the treasures that I keep on my coffee table.

I was given a plaster replica of the queen from the famed Lewis Chessmen. They are a collection of pieces from four different chess sets that were found in a bay in the Outer Hebrides.

My queen is great for ruminating on, although something a little stronger that tea may be called for. Based on her expression, being a medieval queen could not have been all pleasure. She is slightly larger than the figures of another obsession of mine: netsuke.

Netsukes are small sculptures about an inch tall, commonly carved from ivory or wood. Grace Gift Shop in the Dragon City Mall (second floor) in Chinatown carries some lovely Chinese netsuke. I have carved my own versions using taqua nut.

In the collection at Central Library, there is a splendid older book, The Art of Netsuke Carving, by Masatoshi. It shows traditional tools and techniques as well showcasing examples. Carving Japanese Netsuke for Beginners is another inspiring source that includes a gallery of beautiful pieces.

Finally, keep a place on the table for The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal. Winner of 2011 Ondaatje prize, it traces the history of a family and an era through the story of a delicate and exquisite collection of netsuke.

Candace

Over the last year, the main floor at the Central Library has undergone renovations. Among other changes to the Arts Department, our Special Collection was released from locked cabinets and installed on open shelving in an alcove with comfortable armchairs and a coffee table. The Special Collection books are large and lovely and often so heavy that no one wants to haul them home. Hence the cozy set up.

Sometimes coffee table books lack respect, accused of being long on gloss and short on substance. However, if a picture is worth a thousand words, there is a lot to be gleaned even from decorative page turners with little text. When I explored the idea online, I found consensus that a coffee table book should be interesting enough to stimulate conversation with guests who browse it.

At home, the coffee table is an intimate little space that often includes favourite objects. Pottery Barn offers a demo about organizing an attractive tablescape. House & Home will help you choose the table.

I found lists of favourite books on sites like Style at Home and Van Houte coffee (how appropriate). In fact, our department alone holds so many beautiful and intriguing books that creating a list of favourites would be daunting.

Over the next few blogs my colleagues and I are sharing a few favourites. We hope you will check them out for awhile to your own coffee table world.

When you visit us next, make some time to peruse the tomes that are too large to carry. Or bring a cart or car and take a few home.

Jane