Exciting News! The Dutch Guys Are Releasing a Book/DVD about their ShanachieTour!

You may remember us blogging about "the Dutch guys" earlier this year, when their keynote at the CIL Conference was such a sensation. They wowed the crowd by explaining how they had driven across the U.S. interviewing librarians, and they showed a few video clips they'd made while on the road. The presentation was so fun and fascinating that they were practically mobbed by fans afterward. If you missed that talk – or if you saw it and it left you wanting more – you'll be thrilled to know that the Dutch guys have now written a book and produced a "road movie" of their trip! This book/movie combo will be out in October. And you will not want to miss it.

It's called ShanachieTour: A Library Road Trip Across America. It features insightful writing by Erik Boekesteijn, amazing photographs by Geert van den Boogaard, and wonderful video by Jaap van de Geer. The book is all-color throughout and the DVD movie is a full hour long. The combo takes you on a coast-to-coast trip of U.S. libraries and landmarks.

As the publisher's site explains it:
"With its infectiously upbeat outsider’s view of American libraries and the many challenges they face, this book and video set is sure to galvanize librarians of all stripes. ShanachieTour is a heartfelt love letter to American libraries: informative, inspirational—and a whole lot of fun!"

Did I mention that it's out in October? Did I mention that I think it's great? And that you can pre-order now?

OK, full disclosure: I was part of this deal. I was the Project Editor. So yeah, I'm a little biased. (maybe more than a little.) But I got involved because I really believed in what these guys had done. Erik, Jaap, and Geert, who work for an amazing public library in the Netherlands, came to explore this country's libraries. They took 3 weeks of their lives to drive 5,000 miles, to ask people how they pictured the library of the future, to carry everyone's stories across the land, and to then record the best of ourselves and show it back to us.

Their idea, their trip, their book, and their movie are all inspiring. If you've been feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated lately, then you need this book. It shines a bright light on libraries and reminds us of the great things we can accomplish. It almost – well, it promotes libraries to librarians. And who among us cannot use a boost these days?

But don't just take my word for it. Google "shanachies" or their names to see what others have blogged about them. And consider this: Since their CIL appearance they've also spoken in France and Jamaica, and they're scheduled to keynote in London and Melbourne, Australia later this year. Check them out on Facebook and learn more about them. Catch the Shanachie spirit; it's contagious!