Salt Lake City Public Library – Salt Lake City (UT), USA
With music playing on every floor, an art gallery, a firm “no censorship” policy on their computers with Internet access, and a cafe serving coffee and sandwiches, this is not the library I grew up getting shushed at.
Photo: Pedro Szekely
With music playing on every floor, an art gallery, a firm “no censorship” policy on their computers with Internet access, and a cafe serving coffee and sandwiches, this is not the library I grew up getting shushed at.
Photo: Pedro Szekely
Strahov Theological Hall – Prague, Czech Republic
The ornately decorated library in the Strahov Monastery contains 18,000 religious texts, including many editions of the Bible in numerous languages.
Photo: Rafael Ferreira
The ornately decorated library in the Strahov Monastery contains 18,000 religious texts, including many editions of the Bible in numerous languages.
Photo: Rafael Ferreira
Biblioteca España – Medellin, Colombia
Built on a hilltop in Santo Domingo — an area that was heavily affected by violence and drug trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s — Biblioteca España was built as part of an initiative to enhance urban development and to provide more opportunity to the city’s poorest residents.
Photo: danjeffayelles
Built on a hilltop in Santo Domingo — an area that was heavily affected by violence and drug trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s — Biblioteca España was built as part of an initiative to enhance urban development and to provide more opportunity to the city’s poorest residents.
Photo: danjeffayelles
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library – New Haven (CT), USA
A gift from the Beinecke family to Yale University in 1963, this windowless building has walls made of translucent marble, specifically designed to preserve the rare books and manuscripts inside, including one of the 48 remaining Gutenberg Bibles.
Photo: KAALpurush
A gift from the Beinecke family to Yale University in 1963, this windowless building has walls made of translucent marble, specifically designed to preserve the rare books and manuscripts inside, including one of the 48 remaining Gutenberg Bibles.
Photo: KAALpurush
National Library of Belarus – Minsk, Belarus
The newly designed National Library of Belarus houses over 8 million items and has the only public observation deck in Minsk.
Photo: Giancarlo Rosso
The newly designed National Library of Belarus houses over 8 million items and has the only public observation deck in Minsk.
Photo: Giancarlo Rosso
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library – Toronto (ON), Canada
The University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library has the largest collection of rare books and manuscripts available to the public in Canada, including an extensive collection of Lewis Carroll first editions, biographical material, and photography.
Photo: Andrew Louis
The University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library has the largest collection of rare books and manuscripts available to the public in Canada, including an extensive collection of Lewis Carroll first editions, biographical material, and photography.
Photo: Andrew Louis
Seattle Central Library
The Seattle Central Library was built in 2004 to be an inviting and functional public space. Its “Book Spiral” displays the library’s entire non-fiction collection in one continuously winding run, enabling library-goers to peruse the 4-level section without being interrupted by stairs.
Photo: Stephen J. Friedman, MD
Danish Royal Library – Copenhagen Denmark
TU Delft Library – Delft, The Netherlands
The Delft University of Technology library was designed by architectural firm Mecanoo to be a “triangle of grass and glass.” The building is topped off by a large metal cone, which houses four reading rooms accessible by spiral staircase.
Photo: Stephanie Braconnier
Halmstad Library – Halmstad, Sweden
The design of the Halmstad Library was inspired by the surrounding trees and features wall-to-wall windows with views of parkland visible from virtually anywhere in the building.
Photo: ET Photo
Vasconcelos Library – Mexico City, Mexico
Also known as the Megabiblioteca, the Vasconcelos Library had to be closed for almost two years in 2007 due to major architectural defects. Now open again to the public, the library houses 500,000 volumes, a music room, a 500+ seat auditorium, and a botanical garden.
Photo: Omar
Vancouver Public Library – Vancouver Canada
The central branch of the Vancouver Public Library System is a nine-story glass building surrounded by a glass-covered walkway and Coliseum-esque colonnade complete with social space, reading areas, and study rooms.
Photo: Darren Stone
British Library – London, England
One of the largest libraries in the world, the British Library holds over 150 million items from countries all over the world — 100 million of which are also available digitally. Notable works include the Magna Carta, Captain Cook’s journal, and the only surviving medieval manuscript of Beowulf.
Photo: Steve Cadman
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