Carnegie library is one of the best libraries built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. More than 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built, with some belonging to public and university library systems.
The first of all Carnegie's public libraries has been opened in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1883. Along with Carnegie's name, the building displays a motto - "Let there be light" - and a carving of the sun over the entrance.
The creative design of the Carnegie libraries has been given credit for encouraging communication with the librarian. It also provides an opportunity for people to browse and discover books on their own. According to Walter E. Langsam, an architectural historian and teacher at the Cincinnati University "The Carnegie libraries were significant because they had open stacks which encouraged people to browse....People could choose for themselves what books they wanted to read". Earlier to Carnegie, patrons had to ask a clerk to retrieve books from closed stacks.
- The Carnegie library
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cavlec- May 12th, 2010
- The Folger Shakespeare Library
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- cavlec
- March 4th, 2010
The Folger Shakespeare Library is located on the Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. This library has the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare materials and the major collection of rare Renaissance books and manuscripts. Folger serves the researchers, visitors, teachers, students, families, and theater- and concert-goers.
Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily Jordan Folger presented Folger Shakespeare Library as a gift to the American nation in 1932. It is administered by a Board of Governors under the auspices of Amherst College.
The Folger is one of the world-famous research centers on Shakespeare. Its conservation lab is a leading innovator in the preservation of rare materials. Its well-known public programs include plays, concerts, literary readings, family activities, and exhibitions, college programs for students and teachers. Advanced scholars participate in a variety of seminars and colloquia. The Folger also publishes the editions of Shakespeare's plays, award-winning exhibition catalogs, and the journal Shakespeare Quarterly.
The Folger Shakespeare Library houses more than 256,000 books; 60,000 manuscripts; 250,000 playbills; 200 oil paintings; some 50,000 drawings, watercolors, prints, and photographs; and a wealth of other materials, including musical instruments, costumes, and films. The collection's strengths are materials related to the early modern age in the West, from 1450 to the mid-1700s, and materials related to William Shakespeare and the theater, till date. Much of the Folger's collection of Shakespeare materials was originally acquired by Henry and Emily Folger. The Folger has acquired significant additional holdings that make it a world-class research center on the early modern age. Acquisitions continue for all parts of the collection.
The mission of the Folger Shakespeare Library is to preserve and enhance its collections and to advance the understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's writings and of the culture of early modern Europe through various programs designed for all students and for the general public. The Folger Shakespeare Library offers a full range of reference resources to scholars conducting research at the Folger. In addition to a large collection of modern scholarly and reference books, these include substantial microfilm collections and access to subscription databases from within the library.
- Bodleian Library(Oxford)
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- cavlec
- February 26th, 2010
Oxford’s libraries are the most celebrated libraries in the world, not only for their incomparable collections of books and manuscripts, but also for their buildings. Among them the Bodleian, the chief among the University’s libraries, has a special place.
The first library for Oxford University – as distinct from the colleges – was built in a room above the Old Congregation House, begun c.1320 . The building stood at the heart of Oxford’s ‘academic quarter’, close to the schools.. The library was built with funds supplied by Thomas de Cobham, Bishop of Worcester. The room, which still exists as a vestry and meeting room for the church was superseded in 1488 by the library known as Duke Humfrey’s, which constitutes the oldest part of the Bodleian complex.
The Bodleian Library is one of the highest peaks in the landscape of international scholarship. It has been stimulating and supporting research for more than 400 years, and throughout this time it has been the rare books, manuscripts, archives, maps, music, and other primary research collections that have been at the forefront of this work.
Their collections continue to attract scholars to reading rooms in central Oxford, and hundreds of thousands view their online catalogues and download their resources each day.
- Boston Public Library
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- cavlec
- February 23rd, 2010
Boston Public Library was founded in 1848 by the General Court of Massachusetts. This was the first publicly funded municipal library in America. This was the first publicly funded municipal library in America. This library has a collection of 16,000 volumes approximately. In addition the library has over 1.2 million rare books and manuscripts, a wealth of maps, musical scores and prints. The BPL also hold several first edition folios by great writers. Over 2.2 million people visit the BPL each year, many looking for research material and others for afternoon’s reading and for the magnificent art and architecture.
The Library worked vigorously to develop and expand its branch library system. The first Branch Library in the United States was opened in East Boston. Between 1872 and 1900, twenty one more Branches were opened. In 1972 the Library expanded its Copley Square location with the opening of an addition designed by Philip Johnson. The McKim building holds the vast research collection of BPL(Boston Public Library) and the Johnson building holds the circulating collection of the general library and this building serves as headquarters for the BPL’s 26 branch libraries.
The treasures of Boston Library are:
Bates Hall
It’s acknowledged as one of the most important rooms in the world. It features a barrel-arched ceiling enclosed by half domes on each end, English oak bookcases, busts of eminent authors, and a limestone balcony.
The Chavannes Gallery
It was painted by the famous French artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. The murals adorn the walls of the McKim building's staircase and second floor gallery.
The Abbey Room
This room was named after the Famous artist Edwin Austin Abbey. The room also features a beautiful fireplace of French rouge antique marble, dark oak wainscoting, and a beamed ceiling.
The Sargent Gallery
John Singer Sargent painted this gallery which is present on the 3rd floor. Sargent considered this effort to be his most important work. Sargent painted in the style of Italian Renaissance frescos by incorporating the architectural detail of the building into the work.
- The Library of Congress
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- cavlec
- February 15th, 2010
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It’s the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, manuscripts and maps in its collections.
The Library's mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations. The Office of the Librarian is tasked to set policy and to direct and support programs and activities to accomplish the Library's mission.
Today's Library of Congress is an unparalleled world resource with a collection of nearly 142 million items. It includes more than 32 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 62 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America; and the world's largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings.
The Library of Congress occupies three buildings on Capitol Hill. The Thomas Jefferson Building (1897) is the original separate Library of Congress building. (The Library began in 1800 inside the U.S. Capitol.) The John Adams Building was built in 1938 and the James Madison Memorial Building was completed in 1981.
There are thousands of dedicated staff who acquire, catalog, preserve and make the library collections within the three buildings on Capitol Hill and over the Internet.
- Involuntary childlessness effects one in every ten couples
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- cavlec
- January 27th, 2010
Childlessness brings about considerable changes in women's - and men's - lives. These included career changes, a shift in "spiritual understanding", and sometimes an ability to find fulfillment in other avenues. Dr Helen Macallan, is the author of the study and a counseling psychologist from Springfield Hospital, Tooting, south-west London.
"People who have children often don't understand that infertility is an on-going pain," Dr Macallan added. She said: "The trend for women to postpone having children until later in life means more and more will have to face the possibility of life without children." Providing emotional support for infertile women should be a priority because helping them through a difficult transition was also crucial to helping them move beyond their childlessness.
- A future world without kids?
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- cavlec
- December 28th, 2009
How the world would be without children and only adults all around? That’s really something impossible. Without kids can the generation continue? But we wonder how the future would be if the number of people opting for childless by choice go on increasing every year.
For the age 25 to 29, 28 percent were childless in 1998, up from 16 percent in 1976; for 30- to 34-year-olds, it was 20 percent, compared with 11 percent in 1976; for 40- to 44-year-olds, 19 percent were childless, up from 10 percent in 1976. And for the 21st century, the percentage has increased dramatically compared to the above.
From the data it seems like childless by choice would continue and would go on as long as people with the thoughts to be childfree exists......
- Merry Christmas
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- cavlec
- December 24th, 2009
Merry Christmas!!!
Wish You All A Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays.
- Santa’s visit to the Cottonwood Community Library
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- cavlec
- December 24th, 2009
This particular week being the busiest week of the year for Santa, he and Mrs. Claus found some time out of their busy schedule to have some fun in the Cottonwood Community Library during the Story time.
The cute little voices of the children raised in song about Santa Claus,they welcomed the jolly man and his lovely wife as they made their entry into the library. Santa was adorned out in his customary red suit with the white fur trim, while Mrs. Claus was looking especially cheerful in her red dress and eyelet apron, dust cap and fancy black boots.
The children quickly warmed up to Santa and soon were busy asking queries about the elves, the reindeer and about Santa's eating habits.
Santa had a bag of toys with him, so each child was able to go home with a special gift chosen especially for them by Santa.
- The Alexandria Library
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- cavlec
- December 15th, 2009
The Library of Alexandria is probably the most famous and the largest library of the Ancient World. It is situated in Alexandria, Egypt. The Alexandria Library is unique among the other Egyptian sandy sculptures. Its main concerns are to conserve the Egyptian culture and the effects of Egypt on the rest of the world. They also provide the best possible sources to its patrons through the digital revolution.The great Library of Alexandria was a foundation of the first Ptolemies which was maintained to conserve the Greek civilization. It was once destroyed partially four times but still survives with its most assets even today.
Once this library had a collection over 5,00,000 books in the history. This library was even burnt down by Amr bin Aas at the behest of the Second Caliph, Umar. This library site was named as the Worlds first major seat of learning.
The Alexandria Library moved its chronological and genealogical collections to the Lloyd House in 1976 as the collection outgrew the space it had in the Barrett Library. Alexandria library rises again.
