Meme: Three Should-See Libraries in the Western Hemisphere*
June 8, 2007 at 5:53 am | In Uncategorized | 6 Comments
After looking at photos of the Vancouver Library that our instructor shared, I wondered: What do library and information professionals and students consider to be the should-see libraries of the Americas? For me, besides the Seattle Public Library, three should-see libraries in the Western Hemisphere are:
**University of Rochester River Campus Library (renovation scheduled for completion in 2007). Librarians sought student input for the library renovation, and students developed the design for the new space. A brief Library Journal article sums up the user-oriented approach.
**Prelinger Library in San Francisco. Read about this library in the May 2007, Harper’s Magazine article by Gideon Lewis-Kraus, “A World in Three Aisles: Browsing the Post-Digital World.” The Prelinger may or may not be a should-see library for you, but the article is a must-read.
**Real Gabinete Portugues de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro (pictured above). Many consider this to be one of the world’s most beautiful libraries. See photos (Portuguese text).
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*In the category of Blunders by a Beginning Blogger: This entry was published before it was complete and has been edited subsequent to its first publication.
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Wow! that library in Portugal – I have to go see it! Thanks for sharing!
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Hi ohnoma,
Thanks for your comment! I’m experimenting with ways to add replies to comments left by blog visitors. I’m not changing any of your comment, just adding my reply to see how it looks using this approach.
The library pictured is in Brazil. I’m aware of two libraries in Portugal that might be worth visiting: The Library of the National Palace in Mafra, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convent_of_Mafra#Library, and the library of the University of Coimbra, http://www.travel-in-portugal.com/photos/img163.htm .
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Comment by ohnoma — June 8, 2007 #
HungarianLibrarian could not resist including this in the pool: http://www.oszk.hu/index_hu.htm
: ) Also, if you have not seen it, here is the March of the Librarians (set in the Seattle Library). Loved the Read posters!
Chris
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Hi Chris,
The March of the Librarians was a hoot. I noticed a comment from someone who observed a preponderance of grey-haired folk in the footage. Mebbe the young librarians were at happy hour! Or perhaps the young ones aren’t yet librarians, and in a coupla years, when these young students are librarians, they’ll be featured in similar footage chronicling the first library conference convened entirely through Second Life. Perhaps I’ll be there, too.
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Comment by hungarianlibrarian — June 8, 2007 #
I just read that article in Harper’s on the Prelinger Library a month or so back, and I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember the name of the Library, so thanks for the reminder….I definitely plan on checking it out next time I’m up there, which will be soon.
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Hi mchorton,
If you visit the Prelinger Library, share a comment to let us know what you think of the place!
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Comment by mchorton — June 9, 2007 #
Looks like the link didn’t take. Try that again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td922l0NoDQ
March of the Librarians.
Chris
Comment by hungarianlibrarian — June 10, 2007 #
Wow, great photo! An excellent question, too — wish I were well-traveled enough to answer it!
-KFL
Comment by kungfulibrarian — June 10, 2007 #
I love your blog. Thank you for the info on flickr.
Comment by r2rvr — June 13, 2007 #