Alternative Library Spaces is a project by Ksenia Cheinman documenting special libraries or, as she defines them more specifically, libraries in the domains of arts and humanities, in order to create a database of these spaces.
This project has evolved out of a personal observation on the nature of artist-run spaces and other art organizations. Every art institution by its nature is bound to accumulate print materials (be that exhibition catalogues, brochures, event invitations, artist books and publications, zines, various periodicals or other ephemera). As these resources are constantly obtained, the questions regarding their use and storage quickly arise. Many such organizations have very limited space and yet they manage to hold on to these valuable materials. Unfortunately, however, these resources are rarely known about or made use of by the greater community.
The main focus of this project is to highlight the importance and unique character of such spaces (as opposed to public, academic and more specific art/design libraries that are part of universities and colleges) and to establish how they can be further used and developed by the institutions they belong to and by the broader public.
She is currently seeking suggestions for library spaces to include in the database and contact details are available on the project’s website if you would like to contribute.
American Commons: Photographing Libraries Across the Nation is a Kickstarter project from Robert Dawson. Since 1994 he has traveled through nineteen states and photographed hundreds of libraries and he is trying to raise money to complete the project.
As a photographer I have committed my life work to investigating “the commons” – the things that we share as a nation – our environment, our infrastructure, our culture – the things that keep our society civil and working. For communities across the country, libraries offer free access to information and education, a sanctuary, and hope for the future.
Libraries are local but I chose to view this astonishing system as a whole. While each library has its own unique set of needs the nation-wide system of local libraries constitutes an important part of a healthy society. In the nineteenth century there was a strong correlation between the public library movement and the movement for public education. People understood that the future of democracy is contingent on an educated citizenry. They also felt that every citizen should have the right of free access to community-owned resources. These ideas coalesced into today’s public libraries which function as a system of non-commercial centers that help us define what we value and what we share. …
After 17 years of research, the time for me to finish this project is now. Libraries are under attack today. During the Great Depression, not a single library was closed. Now, as wealth becomes concentrated in the hands of fewer people, what is left for the rest of us? No matter our political persuasions or cultural differences, libraries connect us all. This is our American Commons. Help keep it that way.
You can follow Robert’s journey in more detail on the project’s blog, Library Road Trip.
What will our library spaces look like post-print? Dutch designers Roelof Mulder and Ira Koers have created an example at the University of Amsterdam as an entry for the Dutch Design Awards, where it won the prize for best private interior.
[They] converted an existing 27,000-square-foot library into a massive study hall — without any visible books — to accommodate the 1,500 to 2,000 students who visit daily.
Instead of stacks, the place is littered with workspaces. And instead of lending bureaus, it’s got a so-called red room: a space filled with more than 100 plastic red crates, where students can pick up books they requested online. (The university’s physical collection is stored in various closed repositories and book depots.) (Which is all well and good for collaboration, but what about making out in the stacks? Sigh.)
For more images and information, see the original post at Fast Company’s Co.Design.
(Thanks to Bryan Alexander (@BryanAlexander) for the link)
I recently returned from a trip that included Dublin, Edinburgh and London and I managed to squeeze in visits to a few libraries in between catching flights/trains/taxis.
Two of my favorites were Marsh’s Library and the Chester Beatty Library, both in Dublin. Founded in 1701, Marsh’s Library was Ireland’s first public library. I attended The Sceptred Isle, their current exhibition of early printed books on England and had a wonderful discussion with one of the librarians. The Chester Beatty Library, which was named European Museum of the Year in 2002, has always been a personal favorite and the permanent exhibits, The Arts of the Book and Sacred Traditions, are stunning. I also visited the National Library of Ireland (for the Yeat’s exhibit which you can experience online) and the National Museum of Ireland, The National Library of Scotland and The Library and Museum of Freemasonry, London.
So if your travels take you near any of these, make time to drop in for an hour or two and have a chat with a librarian.
