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Improbable Libraries
Improbable Libraries: A Visual Journey to the World's Most Unusual Libraries | Alex Johnson
20 posts | 11 read | 1 reading | 4 to read
How do you use your local library? Does it arrive at your door on the back of an elephant? Can it float down the river to you? Or does it occupy a phone booth by the side of the road? Public libraries are a cornerstone of modern civilization, yet like the books in them, libraries face an uncertain future in an increasingly digital world. Undaunted, librarians around the globe are thinking up astonishing ways of reaching those in reading need, whether by bike in Chicago, boat in Laos, or donkey in Colombia. Improbable Libraries showcases a wide range of unforgettable, never-before-seen images and interviews with librarians who are overcoming geographic, economic, and political difficulties to bring the written word to an eager audience. Alex Johnson charts the changing face of library architecture, as temporary pop-ups rub shoulders with monumental brick-and-mortar structures, and many libraries expand their mission to function as true community centers. To take just one example: the open-air Garden Library in Tel Aviv, located in a park near the city's main bus station, supports asylum seekers and migrant workers with a stock of 3,500 volumes in sixteen different languages. Beautifully illustrated with nearly two hundred and fifty color photographs, Improbable Libraries offers a breathtaking tour of the places that bring us together and provide education, entertainment, culture, and so much more. From the rise of the egalitarian Little Free Library movement to the growth in luxury hotel libraries, the communal book revolution means you'll never be far from the perfect next read.
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Abe
Pickpick

Great read about unusual libraries around the world! My favorite chapters are mobile libraries & not-libraries!

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jen_the_scribe
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Wouldn't that be something?

Trashcanman That would be awesome 4y
Sunraven Reasons I sometimes lazily ponder having a wine bar/coffee shop/tea shop with a bunch of bookshelves ... 😉 Not really the same, but not a bad option, I think. 4y
sudi Wish this could become reality soon. 4y
jen_the_scribe @Sunraven Definitely not a bad option at all. I've fantasized about having my own cozy little book shop/cafe. 4y
20 likes4 comments
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SW-T
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Pickpick

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

A tribute to libraries of all shapes and sizes and the librarians and communities that make them happen. Whether books are in a treehouse, a basket on a burro, in old vans, tiny libraries, public libraries, digital libraries, or home libraries, they‘re all explored through this gorgeous collection of photos.

#library #libraries #librarians #librarylove

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cathysaid
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How cool is this library sign?!? ❤️ #library #litsyloveslibraries

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That‘s awesome!! 5y
59 likes1 comment
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Abe
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Pickpick

Great young adults book on unusual libraries from around the world!

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GatheringBooks
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#31BookPics Day 27: The entire book featured “improbable libraries” which featured what the author calls a “new #library revolution, along with the work of many architects, designers, educators, artists & activists who are breaking the mould to bring the written word to people everywhere.” It is filled with images from various parts of the globe, serving as a “visual journey” to these unique places. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-gfL

52 likes1 stack add
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Abe
Pickpick

Great read about unusual libraries from around the world!

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TheKidUpstairs
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#TravelGoals - any of these towns would make for the ultimate Litsy meet up, eh?

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-a-book-town

(P.S. I love Atlas Obscura ❤)

(P.P.S. Book Towns, the book mentioned in the article, is not listed in the database. So I've tagged a previous bookish book by the same author.)

merelybookish I sent this article to my husband. So far, no response.🤔 6y
Velvetfur Oh my gosh I love that website! I've just spent a good while reading articles on there, it's great! Thank you for the link 😀 6y
TheKidUpstairs @merelybookish my husband was afraid I'd never come home! It's not an irrational fear! 6y
See All 6 Comments
TheKidUpstairs @Velvetfur no problem! It can definitely be a bit of a rabbit hole on that website, everything just looks so interesting! 6y
Chrissyreadit I‘m hoping to go to Hobart NY this year. 6y
OrangeMooseReads I‘d have to have crates shipped home 😆 6y
91 likes6 comments
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ReadingRover
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Pickpick

This was such a great book. What a cool look a all the different amazing libraries all over the world! And how cool that someone marked the ones they liked which are also ones that I like!

TricksyTails Wowwwwwww 😍♥️📚 6y
37 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ReadingRover
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I love this so much!!! Notice how there aren‘t any goats! 🐐 There probably wouldn‘t be a Library for long if there were!

GlassAsDiamonds Having recently spend some time around goats.... even *if* you could stop them from eating the Books, how on earth would you get the goat smell out??? 😂🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤦🏻‍♀️😂 6y
ReadingRover @GlassAsDiamonds OMG 😮 so true!!! I guess it would be the same as the boat books and they would have to be ziplocked for freshness 😂 😂 😂 6y
GlassAsDiamonds @ReadingRover “zip locked for freshness” 😂😂😂😂 6y
37 likes1 stack add3 comments
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vivastory
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1) As long as I remember.
2) No, in person visits more frequently.
3) At least three times per week. I live 2 blocks away from a branch.
4) Yes, I loved those.
5) Three.

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JSW
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Dedicated to the librarians. https://media.bookbub.com/blog/2017/06/06/funny-library-displays/. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

398.2 😂 7y
14 likes1 comment
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Eyelit
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I love this collaboration of library and consumer. 😍

7 likes1 stack add
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Eyelit
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"The simple truth is that, like Roald Dahl's character Matilda, people just like going to libraries."

KVanRead ❤️ 8y
10 likes1 comment