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A place to sit and read in the oldest Jewish library in the world
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Biblioteca Ets Haim

The world's oldest Jewish library was founded by Sephardic Jews in 17th century Amsterdam.
libraries

Man Returns Library Book After 35 Years With an Apology, Donation, and Explanation

He says he has read it at least 25 times.
Erik Shilling March 28, 2017
The whole collection, back in the vault.
libraries

The Folger Shakespeare Library Will Lend Chilly Readers a Handmade Shawl

The reading room's head of circulation has created an informal lending library of coziness.
Sarah Laskow March 28, 2017
'The Little Prince' statue at the Northport-East Northport Public Library
Northport, New York

The Little Prince Statue

This graceful little figure is a one-of-a-kind version of the cherished character.
Stockholm Public Library
Stockholm, Sweden

Stadsbiblioteket (Stockholm Public Library)

The library's graceful rotunda is like a bibliophile's temple.
The Note Books of a Woman Alone: the real name of the author is unknown.
libraries

Uncovering the Hidden Books Tucked Inside Every Single Library

There's no standard way to catalog anonymous texts, which makes them incredibly hard to find.
Sarah Laskow February 28, 2017
Main entrance
Washington, D.C.

Carnegie Library of Washington, D.C.

D.C.'s first central library was born out of a chance encounter with the philanthropist whose name it bears.
Library of Congress Card Catalog
Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

A nostalgic bibliographic gem.
Fancy handwriting on a catalog card from the New York Public Library.
libraries

Library Hand, the Fastidiously Neat Penmanship Style Made for Card Catalogs

Oh, the uniformity!
Ella Morton February 16, 2017
Alternate view from the second floor
Washington, D.C.

Riggs Library

A wondrous old library overlooking the nation's capital.
Catalan dish
Kensington, Maryland

Pauli Bellet Foundation

One of the largest collections of Catalan literature and cultural materials outside of Spain, created by a community of 1960s expats.
Sometimes it takes a transgression to keep the shelves filled.
libraries

Why a Fake Patron Named 'Chuck Finley' Checked Out 2,361 Books at This Florida Library Last Year

Some library workers wanted to ensure the classics stayed on the shelves.
Eric Grundhauser January 3, 2017
A balloon view of London, 1851.
libraries

Take a Journey Into One of the World’s Most Impressive Map Collections

Peek inside the Bodleian Library's Map Room.
Anika Burgess December 23, 2016
Providence, Rhode Island

Providence Athenaeum

A 19th century library favored by Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, known by locals as "the Ath."
Inside the National Ice Core Lab freezer.
Denver, Colorado

National Ice Core Lab

Where scientists keep miles of very valuable ice from Antarctica and Greenland from melting.
The children's room at a NYPL branch library.
libraries

Growing Up in a Library Is Exactly As Magical As You'd Imagine

Ronald Clark and his daughter spent years living in one of New York City's branch libraries.
Sarah Laskow December 5, 2016
While not a real psychological illness, book collectors and bibliophiles described "bibliomania" as a medical condition.
libraries

Bibliomania, the Dark Desire For Books That Infected Europe in the 1800s

Book lovers and collectors feared becoming a victim of the pseudo-illness.
Lauren Young December 2, 2016
Corpus Hermeticum: first edition, by Marsilio Ficino, 1471 CE, at the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (Ritman Library)

This impressive collection of rare books on ancient mysticism inspired author Dan Brown.