International Day of Libraries!

On 24 October many countries, including Germany, celebrate public libraries as social assets.
To mark the occasion, I would like to share a picture of the Ishikawa Prefectural Library (石川県立図書館) from a photo collection from my last visit to Kanazawa, Japan.

Among other things, I was very much impressed by its architecture, designed by Mitsuru Senda (仙田満＋環境デザイン研究所). An open, forum-like space gives you a sense of freedom to explore the world of books.

When you step inside, you find yourself in the centre of an amphitheatre surrounded by books, sitting on slopes as if they were an audience looking down at you from above.

And upon directing your eyes upward, you then see a vast open ceiling, which creates a sharp contrast to the dark, gloomy image of the conventional library.

The panel exhibitions I saw there last summer were full of hands-on experiences, designed to attract both the literary-minded as well as casual visitors to the city. The in-house café is very cosy and inviting (although pretty full on weekends).

Here, I see a new kind of library – open and accessible to citizen of all ages and genders. The glorious capital of the former Kaga Domain should be proud of it.

As a hard-core book-lover turned translator, I feel quite envious of the people of Kanazawa.

What is your favourite library?

#culture #japanese #books  #travel