U is for Unique, Unusual, and Unconventional

A Field Trip Life blog is all about books and travel so come along and check out these Unique and Unusual libraries on this U edition of the A to Z Blog Challenge.

 

1. The Kansas City Public Library, Central Branch, in Kansas City, Missouri features a “Community Bookshelf” that runs along the length of the library’s parking garage. The shelf is 25 feet tall and 9 feet wide. The book titles were suggested by residents of the city and include popular books such as The Lord of the Rings by J. R.R. Tolkien and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

 

 

2. This Beach Library located on the Black Sea resort of Albena, Bulgaria, is perfect for those who like to read at the beach. It is stocked with over 2,500 books in 10 different languages.

 

 

3.The Children’s Library at the Soneva Kiri Resort on Koh Kood Island in Thailand is made out of local bamboo and is steps from the sea. The domed roof is shaped like a manta ray which   shelters the structure from heavy rains and allows natural airflow and sunlight to come in. In addition to the book collection focused on local traditions, there are rooms for art, music, and fashion. This is a six star resort so we probable wouldn’t be able to stay long.

 

 

 

4. Public Library in Batu, East Java, Indonesia, has been made from seven used shipping containers. The library houses a collection of 6,000 books and each color serves a different purpose. The blue room is for popular reading, the yellow room contains a women’s reading room, and the red room is for science and technology.

 

 

 

 

 

5. The SEED Library in Johannesburg, South Africa was designed by the Architects of Justice who were commissioned to build a library that would engage students and offer a quality space for learning. Their first design was too costly so they went back to the drawing board and came up with a new plan using, as in Batu, shipping containers.

 

 

6. The  Epos is a seagoing library vessel that carries 6,000 books, a captain, and librarians around the Norwegian fjords to reach over 250 island communities. This floating library operates each year from September to April. During the summer months, it serves as a leisure cruise ferry and has been in operation since 1959.

 

 

7. The Biblioteca Sandro Penna is located in Perugia, Italy. Named after a famed Italian poet, it features rose-colored glass walls. It stands out among the region’s traditional architecture as it was designed to look like a space ship.

 

 

 

8. The Czech National Library in Prague is still in the planning stages. It looks like something that will travel to Earth in the Biblioteca Sandro Penna.

 

 

9. The Librairie Urbain in Lyon, France includes a pop-up area where readers can choose books from containers hanging from trees.

 

 

10. La Bibliotheque Louis Nucera, located in Nice, France, was completed in 2001 and houses seven stories of books. This is a library that is at the top of my “to see” list.

 

To see more unusual libraries, check out Improbable Libraries: a Visual Journey to the World’s Most Unusual Libraries by Alex Johnson from your favorite library.

 

 

Not only are libraries sometimes housed in unusual buildings, they often contain unusual and unique items:

 

(infographic designed by Jaclyn Rosansky and researched by Amy Shaw)

Finally, I’d like to introduce you to Pam, an Unconventional Librarian. I met her at a conference when I first entered the world of blogging. She is a cheerleader for promoting diversity in children’s lit.  I was on her minion team for last year’s A to Z Blog challenge and I certainly do miss her alphabetical posts. Check out her blog and read the books she reviews and recommends. You can thank me later.