Nonsuch Book

mysterious paper sculptures

One of the lovely parts of falling behind in, well, everything of late is the moment when I get to go back and read all the things I bookmarked the last month or so. At one time. The experience is comparable to sitting in front of a large stack of presents that lessens ever so slowly as you unwrap and unwrap, one delight after another. And this story, a popular one, was my favorite. Mysterious and beautiful paper sculptures mounted to books, and left as anonymous presents to libraries in Scotland. The first, found at the Scottish Poetry Library in March, came with this note:

It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree.… ... We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?)

And then the National Library of Scotland received this with the following note:

For @natlibscot - A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas..... (& against their exit)

And there were more.

And more. And hopefully the rumor that the creator is known is false. Who would want to know? A random act of beauty and kindness. More beautiful because it is anonymous.

the library downstairs

The new school where I work this year is an example of what is being referred to in our school system as a "community school" - a preschool through 8th grade facility with an attached public library and recreation center. So we have two libraries on the same campus - school and public. Now as much as I enjoy children's books, I enjoy the ones for people my own age even more. It is highly convenient to put in a bookish request online and then go down two floors to pick it up when ready. So when I get one of my impulsive reading desires (like the Madame Bovary fixation you see going on above), the resolution is just a few stairs away and spares me another book purchase and requires no special trip. Heaven.

what do you geek?

Bookaholism is an uninspired idea but Geek the Library is, to my mind, exceptionally appealing. OCLC, with a fistful of Gates Foundation money, launched pilot programs in Georgia and Iowa as a community-based public awareness campaign for public libraries. Hop over to the sight and peek around at the great images, and take a moment to sign the geek wall. I see all kinds of fun applications possible here. For instance, what kid wouldn't love to see his face on a poster like this in his school with his choice of what he geeks? The message is clear though. No matter what you geek, your local library has got your back. Love it.

summer in the stacks: noyes library for young children

Last month I featured the grand and gorgeous library up at the Peabody in Baltimore. The photos in the post drew many ooos and aahs, but a few of you remarked that you still preferred your small community libraries. So today I thought I might share one of those small, close to home libraries that I love, a place my children enjoyed immensely when they were little. The Noyes Library in Kensington, Maryland is part of Montgomery County Public Libraries, and its use is dedicated exclusively to the smallest folks. I love the description on the county website:

"This charming one-room library, Montgomery County's oldest, is now an historic landmark. It sits on its own triangular island surrounded by old trees and turreted Victorian homes. Once inside, children immediately sense the intimacy of this library, which is just for them. There are programs for babies and toddlers, two and three year olds, preschoolers, and other special events. Adults can borrow special Grandparent Kits with books, toys, and media centered on a particular theme, to have on hand for visiting youngsters. Come and bring your friends."

This smallest of libraries is a real gift to the community. It has narrowly averted closure more than a few times as the residents always rallied around this treasure. Do you have a library like this in your community?

summer in the stacks: george peabody library

Three more days at work for me before I call two blissful months my own. One of the perks of teaching. And this summer I have decided to visit as many of the great libraries in my part of the world as possible. And share a little. In the hopes that some of you might do the same. Temples of knowledge. Inspiring places that celebrate the life of the mind. Retreats. Simple but effective suppliers of required information. Whatever your tack, entry point, motivation. Just run with it.

Last weekend I found myself in the Mount Vernon Square neighborhood of Baltimore at The Peabody Institute for Guitar Day. In between sessions, we wandered around a bit, and out of nowhere, around a corner and through a spare and elegant entry gallery was one of the most amazing libraries that I have ever seen (and I have seen some good ones). The description from the website says it all:

"The George Peabody Library is a remarkable research library housed in a remarkable building. The goal of the Peabody Library's first librarian was to build a library that contained the best and latest literature in all branches of knowledge except law and medicine. 
Begun in 1860, the library collection contains over 300,000 volumes largely from the 18th and 19th centuries. Notable collection strengths are archaeology, British art and architecture, British and American history, biography, English and American literature, Romance languages and literature, Greek and Latin classics, history of science, geography, and exploration and travel including a large map collection. The collection also includes some bound manuscripts. View more information on the history of the Peabody Library. 

The George Peabody Library is part of the Sheridan Libraries Special Collections. A portion of the collection is represented on-line in the JHU Catalog. The most complete access to the collection is contained in the library's pioneering printed catalog, Catalog of the Library of the Peabody Institute. Issued in 1883 and 1896, these detailed dictionary catalogs described books as well as articles within journals held by the library. Copies are available on site and in many research libraries. An overview of the Peabody Library strengths is contained in the Collections and Holdings page."

The sign in the foyer reads "A Cathedral of Books." It is obvious in many grand libraries that the architecture as well as the adjectives attached to it are closely tied to religion. The symbolic "lift" in these structures. The eyes travel upward as a reflection of the elevation of the mind. Whether you believe that acquisition of knowledge draws one closer to the divine or is a secular exploration of the nature of human or natural existence, the aesthetic appeal of a structure like this is hard to deny.

What is your favorite library? Humble or on a grand scale? Close by or worth the trip?

eye candy for the bibliophile

What you see here is the UK version of one of the most gorgeous books I have ever seen. The US version cover is not nearly as attractive or as truly representative of the quality of the contents so hunt around for the import. It does not come inexpensively but as you tour through page after page of textless, nearly people-less bibliophilic bliss, you can almost smell the paper, the ink, the book glue....ooooh, lost myself for a minute. 137 full page color plates from the talented eye of Candida Hofer of what the publisher describes as the world's "cathedrals of knowledge" invite armchair travel into the Escorial in Spain, the Whitney Museum in New York, Villa Medici in Rome, the Hamburg University library, the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris, the Museo Archeologico in Madrid, and Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, to name just a few. Umberto Eco's erudite introduction which would typically be a draw all by itself is almost lost here. Who has time to read with such visual stimulation just a few pages away? A now retired site I particularly like, The Nonist, describes this volume as "porn for book nerds." So true. Click on that site's link to see even photographs from the book.