A Day at the Library

It is ironic that I am making a blog post about Libraries which most people would associate with Books. I have a love/ hate relationship with reading. I think it goes back to the SRA reading kits from Elementary if any of my generation remembers those. They were a reading skill testing set in Public schools from the 60s. You would read a short story on a cardboard folder and then take a test on how thorough your absorption was by flipping the card. Being a competitive type, I soared through the kiddie levels and led the class in those upper Gold/ Silver testing levels. As a result, reading was never really a satisfying experience for me, but a task I raced to finish.

There are a few writers who have ultimately enticed me like John Irving, Michael Chabon, the occasional David Sedaris and of course Armistead Maupin. But with the onset of the digital era, I am more content reading a blog, a newspaper article, cooking books or short stores at best.

This does NOT mean libraries have no worth to me. I loved the Erie downtown library as a child and a trip there was heaven. But I remember getting films to watch on an old projector as much as getting a children's book. Now they let you borrow a fishing pole to walk down to the dock and fish. I utilize my local library for access to tons of music; both audio and sheet. My cabaret career owes much to the public library. My sister is a librarian and has tons of resources she has pointed out to me that go far beyond books. I even use my local branch for printing out documents since my personal printer is more expensive to replace ink cartridges. It is a small but mighty building, an original Carnegie library.

 
Which all leads to this inspiring catalogue of historic and spellbinding buildings that are indeed institutions. If it were a choice between a museum, a cathedral or a library - I don't think I would hesitate. To me even a bookstore holds more treasures. The 19 listed in this collection are mind boggling. Sadly I have not been to a single one. I should add a few to my traveling Bucket List. Please give them a quick glance.


 Buzzfeed Iconic Libraries

Sainte-Genvieve Library - Paris France

Boston Public Library

National Library - Vienna, Austria