I love all the quiet rooms inside a library’s walls, but what if you were to take the walls away? Artist Massimo Bartolini did just that at the St. Peter’s Abbey library in Ghent, where locals can wander through 12 rows of books outside in the library’s urban vineyard. You can borrow a book to read outside, or you can leave a donation on the shelf and take the book home to keep. I couldn’t imagine a cooler way to while away an autumn afternoon, especially if there was a hot cocoa stand nearby!
If you’re nowhere near Ghent, there still might be a bookyard you can visit nearby. In Detroit, students have been building libraries outdoors in honor of the branches the Detroit Public Library has had to close. In Oakland, volunteers have come together to build the Victor Martinez People’s Library in an abandoned lot. And in upstate New York, Girl Scouts have helped build an outside extension of the Otswego Library.
I wonder if they have a plan to protect the books when it rains?
via Inhabitat.
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Really cool, but just like your last sentence, I wonder what they do to protect the books from the elements.
There is a garden library in Tel Aviv’s Lewinsky Park, too: http://www.thegardenlibrary.org/about.htm and http://forward.com/articles/128342/a-library-welcomes-israel-s-outsiders/
i love it, but – i fear for those books! rain, damp, bird poop…
i love how you can see a well-worn path along the shelf there… i wonder how many people you normally find browsing the shelves?
Wow. That looks like heaven.
I am positive that the girl scouts have found a weather solution.
“I wonder if they have a plan to protect the books when it rains?” I wondered the same thing.
I find nothing more beautiful than rows & rows of books–put them outside, well, I never thought of that! Awesome.
The NYC public library lends magazines outside in Bryant Park. I like that the library is being brought to the people in the park.
Ohh wow! I was taken by surprise when I read your post today. To be honest, I had never heard of such a thing . It must be so much fun. I myself love going to libraries and I can literally be there for hours. But browsing books in the beautiful lap of nature and as you pointed out with a cup of hot chocolate sounds just perfect.
Inclement weather is definitely the first thought that comes to mind. A close second is wondering about the logistics of getting the shelves and books in place. That seems like a lot of work, but what a stunning outcome!
Being exposed to the elements was the first thing I thought of! Well, that and “oooh, books!” :) Though reading outdoors is, somehow, such a rare pleasure- on the beach, in the woods, a meadow…I need to spend more time outside!
This is entirely off topic but – have you heard of Bergere de France? It’s a knitting company and they have some of the cutest knits for kids! I thought of your What to Wear series when I saw it.
That’s just what I was thinking! “What do they do when it’s wet or rainy?” I hope they protect them… poor books. :-(
I love this and wish it was closer so I could stroll the aisles. Wonder if I could help this happen here?
It rains a lot here in Belgium and that colors my interpretation of this work of art. I can’t help but be sad for those poor, soon to be wet books.
Great article. I’m experiencing a few of these issues as well..