Libraries
can be architectural masterpieces that tell a story about the time and place
they were built.
Photographer
Thomas Schiff has clicked panoramic photos of these five libraries in the US to
capture their opulence
George Peabody Library
Located
in Baltimore, Maryland, the library features five levels of dramatic cast-iron
balconies that stretch 61 feet tall. It opened to the public in 1878, and also
serves as a Johns Hopkins research library today.
The Amelia Givin Library
Located
in Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, this is one of Schiff's favourites. He
describes the 19th century building with ornate woodwork as an inviting space
that the community takes pride in. As a photographer, Schiff was not only
attracted to the ornate book shelves and vast reading rooms of libraries but
also to their symbolic role as places for public education.
Iowa Law Library
It is
known for its two spiral staircases and marble panelling, as well as its
specialised collections of legal periodicals and books. “It's interesting to
see whether the civic statements some of these buildings make are more
important than the books they have on their shelves,“ Schiff says.
The Boston Athenæum
This is
one of the oldest independent libraries in the US. Resources of the Boston
Athenæum include a large circulating book collection; a public gallery; a rare
book collection of over 1,00,000 volumes; an art collection of 100,000
paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and decorative arts.
St Johnsbury Athenaeum
This
Vermont library is significant because of its construction, the American
landscape paintings and books from its original role as a public library and
free art gallery. In fact, it is partially an art gallery with a collection of
19th century paintings on its walls too .
Source: THE ECONOMIC TIMES-8th May,2017
