A repost from my Facebook. Original December 1, 2015. Worldreaders is a U.S. non-profit organization using “quiet tech” — technologies that disappear with their environment — to deploy digital libraries around the world. Worldreader’s digital catalog of books contains 6,699 titles with an average readership of 184,000 people per month. By deploying e-ink readers, Worldreaders […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 30, 2015. The Navy Department Library was established by a letter from President John Adams to the first Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddard in 1800. It was established to be the most comprehensive naval library of its kind. Today it is housed at the Washington Navy Yard […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 29, 2015. The Laurentian Library in Florence, Italy, is interesting for many reason, not least of which is its fantastic architecture. Most importantly, the Laurentian Library holds the oldest manuscript of Herodotus’ Histories. Sources:Laurentian LibraryThe Older, the Better: Forging a Neo-Pagan Tradition in Co-Production with Christianity and Islam
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 28, 2015. The Washington University Library in St. Louis is the third-largest holder of Jefferson’s books. They received the Jefferson collection through a donation in 1880, but it took 131 years to identify and confirm the original owner of these books was Thomas Jefferson. This collection contains what […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 27, 2015. Originally built in 1876, the Library of Parliament is an architectural marvel. With flying buttresses on the outside and a stunning interior, one might say it is too nice a facility for the sole use of politicians. The library contains 600,000 items covering a couple hundred […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 26, 2015. After the British sacking of Washington D.C. in 1815, Thomas Jefferson sold his extensive library to Congress. This formed the basis for what is now the Library of Congress. Today, Jeffersons books are setup as its own exhibit inside the Library of Congress. Sources:Library of Congress: Jefferson’s […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 25, 2015. The Bodleian Library is really a series of libraries and reading rooms at the University of Oxford. It is one of the oldest libraries and the second largest library in Britain. This library is so stunning visually that it has been used in a large number of […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 23, 2015. Opened in the fall of 2013, BiblioTech in San Antonio, Texas is the first all-digital public library in the United States. While not strictly a digital representation of a meat space library, it does appear to have truly enhanced the library experience by catering to the strengths […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 22, 2015. Built in 1886, Finca Vigía became the fond hideaway in Cuba where Hemingway wrote most of his novel For Whom The Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. The library at Finca Vigía really reflects the personality of Hemingway. Today, Finca Vigía is managed by […]
A repost from my Facebook. Original November 21, 2015 Andrew Carnegie funded the building of 2,509 libraries between 1883 and 1929 in cities across the globe. Carnegie had a strict formula to determine if he would provide a town funds for a library. 1. demonstrate the need for a public library;2. provide the building site;3. pay […]