The Public Library

March 3, 2014
This beautifully crafted book celebrates public libraries across the U.S. in both color and black and white images captured by photographer Dawson over an 18-year period. Artfully arranged in such chapters as “Civic Memory and Identity” and “Literature and Learning,” the book includes a foreword by Bill Moyers and an afterword by Ann Patchett. Writers, including Anne Lamott, Barbara Kingsolver, and Amy Tan, share childhood experiences at their local libraries and the significance this sanctuary had on their literary development. Throughout, Dawson contrasts libraries of different sizes and locales: from those in poor, rural towns to those in bustling cities; from what used to be libraries but are now abandoned structures to architectural marvels. These buildings speak to the breadth, scope, and makeup of America, and how libraries provide culture, computers, and sometimes shelter. In addition, Dawson touches on the fragile nature of these institutions, which he feels are vital to our well-being as a nation. He challenges the notion of what a library looks like—some are scarcely bigger than a one-room house or share space with the local post office. Dawson goes beyond the physical structures and touches on how viscerally and nostalgically Americans feel about public libraries, and suggests that, as a culture, we depend on them more than we know. 150 photos.

February 15, 2014

A book for anyone with a deep and abiding love of libraries, Dawson's photo essay sheds light on this central pillar of communities of all sizes. The project began informally in 1994 but crystallized into something more concrete as Dawson spent the summers of 2011 and 2012 photographing libraries with specific characteristics (remote locations, urban centrality, citizenry living in poverty or affluence, and racial demographics) to gain a sense of the diversity in library services, collections, and architectures. What results is a look at libraries in major urban centers and their rural counterparts; some photographs show readers' bustle and activity, while others reveal the melancholy of closed and shuttered library facilities. VERDICT With essays and reflections from those deeply immersed in the realm of books, reading, and ideas--Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver, Bill Moyers, Anne Lamott, librarians, and other lovers of libraries--Dawson's latest project is a powerful argument for the continued relevance of our public libraries as information and community centers, even as libraries adapt to changing technological and budgetary landscapes. Aside from appealing to library-loving readers, this pictorial work has much to entertain those with an interest in the architectural history of public spaces.--Rachael Dreyer, American Heritage Ctr., Laramie, WY

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