Your Second Home: the Library
The smell of old books. The clicking of keyboards. The whispers in the stacks. All can be seen and heard at libraries across the world. Want to see photographs of unusual or impressive libraries? Want to know what librarians have witnessed? You can do both by checking out the books below.
Improbable Libraries by Alex Johnson
Public libraries are a cornerstone of modern civilization, yet like the books in them, libraries face an uncertain future in an increasingly digital world. Undaunted, librarians around the globe are thinking up astonishing ways of reaching those in reading need, whether by bike in Chicago, boat in Laos or donkey in Colombia. "Improbable Libraries" showcases a wide range of unforgettable, never-before-seen images and interviews with librarians who are overcoming geographic, economic and political difficulties to bring the written word to an eager audience.
The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World by Jacques Bosser, Guillaume de Laubier and Laurel Hirsch
Profiles more than 20 of the most historic libraries from 12 countries, all of them architectural landmarks. Text provides comprehensive history of libraries.
The Library: an Illustrated History by Stuart Murray
Throughout the history of the world, libraries have been constructed, burned, discovered, raided and cherished--and the treasures they've housed have evolved from early stone tablets to the mass-produced, bound paper books of our present day. The Library invites you to enter the libraries of ancient Greece, early China, Renaissance England and modern-day America, and speaks to the book lover in all of us. Incorporating beautiful illustrations, insightful quotations and many marvelous mysteries of libraries--their books, patrons and keepers--this book is certain to provide you with a wealth of knowledge and enjoyment.
Library: the Drama Within by Diane Asseo Griliches
Anyone who loves books has a fondness for libraries, but few of us have a sense of their infinite variety. Diane Asseo Griliches has photographed libraries all over the world, from the grand reading room in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, to the humble remodeled train depot that serves as the library in Cleveland, Mississippi.
I've Seen it All at the Library: The View from Behind the Desk by Jonathan M. Farlow
Most people think of libraries as solemn places filled with dusty books and dustier people. This "memoir and more" of a career librarian explodes that misconception. Recounting his years behind the reference desk with an emphasis on the strange behavior of patrons, the author shows that public libraries are anything but staid and quiet. The history of libraries--as long as the history of the written word itself--is also discussed. That libraries have grown as colorful as the society they serve is proof that these essential institutions are as vital as ever.
I Work at a Public Library: a Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks by Gina Sheridan
Straight from the library--the strange and bizarre, ready to be checked out! From a patron's missing wetsuit to the scent of crab cakes wafting through the stacks, "I Work at a Public Library" showcases the oddities that have come across Gina Sheridan's circulation desk. Throughout these pages, she catalogs her encounters with local eccentrics as well as the questions that plague her, such as, "What is the standard length of eyebrow hairs?" Whether she's helping someone scan his face onto an online dating site or explaining why the library doesn't have any dragon autobiographies, Sheridan's bizzare tales prove that she's truly seen it all.
Find this article at http://thelibrary.org/blogs/article.cfm?aid=4500&lid=45