The public library : a photographic essay
Dawson, Robert, 1950-2014
Book
"Many of us have vivid recollections of childhood visits to the public library: the unmistakable, slightly musty scent, the excitement of checking out a stack of newly-discovered books. Today's libraries also function as de facto community centers, and offer free access to the Internet, job-hunting assistance, or a warm place to take shelter along with the endless possibilities that spark your imagination the moment you open the cover of a book. There are more than 17,000 public libraries in America. Over the last eighteen years, photographer Robert Dawson has traveled the nation, documenting hundreds of these institutions--from Alaska to Florida, New England to the West Coast. The Public Library presents a wide selection of Dawson's photographs, revealing a vibrant, essential, yet seriously threatened system. Essays, letters, and poetry by a collection of America's most celebrated writers--including E. B. White, Isaac Asimov, Anne Lamott, Amy Tan, Charles Simic, Dr. Seuss, and Philip Levine, as well as the voices of dedicated librarians working today--are woven with photographs of the majestic reading room at the New York Public Library; the one-room Tulare County Free Library built by former slaves, in Allensworth, California; the architectural wonder of Seattle's glass and steel Central Library; and the Berkeley, California tool lending library; among many others. A foreword by Bill Moyers and an afterword by Ann Patchett bookend this important survey of a treasured American institution"--
Main title:
The public library : a photographic essay / Robert Dawson ; foreword by Bill Moyers ; afterword by Ann Patchett.
Author:
Edition:
1st ed.
Imprint:
New York : Princeton Architectural Press, [2014]
Collation:
191 p. ; 24 cm.
Notes:
Includes essays, letters, and poetry by a collection of American writers and librarians.Includes bibliographical references.
Contents:
Machine generated contents note: ch. One The American Public Library -- The Library Spirit / Stuart A. P. Murray -- ch. Two Economics -- A Country Without Libraries / Charles Simic -- All Hail the Public Library / David Morris -- ch. Three Civic Memory and Identity -- What the Library Means to Me / Amy Tan -- Letters to the Children of Troy, New York / E. B. White -- How Mr. Dewey Decimal Saved My Life / Barbara Kingsolver -- ch. Four Urban and Rural Libraries -- The Northeast Nevada Regional Bookmobile / Kelvin K. Selders -- Practicing Seva / Dorothy Lazard -- Spreading Enlightenment / Luis Herrera -- ch. Five Art and Architecture -- ch. Six Evolving Libraries -- Enriched by What We Share / Chip Ward -- ch. Seven Literature and Learning -- Library Days / Philip Levine -- Steinbeck Country / Anne Lamott -- Maps and Stats / Walker Dawson.
ISBN:
9781616892173 (hardback)
Dewey class:
027.70973027.7097
LC class:
Z731
Language:
English
Added title:
Subject:
BRN:
22122
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Melbourne Library | -Society | SOCIETY 027.7097 DAWS | Available |