| Description |
191 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm |
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still image sti rdacontent |
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text txt rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
| Note |
Includes essays, letters, and poetry by a collection of American writers and librarians. |
| Summary |
"Many of us have vivid recollections of childhood visits to the public library: the unmistakable, slightly musty scent, the excitement of checking out a stack of newly-discovered books. Today's libraries also function as de facto community centers, and offer free access to the Internet, job-hunting assistance, or a warm place to take shelter along with the endless possibilities that spark your imagination the moment you open the cover of a book. There are more than 17,000 public libraries in America. Over the last eighteen years, photographer Robert Dawson has traveled the nation, documenting hundreds of these institutions--from Alaska to Florida, New England to the West Coast. The Public Library presents a wide selection of Dawson's photographs, revealing a vibrant, essential, yet seriously threatened system. Essays, letters, and poetry by a collection of America's most celebrated writers--including E.B. White, Isaac Asimov, Anne Lamott, Amy Tan, Charles Simic, Dr. Seuss, and Philip Levine, as well as the voices of dedicated librarians working today--are woven with photographs of the majestic reading room at the New York Public Library; the one-room Tulare County Free Library built by former slaves, in Allensworth, California; the architectural wonder of Seattle's glass and steel Central Library; and the Berkeley, California tool lending library; among many others. A foreword by Bill Moyers and an afterword by Ann Patchett bookend this important survey of a treasured American institution"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (page 190). |
| Contents |
Foreword / Bill Moyers -- Introduction / Robert Dawson -- The American Public Library. The library spirit / Stuart A.P. Murray -- Economics. A country without libraries / Charles Simic ; All hail the public library / David Morris -- Civic memory and identity. What the library means to me / Amy Tan ; Letters to the children of Troy, New York / Isaac Asimov, Dr. Seuss, and E.B. White -- How Mr. Dewey decimal saved my life / Barbara Kingsolver -- Urban and rural libraries. The northeast Nevada regional bookmobile / Kelvin K. Selders ; Practicing Seva / Dorothy Lazard ; Spreading enlightenment / Luis Herrera -- Art and architecture -- Evolving libraries. Enriched by what we share / Chip Ward -- Literature and learning. Library days / Philip Levine ; Steinbeck country / Anne Lamott ; Maps and stats / Walker Dawson -- Afterword / Ann Patchett. |
| Subject |
Public libraries -- United States -- Pictorial works.
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Public libraries -- United States.
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Libraries and society -- United States.
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Libraries and community -- United States.
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Library users -- United States.
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Libraries and community. (OCoLC)fst00997508
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Libraries and society. (OCoLC)fst00997566
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Library users. (OCoLC)fst00998021
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Public libraries. (OCoLC)fst01082640
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
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| Genre/Form |
Illustrated works. (OCoLC)fst01423873
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Pictorial works. (OCoLC)fst01423874
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Illustrated works.
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| Added Author |
Moyers, Bill D., writer of supplementary textual content.
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Patchett, Ann, writer of supplementary textual content.
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Dawson, Robert, 1950-
Photographs. Selections.
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| ISBN |
9781616892173 (hardback) |
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161689217X (hardback) |
| Standard No. |
9781616892173 53500 |
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