In Library News…
The Wall Street Journal published an article today about a renewed interest in private libraries in the US. In “Why Libraries Are Back in Style”, June Fletcher writes that it’s not exactly a new obsession with books (though they’re still selling well despite the generally acknowledged economic downturn), it’s the comfort factor – the need for an escape within the home from everyday stress.
image credit: Ottox
After speaking with various architects and interior designers, Fletcher sums up their consensus:
Because libraries are public rooms, oftentimes the books are purely decorative and don’t say as much about the family who lives there. The books that people really read, like paperback novels and how-to guides, often are kept out of sight elsewhere in the home.
As long as something is getting read, somewhere, I suppose. In related news, the current issue of Oprah’s O at Home magazine gives readers an “inside look” at the talk show host’s private library, with matching leather-bound first editions galore. Somehow the idea of identically bound Pulitzer Prize winning volumes doesn’t give me a cozy feel, but to each her own!
Do you have a library-like space where you can escape from your computer and other distractions to just relax? If not, what features would your dream library include?
Comments
I remembered wanting a personal library of my own, something similar to that big hall of books in Disney’s Beauty & The Beast. However, in modern times, I don’t think such a library is possible nor is it practical. Besides, the books I love are very contemporary and to fool myself into buying books just because the spine looks very Victorian (with gold trimmings and old english font) then I guess I’d have to make a pass on this. I find enjoyment in seeing all my books piled way up high in a corner of my room; kind of makes reading more fun that way.
Comment by Niki from Singapore — September 13, 2008 @ 12:57 am
My dream library—the one that my mind’s eye superimposes over the actual appearance of the myriad bookcases that crowd my living room, dining room, bedroom, office, and basement—would of necessity be a rather large affair, and also the co-center (along with the living/dining area) of my dream home.
What I dream of is a library space that would not just store books, but provide a comfortable area for family and friends to converse and socialize—and perhaps even hold book club meetings! I envision a rather long but relatively narrow room with French doors at one end and tall mullioned windows at the other; the view sometimes features gently rolling hills and other times a large stand of trees, showing that my real concerns are within the room rather than without.
Ceiling-height shelves line the entirety of one of the long walls, which is separated from the other by a pair of rectangular tables with matching benches. An open area in the center of the room between the tables has a pair of lecterns facing away from each other, which cradle various frequently-used reference books. (My sole concession to technology would be a wireless laptop for note-taking, quick-and-dirty Internet research, and a well-stocked iTunes library for assistance in writing about music.)
In the middle of the other long wall is a sunken fireplace capable of warming several pairs of feet weary from working in the outside world. It is flanked by a pair of comfy chairs, with more bookcases toward each end of the room. Above the fireplace hangs a reproduction of Raphael’s <a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_School_of_Athens”>The School of Athens</a>; reading lights next to the chairs and banker’s lights on the tables provide the necessary ambient light.
You may now be wondering, “What about the books?”
Although I’ve begun that part of my dream library, I am nowhere close to being finished. Assembling a collection of books worthy of the room I’ve just described will likely be the work of a lifetime, if not several.
Comment by cognitive dissident from USA — September 17, 2008 @ 8:06 am
My dream library would be the size of a matchbox, or something else very small, an object that would fit in my pocket. When I needed a book I’d tap on the side and say a word* and it would unfold itself. Like the house at the end of Poltergeist maybe, but in reverse. Or like wings. There could be a noise that goes with the unfolding. I don’t mind what. The point is that my library will be neat enough to carry around but there’ll still be shelves to hold all of the books. Moving won’t be a problem and I won’t have to pile books in front of books just to get them off the floor, because there will be enough space for everything.
(*This sounds unnecessarily wanky and Potterish, but without the word what’s to stop it unfolding in my pocket every time I get bumped? The word would be a kind of safety catch.)
Comment by Deanne Sole — September 24, 2008 @ 8:04 pm
I think ebooks have become more popular to save space.
Comment by Wall Street from MA — November 10, 2008 @ 12:14 pm