Tag Archives: Libraries to visit

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CMLE is dropping Travel Bugs!

geocaching
Caching: a game, an exploration, and adventure! And a way to talk about libraries!!

If you have not already read our blog on Geocaching in the Library, you may want to go back and do a quick review.

To encourage people to get outside and explore, and to hear about the value of libraries from all kinds of sources (it is Advocacy month here at CMLE, after all!), we created five Travel Bugs. We are starting to drop these in geocaches around the area, and have instructions for finders to take them to libraries and move them along.

When a cacher finds one of our travel bugs, they will be taken to the Travel Bug page on our website. Here you can get some quick info about CMLE, and get links to all five of our Travel Bugs (TBs). You can click on each one, and then click (top right hand corner) to follow the TB and get notifications when it moves. This can be fun if the TB gets to visit libraries, as requested; and you can see all the different places the TBs go! (In a previous travel bug project I did to highlight libraries along the Lewis and Clark Trail, TBs I dropped along the way ended up going all over the world!!)

take-me-to-your-library-travel-bug-at-hermione-grangers-book-trading-cache

Our first TB has been dropped! It is called Take Me To Your Library; and it could not be in a better cache: Hermione Granger’s book trading cache. This cache has books available to trade -just the thing to warm the heart of any library fan! I was very excited to find this in a really beautiful part outside Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The sun was just starting to go down, my phone’s battery was starting to die; and just as I was about to give up, a deer was standing on the path in front of me! I stopped where I was and looked over to the left – and there was the cache! It was a great find, and I was very excited to drop our first TB there.

Are you in the area? Go find this one!! You can move it along to another cache, and we want to hear all about it. Or just click on the link to follow its adventures!

Do you cache?? Does your library have a cache, or any Travel Bugs??? We want to hear from you! We will have more Travel Bug updates, as ours get dropped and head out for library-related adventures and fun!

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

32 of the world's most gorgeous libraries

Vancouver_Public_Library_Atrium
Another beautiful library, the Vancouver Public Library

In case you are looking for some travel inspiration, or just want to feast your eyes on some beautiful architecture, check out this article from the BookBub blog that highlights 32 of the world’s most beautiful libraries. The list is diverse with the libraries that are included, with designs that range from Baroque to extremely modern. It’s interesting to see the various influences that have impacted the libraries’ designs – many are theological, some have been influenced by nature, or the history of their location. In the article, each photo features a short description that discusses the uniqueness of each library. Here are some samples:

  • The very first library profiled is the Abbey Library of St. Gall in Switzerland. It’s a World Heritage site and also contains the earliest known architectural plan, written on parchment!
  • The impressive Kansas City Central Library in Missouri is number thirteen on the list. It’s easy to tell the function of the building from the outside, since one of the walls features huge paintings of the spines of 22 different books! Each book is twenty-five feet high and nine feet wide.
  • Take a look at the Tianyi Pavilion Library in China at number twenty-seven on the list. It’s the oldest private library in Asia! The tranquility of the location is very obvious. The library is next to a lake and surrounded by gardens.

It’s so hard to choose a favorite, but I think the libraries in Austria are especially breathtaking. Which one(s) would you like to visit in person?

 

 


	

	
	




	
	

				

			Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist
		

			
MN library included in 2016 Library Building Awards

		

			 		

	


		

		
carved BookDo you ever just want to see some really cool libraries?


Then feast your eyes on these! The American Institute of Architects has announced the seven winners of the 2016 Library Building Awards. All designed by US-licensed architects, these buildings highlight how libraries are adapting to serve the ever evolving needs of their communities.


One of the winners is close to home, the Hennepin County Walker Library. The design was made to be similar to the surroundings in the Uptown neighborhood. Check out their Flickr album showing the building process and finished product!


Many of the other winners of the award have included sustainable features in their buildings that make them eco-friendly. They also aim to be more accessible to their communities. In Kansas, the Lawrence Public Library Renovation and Expansion project has met this goal – after re-opening, visits increased by 55%!


 


Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/pofwmxw, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

	

	
	




	
	

				

			General
		

			
Libraries to visit in your lifetime

		

			 		

	


		

		
Vancouver_Public_Library_AtriumAs if you needed more libraries, let alone places, to visit in your lifetime! Recently Business Insider came out with their “27 libraries to visit in your lifetime” list and there are some good ones. From Canada’s Vancouver Public Library to Trinity College Dublin Library in Dublin, Ireland there is a variety to choose from. Check out the list and see if maybe you’ve already been!


Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/pvvckqx, licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0