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Who, What, and Where in the World of Libraries

April 27, 2017 Claire Annette Noland 9 Comments

Welcome to today’s A to Z Blog Challenge post featuring the letter W.  I’d like to share a who, a what, and some wheres in the library world.

WHO

The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne (Gotham Books:2013)

 

This book was given to me as a birthday present by one of my dearest friends who knows me well. I usually read children’s literature so it was fun to actually read an adult book.

Josh Hanagarne does not fit the stereotype of a librarian. He is 6′ 7″ tall, weighs 250, and works at the Salt Lake City Public Library. He was raised in Utah as a Mormon and developed Tourette’s Syndrome as a young boy. He tried everything imaginable to control the Tourette’s and finally, after suffering from severe depression, turned to weight lifting.

I love that the chapter titles are listed using the topic’s Dewey Decimal number. For instance,
808.543 – Storytelling
616.89075 – Diagnosis, Differential
302.3 – Bullying
155.432 – Mothers and Sons

I found myself riveted to this almost unbelievable story. Josh is honest in sharing his struggles but also reveals his strength of character. At times I laughed out loud and at other times I nearly cried. My son has Tourette’s so I felt that I was reliving the difficult years my son went through.  I wish this book was available when my son was young.

WHAT

The World’s Largest Single-Story Library is a former Walmart!

It takes a great deal of money to build a library. The city government of McAllen, Texas, came up with a great idea – they purchased an abandoned Walmart and converted it into a 124,500 square foot library under the supervision of library director Jose A. Gamez. Doing so saved the city 40 percent of what a new building would cost.

From this:

To this:

The former aisles were removed and replaced with a collection of over 355,000 books, computer labs, reading lounges, meeting rooms, and areas specifically designed for children and teens.  There is also an outdoor reading area and a cafe. Residents increased their usage by 23 percent in the first month which is an example of “if you build it, they will come.” The library has beautiful tile murals and it won the Library Interior Design Competition award in 2012.

 

WHERE

World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

If you travel around the globe (which I hope to do) you can find many beautiful libraries. In fact, I could do this challenge with beautiful libraries from A to Z. I have shared a number of these libraries during this past month so today I will post ten additional libraries that made numerous World’s Most Beautiful Libraries lists. All of them would be wonderful to see.

 

The Escoria Library, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain was completed in 1585. It is a harmonious combination of books , shelves, and an amazing painted ceiling. It is the first major library to have its collection arranged in cases lining the walls.

 

Trinity College Old Library, Dublin Ireland is known for its 200-foot Long Room featuring busts of famous writers and vaulted ceilings. It was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth 1. The current library was built in 1712. One of the most important holdings is the Book of Kells which is an elaborately illustrated manuscript of the four New Testament gospels.

The Beitou Branch of the Taipei Public Library in Taiwan is an oasis in the middle of Taipei. It has won numerous awards for its eco-friendly design which includes rooftop gardens, solar panels and water reclamation. It opened in 2006.


The Clementinum Library in Prague
is known for its rare globes and gorgeous frescoes. It was begun by Jesuits with only one book in 1622 and by the time it was completed the collection contained 20,000 volumes.

 

The George Peabody Library at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland is famous for its five-tier atrium with wrought iron balconies. It is among the most beautiful college libraries and is the site of many weddings and special events. The library is known for its collections of archaeology as well as British and American history and literature.


The Central Library of Vancouver, Canada
is based on the design of Rome’s Coliseum and was built in 1969. It has several floors of books and magazines above a ground floor with shops and restaurants which has become a popular meeting place.

 

 

The Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil is located in Rio de Janeiro. After an earthquake decimated Lisbon, concerned officials decided to that in order to preserve the valuable Portuguese literature collection, it needed to be moved to Brazil. The grand building is the largest library in South America and the seventh largest in the world.

 

 

The Rampur Raza Library in India was completed in 1904 and was once part of a palace. The royal family began their collection in 1774 and over the year built it up to 17,000 rare manuscripts, 205 hand written palm leaves, and 5,000 miniature paintings.

 

The Victorian State Library in Melbourne, Australia has a beautiful domed ceiling in the reading room. The library is huge containing over 2 million books. It has a notable collection of diaries and papers of early explorers including Captain James Cook.

 

The Bibliotheque Nationale de France dates back to the 14th century when it was established as the royal library by King Charles V. The library has nine domed ceilings above the elegant circular rooms. The library contains over 30 million items.

 

Have I missed any of your favorite libraries?

Here are links to some of the beautiful libraries I have included in previous posts:

Library of Congress

Oxford’s Bodleian Library

New York Public Library

Huntington Library

Hearst Castle Gothic Library

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt

 

Filed Under: Books, Library Love, Places Tagged With: Beitou Branch of the Taipei Public Library, Central Library of Vancouver, Clementinum Library in Prague, Escoria Library San Lorenzo de El Escorial, George Peabody Library at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, library from old Walmart, The Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil, The Bibliotheque Nationale de France, The Rampur Raza Library in India, The Victorian State Library in Melbourne, The World's Strongest Librarian, Trinity College Old Library Dublin Ireland

Previous Post: « V is for Vigilante
Next Post: X in the Library #atozblogchallenge »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eva says

    April 27, 2017 at 9:47 am

    Again, this is a wonderful post. I haven’t been (so far) to any of those libraries. But I can say I’ve received postcards from two of them (El Escorial and the Bodleian in Oxford). Anyway, I’ve visited some beautiful, though smaller, libraries around the world. Now I recall the Reading Room of the British Museum, in London (UK), for instance.

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      April 29, 2017 at 1:48 am

      Postcards are a great way to travel!

      Reply
  2. lissa says

    April 27, 2017 at 12:51 pm

    the book sounds interesting, those libraries are so gorgeous, I want to visit them all. they’re like works of art.

    have a lovely day.

    Reply
  3. Jacqui says

    April 27, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    That’s a good story. I like seeing people overcome adversity in creative ways. We are amazing as a race, aren’t we?

    Reply
  4. Deborah Weber says

    April 27, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    I’m so glad I stopped by today for this post – what a gem! I’ll definitely be adding The World’s Strongest Librarian to my reading list. What a fun convention to use Dewey Decimal chapters. Your post has inspired me to head out to my local library today – one of my favorite places.

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      April 29, 2017 at 2:02 am

      It’s a great book in so many ways. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  5. Shirley Corder says

    April 27, 2017 at 5:29 pm

    So glad I popped in here today. What incredible buildings and lovely photographs. I haven’t been to one of these libraries! W is for Watch the Wordcount as you Build a Better Blog. #AtoZchallenge.

    Reply
  6. Trine says

    April 28, 2017 at 12:31 am

    Claire, I am learning so much from you during this year’s challenge.
    THANK YOU!!
    Beautiful pics, BTW.

    Reply
  7. Hilary Melton-Butcher says

    April 28, 2017 at 7:18 am

    Hi Claire – brilliant post – I came across Josh years go – and it’s good to know he got a book organised and I’m sure has gone on to help others with Tourettes – he seemed to be amazing. I do hope your son has overcome his as best he is able.

    The libraries you’ve shown us are amazing … I visit the British Library in London for the exhibitions etc … and in two weeks I’ll be going to the Bodleian for a tour with my school as it is in Oxford – should be a fascinating visit; I went with a German friend a few years ago – and had a look inside …

    Cheers Hilary and a lovely post … stunning libraries!

    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/x-is-for-x-war-facts.html

    Reply

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Hello. I’m Claire Annette - reader, writer, teacher, and field trip planner extraordinaire. Here at A Field Trip Life you will find ideas for adventures large and small and the kids’ books that inspire them. Sign your permission slip. Let's go!

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claireannettenolandbooks

Author | teacher | Field Trip Planner
books that take you places
Raven’s Gift
Nancy Bess Had a Dress
Evie’s Field Day
Out and About w George series

I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award v I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award voting continues until July 18th for members of SCBWI. Our book, Nancy Bess Had a Dress, is in the Southwest Division (where illustrator @angelac.hawkins lives)

Members, you can vote for books in all of the regions.
Cast your vote at this link: 

https://www.scbwi.org/crystal-kite/CK8

I will be sharing Nancy Bess July 11th online for the Summer of Stories https://summerofstories.substack.com/

and I'll be doing story time and craft at the Three River Public Library on July 11th at 10:30

@gnomeroadpublishing @pbspree @eringreneaux @tularecountylib 
@scbwicencal #crystalkiteaward
Instagram post 18090291214629192 Instagram post 18090291214629192
We are enjoying a lovely summer’s day with CARL’S SLEEPY AFTERNOON thanks to our friends @laughingelephantbooks who sent us a copy signed by Alexandra Day and Carl!
Happy 40th Anniversary, Carl! You are such a good dog 🐾❤️
Carl has an opportunity to have a quiet and sleepy afternoon but does he rest? Not our Carl!
We’re on our 3rd generation loving this noble good dog and look forward to reading about his adventures for many more years!

#gooddogcarl #picturebookdogs #summerreading @mrernierecommends @christinabeeghly @laurennolandhajik @roxannenoland @gn705
Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking your young ones to a museum. And I suggest, before you go, you share the delightful picture book, MousterWorks, written and illustrated by @angelac.hawkins
Young mice, Cosette and Pépin, join Grand-mère on a splendid adventure through a mouse hole into a museum. They gaze at brilliant interpretations of well-known painting by famous artists such as Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Edward Banister. Cosette excitedly engages with the art while her brother, Pépin, searches for cheese in the art and eventually realizes that he can be an artist and paint his favorite things.

The final photo is 2.5 year old Alice at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. She was captivated by "Home Sweet Home" (after Seurat, Manet, and Pippin) painted by Wangari Mathenge

Art is for all ages.

To read my full review, visit my blog https://afieldtriplife.com/mousterworks-lets-go-to-a-museum/

@gnomeroadpublishing #mousterworks #artmuseumswithkids
@laurennolandhajik
Looking forward to simple unscheduled days! #july Looking forward to simple unscheduled days!
#july #afieldtriplife #summer
Look what we found featured at the library! #nancy Look what we found featured at the library! #nancybesshadadress 
Thank you @tularecountylib 
#summerreading #picturebooks #librarylove 
@angelac.hawkins @gnomeroadpublishing
Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" lis Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" list is visiting libraries where I love to see staff recommendations. SUMMER: A Solstice Story written by @kelseyegross and illustrated by @renataliwska is such a lovely picture book.
Owl, Squirrel, Raccoon, Bear, Sparrow, Rabbit, Woodpecker, and Deer gather to celebrate the arrival of summer with its gifts of light and new life. The friends share sprouts, fresh water, flowers, and fruit each accompanied by special wishes for the little ones to shine, glow, shimmer, gleam, and blaze bright with solstice light. They spend the day with festivities as they dance, splash, hop, and savor a forest feast.
I shared this with a group of children the night before the Solstice so that they understood how special this date is. Then, we read it again as the sun set on the longest day of the year after partaking of many of the same activities done by the woodland animals. They really enjoyed the center pages that fold out.
This is a soft, gentle, and breathtakingly beautiful picture book that should be enjoyed all summer long. @pbspree #summersolstice #summerasolsticestory
We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decad We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decades so we are excited to celebrate 40 years of our favorite picture book series! I love the book mom and Carl’s adventures are the best!
So let’s raise a toast to Carl, the very good dog, and to  @laughingelephantbooks Here’s to many more wonderful years of ❤️ filled stories.
#wewon #gooddogcarl #afieldtriplife #picturebookdogs @laurennolandhajik @christinabeeghly @roxannenoland
Military families are made up of heroes, those who Military families are made up of heroes, those who leave home to serve and those who stay behind. It isn’t easy to find books featuring military families, so I was excited to discover when AS MUCH as the STARS: A Story of Love Across the. Miles – A Child’s Goodbye/ AS MUCH AS THE STARS: A Story of love across The Miles: A Mother’s Farewell. I love flip books because they are clever and provide a fun way to read two stories told from different perspectives. AS MUCH AS THE STARS does an exceptional job of showing the love and emotions surrounding a deployment and then a joyous return. In this authentic, well-written story, one half follows a young girl and her relationship with her military father. The other half features the viewpoint of that girl, now grown, whose son leaves home to serve. warm and colorful illustrations add to the text showing the love that is shared even when they are separated by great distances.
This is a wonderful book for all families and will help everyone understand the sacrifices that our brave service members make. I just wish this book had been available when I was teaching children in military families.
Written by Forrest Zenone, Skyler Zenone, and Tricia Stone-Shumaker
Illustrations by Penny Weber
@poppysadventures1 @pennyweberart @laurennolandhajik #militaryfamilies #asmuchasthestars
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FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road a FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road around Whale Rock Reservoir
The story of how they got there reminds me of Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney “You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” 
Read how these delicate blossoms came to grace the highways in San Luis Obispo County: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/johnny-appleseed-sweet-peas-planted-120000196.html

Lupine, poppies, and wild mustard are also blooming.

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I love finding new-to-me bookstores. @verbatim.boo I love finding new-to-me bookstores. @verbatim.books is a treasure!
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