Love Your Library - Sepia Saturday

When I was at primary school the village library was held there. In those days (1940s) books were available once a week, stacked in a series of boxes. The library was run by the headmaster and his wife with villagers available as volunteers one night a week. I'm pleased to say that the head allowed me to volunteer at the age of 10.

So when I saw this week's prompt I thought that it would be just the theme for me. However it proved more difficult than I thought,

The picture comes from the collection of the New York Public Library and features a group of children avidly reading their books following a talk about books by the staff of the Library. The picture dates back to the 1920s.

Apart from  coats being worn this might have been a scene from the library at Stamford School where I was to go from aged 11 - 18. But  these days  cuts by governments in more countries than just the UK have led to closures and "Save Our Libraries" campaigns. Encouraging children to read is more important than ever  as I hope these old pictures will show:

Children Reading - 1916

Artist - Halonen, Pekka (1865-1933) - Google Art Project

A little later a US congress woman got involved:

US Congress woman Ruth Hanna McCormick - 1928

The photo from the Library of Congress shows her with a group of children reading at a table covered in books.

Children reading - 1911

(Credit: Chicago Daily News negatives collection, DN-0003451. Courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society.)

View of children reading at desks in a classroom at the Robert Emmet School located at 5500 West Madison Street in the Austin community area of Chicago, Illinois. 

Children's Reading Room - New Orleans Main library at Lee Circle - 1913

 (New Orleans Public Library photo)

I have no photos of the library at Stamford School or the library at the University of St Andrews (600 years old this year) in which I spent more hours than I can remember in the 1950s. So I'll end with this rather impressive picture from another place of higher education instead.

Norman Foster Staircase - London School of Economics - 2010

 (By John Picton - http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurjohnpicton)

Now all you need to do is love your local library even if it is loaning e-books these days. Don't forget to pop across to check out other bookish types at Sepia Saturday 152

 

Sepia Saturday's Library

Despite the amount of time I spend in the local libraries and my love of books this is what I found.

Unknown Library (?) Art

However at the British Library some works need translation.

Miniature of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, and the beginning of his suffrage, Book of Hours

(18 January 2012 Source British Library manuscripts blog)

For the interior of a library the years have moved on.

Library - 1842

Perhaps the linguists among my readers can translate the description: Source - Eberhard Gailer: Neuer orbis pictus für die Jugend oder Schauplatz der Natur, der Kunst und des Menschenlebens. 5. Auflage, Reutlingen, Joh. Conr. Mäcken jun., 1842.

The source for may photos shown on Sepia Saturday is often the Library of Congress so here's another from there.

Low Library Rotunda - Columbia University, New York City - 1900-1910

 Then there is this shot where a Pets for Therapy dog was the star. The venue's a library.

Luka, a Bernese Mountain Dog in Yarm Library

 For more bookish library posts pay a visit to Sepia Saturday 120