There is an essence of timelessness when it comes to libraries and books. Even with the modern marvels of human technology, e-books, audio books, libraries have still preserved the atmosphere of exercising and feeding the human mind with rich text and pages of storytelling. These great feats of architecture we have featured below are the integration of great design and the age old love of ancient yellow pages that have the history of the world etched in them.
The priceless treasure trove of great minds, dreamers and scholars are documented in these buildings which have been designed and built with great care in order to make them stand forever as a monument over these articles of importance like no other.
The libraries below have become an enduring tribute to impeccable design; the best décor and space construction, and art are ingrained into the floors and ceilings and wood panelling. Some of these studies have been built to attract not only readers eager to ponder over pages of food for thought, but to keep the spirit of young minds eager to see the enchanting presence of a library no digital book can recreate.
When that unique smell of worn out books, dust mingled with sunny afternoons wafts through the stone cracks of these majestic structures, people once again are transported back to the classic charm of an intimate moment spent with a satisfying story in the solitude of a hall crammed with books to the ceiling.
The National Library Of Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Biblioteca Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
The Admont Library, Admont, Austria
George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland, Usa
St. Florian Monastery, Austria
Bibliothèque Nationale De France, Paris, France
Handelingenkamer Tweede Kamer Der Staten-generaal Den Haag Iii, Netherlands
Austrian National Library, Vienna, Austria
Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra, Portuga
The City Libary, Stuttgart, Germany
The Iowa State Law Library, Iowa, USA
The Oberlausitzische Library Of Science, Gorlitz, Germany
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University, Connecticut, USA
The Old Public Library Of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Bibliothèque Sainte Geneviève, Paris, France
New York Public Library
Walker Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Vennesla Library, Vennesla, Norway
Bibliothèque Mazarine, Paris, France
St John’s College Library, Cambridge, UK
The Library Of Congress, Washington, D.C., USA
Technical University “gheorghe Asachi” Library, Iasi, Romania
The Great Library Of The Reformed Church College Of Sarospatak - Sarospatak, Hungary
The National Library Of China, Beijing, China
via Bored Panda
from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/magazine/cover-to-cover.html?_r=0
“Book Alchemy” by Jacqueline Rush Lee
My mom’s friend got me this beautiful bookmark from Mexico
Someone I know is making moves.
“’Anti-racism’ is a noun but urgency requires us to treat it as a verb, I say. It means taking your awareness and turning it into action. Into doing something concrete. And then to keep doing it.”
We Need Diverse Books social media manager JoAnn Yao wrote about the Atlanta shooting, growing up Asian in Georgia, & how both solidarity and joy can be found while drawing a cartography of self. See below for our resources on how to take action, stand against anti-Asian racism, and #StopAsianHate.
CW: Mention of Atlanta shooting. Full list of warnings at beginning of essay.
* * *
Asian Books & Authors:
Asian Author Alliance’s Kidlit Directory – “A Directory of Asian Kidlit Authors as a way to help others discover and amplify Asian voices and stories!”
KiBooka – site by author Linda Sue Park that showcases kids’ books (picture, Middle Grade, and Young Adult) and their Korean American + Korean Diaspora authors
Asian-Owned Bookstores:
Maomi Bookstore (Chamblee, GA)
Femme Fire Books (Jacksonville, FL)
Arkipelago Books (San Francisco, CA)
Bel Canto Books (Long Beach, CA)
Eastwind Books (Berkeley, CA)
Giant Robot Store (Los Angeles, CA)
A Good Used Book (Los Angeles, CA)
The Lev (Los Angeles, CA)
Philippine Expressions Bookstore (San Pedro, CA)
Kinokuniya (Various)
The Asian American Curriculum Project (San Mateo, CA) – proceeds from sales also support their nonprofit, which works to “bring a wide variety of Asian American curriculum materials to schools, libraries, and the general public.”
Atlanta-based AAPI Organizations:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta – “the first and only nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in Georgia and the Southeast.”
Center for Pan Asian Community Services – “Established as the first and largest Asian and Pacific Islander health and human service agency in the Southeast region, CPACS has been providing its core groups of services to immigrant and refugee families in Georgia since 1980.”
Fundraisers & Action Items:
Verified Atlanta shooting victim fundraisers
GoFundMe-organized AAPI Community Fund
Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Atlanta Fund for the victims and their families
Anti-Asian Violence Resources – includes statistics, bystander trainings, mental health resources, and more
Asian Americans, A PBS Documentary – “a five-hour film series that delivers a bold, fresh perspective on a history that matters today, more than ever… Told through intimate personal stories, the series will cast a new lens on U.S. history and the ongoing role that Asian Americans have played.”
Stop AAPI Hate – nonprofit that tracks incidents of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
The Asian American Curriculum Project – “Our mission is to educate the public about the great diversity of the Asian American experience through book distribution, cultural awareness, and educating Asian Americans about their own heritage, thus instilling a sense of pride.”
Snuggle up with a book.
Dinner and book number 8 for the year.
Reading. Reading about reading. Reading about reading about reading.
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