Boston Public Library

 

The Grand Staircase dedicated to Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861-1865 

For those who hold libraries reverently, the Boston Public Library is among those stately buildings that can rightly be called a temple of knowledge. The McKim building opened in 1895, after its cornerstone was laid in 1888. It is touted as the first free, urban, municipally funded large public library, which seems to be a lot of qualifiers, but its historical importance is not in doubt.

Architecturally stunning, the building is a monument to the importance of learning and knowledge to late 19th-century American life. Although today we may disagree on what should be known, or even how we know, the dedication to, and glorification of, information is stunning. As such, I always consider the library as one of my top destinations while in Boston.  

The Abbey Room

On the second floor of the library, the Abbey Room features murals by Edwin Austin Abbey. Installed between 1895 and1902, the paintings are based on Sir Galahad’s quest for the holy grail. Abbey used as inspiration Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s version of the story contained in the epic poem, Idylls of the King. The explanation of the room argued that most library patrons of time, would have been familiar with the poem. The fin-de-siècle American art reflects more a romantic vision that contemporaries in Europe, but gives one conveys the mood of the library.  

“The maidens welcome Sir Galahad”

“Sir Galahad becomes king of Sarras and builds a Golden Tree. He achieves the Grail and his spirit ascends from earth.”

Bates Hall is an example of a reading room that most people think of when thinking about a classic library. Although perhaps not as grandiose as the reading room at the New York City library, it is still awe inspiring, and made me want to sit down, pull out my notebook, and start studying or writing.

 

Bates Hall

The third floor of the library houses, the “Triumph of Religion,” works by John Singer Sargent installed 1885-1919.

 

Belfast Central Library

The decorative wrought iron, tile, and wood bookcases in
the Belfast Central Library

Opened in 1881, the Belfast Central Library is constructed of red sandstone and stands majestically as a symbol of an important city of the industrial revolution. It is located on Royal Avenue and is adjacent to the Belfast Telegraph newspaper building. The library survived the Belfast Blitz during the Second World War and the Troubles, without any damage.

Situated around the library today are copies of historic posters that advertised interesting and topical lectures from the city’s past. For example, a notice telling patrons that the library would close at dusk during the Easter Rising in April 1916. Another poster advertised a lecture by Francis J. Bigger on, “Ireland in Peace: Her Art and Industries (illustrated by lantern views)” on 14 February 1912.

A display on trademarks in the lobby offered the motto of Arthur Guinness, founder of the famous brewery: “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can,” which happened to be the motto of John Wesley as well.

Falls Road Library

The Falls Road Branch Library is one of the three Carnegie Libraries in Belfast. Built between 1905 and 1908, the library is located in one of the most famous areas of Belfast, known as a particular stronghold for Nationalists during “the Troubles.” In fact, from the windows of the adult section of the library, you can see the Bobby Sands memorial painted on the side of Sinn Fein’s headquarters.

Inside the library is a small, but thoroughly modern, collection. One can still observe the original tile work and wood finishes peeking through recent renovations. About half of the floor space is allotted to children’s books; the adult section has a number of books on Irish interests and history.

The library walls contain a number of quotes from Seamus Heaney; however, a translation by him of a ninth century poem is appropriately quixotic:

The small bird chirp – chirruped

Yellow neb; a note spurt.

Blackbird over Lagan water

Clumps of yellow whine – burst!

(“Blackbird of Belfast Lough”)

Anne Frank 2014

Previous posts to this blog noted how The Diary of Anne Frank was still controversial and the target of censorship. Many outlets are now reporting that 265 books, both the Diary and other Anne Frank related books, had been vandalized in 31 public libraries across Tokyo.  Despite, or perhaps because of, the moving testimonial and observations the book remains a target for xenophobes and the closed-minded.  

Walkabout in Middletown

It is not often that I get the opportunity to explore Middletown by foot. We are usually hurrying to catch a train and have just enough time for a cup of coffee or a quick bite to eat; or, on the way home, we have a late supper before driving the rest of the way home. But on this crisp day in November, I had a little time to have lunch and a quick walk around town before catching the train to Philadelphia.

An old SEPTA car in the Middletown &
Hummelstown Railroad museum

My perambulation took me down Union Street to Mill Street, which is where the Amtrak station is located. The building at the corner of Union and Mill has a maker that records the high-water marks of the 1904 and 1972 floods of Swatara Creek. A single railroad line running down the middle of Brown Street leads to a small yard that is now the home of the Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad, a museum and excursion railroad. The yard contains many railcars, many of which are in a dilapidated state. Included are several SEPTA cars that look as if there is more rust than metal these days.

Middletown is a particularly old town, the oldest in Dauphin County.  The churches of Middletown are fascinating and the Elks Theatre and Brownstone Café are long-standing institutions in town. Yet, most of focus on buildings and railroads belies the historical significance of this small town in central Pennsylvania.

Middletown Public Library, which was the home of Liberty
Steam Company (fire department)

I stopped in the local library to learn more about local history. The town was on the cusp of greatness, which is little remembered today. During the debates in the House of Representatives about where to locate the national capital in 1789, Representative Goodhue introduced a resolution proposing: “that the permanent seat of Government of the United States ought to be at some convenient place on the east bank of the Susquehanna river, in the State of Pennsylvania, &c.” Later, Mr. Heister proposed that after the words “Susquehanna river” the phrase “between Harrisburg and Middletown inclusive” should be included. C.H. Hutchinson, in his history of Middletown, reports that although members of the House were generally favorable to the amendment, it was defeated. The resolution was taken up by the Senate where all references to the Susquehanna River were struck in favor of establishing the seat of government as Germantown, Pennsylvania. Ultimately sectional differences led to a compromise of placing the capitol on the banks of the Potomac, rather than the Susquehanna. 

Carnegie Library (Vancouver)

The Carnegie Library, which is adjacent to Chinatown, is a majestic structure that was once an important facility in civic education and now serves the Vancouver Public Library until 1957. Today, the Carnegie branch is located in an area of town that faces substantial economic challenges. The building, in addition to continuing to host a small collection, serves as a recreational facilities and low-cost cafeteria for local residents. Inside the library there is a remarkable stained-glass window that honors English literary greats: Milton, Shakespeare and Spenser. Because of renovations inside the library, the bottom section of the window is not seen in this photograph, but honors Burns, Scott and Moore. 

community in various ways. Built in 1903, it was among the 2,507 libraries paid for Andrew Carnegie. The building housed the main branch of the

NYPL

For some of us of a certain predilection, the most important site in New York is the New York Public Library. Restaurants, theaters, shops, monuments and stadiums all beckon, but do not represent the repertoire of knowledge and culture collected within the walls of the exquisite building at 42nd and Fifth Avenue. Even if it is just a quick pass through the gift shop, a trip to the library is always rewarding.

The ceiling of the reading room surreptitiously
taken with my iPad

A few hours reading books in the main reading room, where no tourists are allowed to take photographs, is ennobling. Unlike many other libraries these days, the time-honored traditional of quiet reflection is largely observed. Often the only noises, which are magnified because of unusual silence is the frequent sound of the wooden chairs legs dragged across the tile floor and the infrequent coughs of patrons. It is a quiet oasis in the midst of a great bustling city. 

The best quality of a research library is that there are books and material that is available very few places, or nowhere else in the world. In fact, the New York Public Library system is a treasure trove of unique items. It is one of the things that makes the library so special and why so many fight to keep much of the collection on-site to continue to make it a working research library.

While the collection makes the library particularly useful, the building inspires us to greatness. At the entrance to the main reading rooms is a quote from John Milton that reminds us of the immortality of literature, words and books: “A good Booke is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm’d and treasur’d up on purpose to a life beyond life.” There are also corners of the library that reminds of us days passed; my favorite is the bank of public telephones in the basement that are, today, rarely used. 

Public telephones at the NYPL

I was reading a fairly obscure book by a British author (only 52 libraries around the world reported having a copy) from the early post-World War II era. I had expected to find the book distasteful and vehemently disagree with the ideas presented; however, I was struck by the thoughtful exploration of the issue in question. While I disagree with the overall premise, it did strike me as an interesting understanding of issues from a bygone day. The author had written five other books, which made me wonder if the library held copies. More broadly, what ideas, thoughts, stories, narratives and collections must be contained in the volumes within the stacks of the library? These are the types of books that are not on any type of electronic device and likely never will be. When was the last time someone read the book I read on that beautiful fall afternoon? Are there books that have not been read in decades that would be discovered by a patron later today? Next week? Or next year?