The Scoop on Poop from Toronto Public Library
You may have noticed the malodorous scent of poop wafting in the City lately.
It's been on the news and various theories are being put forward.
My own first thoughts were as I biked around:
- I need to watch where I step
- I have a dog, why can't other dog walkers pick up after their pets like me?
- We really need to do something about the sewers – and did that massive rain last week dislodge a giant fatberg
- It's fall and the female ginko trees are dropping their fruit/seed pods again
Not surprisingly, for anyone who knows me, this got me thinking about poop and how the Library can meet your informational needs on this most interesting subject. So let's dive into the sea of poop that is available at the Toronto Public Library.
The Origin of Feces: An entertaining and enlightening exploration of why waste matters, this cultural history explores an often ignored subject matter and makes a compelling argument for a deeper understanding of human and animal waste. Approaching the subject from a variety of perspectives–evolutionary, ecological, and cultural–this examination shows how integral excrement is to biodiversity, agriculture, public health, food production and distribution, and global ecosystems. From primordial ooze, dung beetles, bug frass, cat scats, and flush toilets to global trade, pandemics, and energy, this is the awesome, troubled, uncensored story of feces.
Don't forget that poop is not just for flushing but rather recent medical advances suggest the right poop has medicinal value.
Many paren'ts will tell you the fascination kids (and dogs) have with poo. I am happy to report we've got you covered if you too, dear reader, find yourself wondering . . .
Poop has an interesting scientific vein of research behind it as well as the flushable.
My Dad talked about going from rural Macedonia to France to work as an shepherd in the 1950s and what stood out for him was the use on the farm of human poop as fertilizer.
But how would any discussion of poop be a thorough acknowledging the key figure of Thomas Crapper, the inventor of the toilet, and his biography Thomas Crapper, Flushed with Pride. Ah the toilet – the chamber pot's arch nemesis!
Many public librarians will tell you that two very common reference questions are:
- 1) where are your books on the Ferber sleep method
- 2) do you have any (picture) books on potty training?
Never fear – we have you covered!
or
I also want to point out that there is also potty training material for paren'ts with children who have autism spectrum.
Of course don't forget the picture books or the Dvds:
So in summary, for both children and adults, Toronto Public Library has you covered.
The History of Shit: Written in Paris after the days of student revolt in May 1968 and before the devastation of the AIDS epidemic, this book is emblematic of a wild and adventurous strain of 1970s theoretical writing that attempted to marry theory, politics, sexuality, pleasure, experimentation and humour.
Lastly, thanks to two folks who left comments on the blog from twitter, I'm reminded to tell you about the National Poo Museum (I'm not pooping you – this is a real thing!) and also that Everyone Poops.
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Visit the library today for the scoop on poop, facts on feces, tips on turds, data on dung, and the goods on guano.
Kids love it!