The Roaming Librarian: March Break Vacay!

So, yes, this past March Break I lived up to the name on this blog. My husband and I went on a road trip around Lake Michigan. We made two major stops in terms of exploration. I've always enjoyed architecture, so much so that while doing my MLIS, I took a class on Library Planning and Design. It is interesting to see what current libraries are doing and if there are any historical precedents.

The first place we stopped over for a few days was Traverse City, Michigan. It is a great foodie place and a fun place to explore by foot. Since it is mostly a summer touristy town, we got a great price on the hotel. However, while we were exploring on foot, we found a building that had a giant plaque on it that said "Ladies Library". It is a beautiful red-brick building with gigantic windows! Here is a picture of the front:

Image result for traverse city ladies library

The original library was a wood-frame building bought by The Ladies Library Association in 1878 and was located on Front Street. The current building was built in 1909 and used as a library until 1949. After that it was used by the city until 1983 until it was renovated into offices in 1986.

Sources:
http://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/women-helped-build-traverse-city/article_917e7162-4e57-5b3c-ac73-888d0ed8e686.html
http://www.michmarkers.com/startup.asp?startpage=L1309.htm

I also had a look around the newer Traverse City library. It is part of a community center. I really liked the way that things were sorted. For example, the AV collection was housed under a section titled "Sight and Sound". They also had a poster up with Coming Soon for newer releases that the library would be receiving or are on order.

After staying a night in Kalamazoo due to lake effects hitting Chicago, we went to Chicago. I have to say that the central branch of the Chicago Public Library is amazing! I probably could have spent all day exploring and poking my nose into everything, but it was enough for me to simply go into the lobby. It is gorgeous! It takes up an entire city block. Here is a picture of the exterior:

We actually drove by it and I couldn't believe it when my phone said that the gorgeous building was a library!

As nice as this building is, it has nothing on the beautiful former Chicago Public Library, which is now the Chicago Cultural Center. The materials used were marble, mosaics and inlaid mother-of-pearl. It is hard to believe that this was a library as the effect creates an incredibly fancy atmosphere. Even I wanted to bolt out of there for feeling not worthy. It also has a Tiffany glass dome, which is incredibly gorgeous! Basically, beneath the Tiffany glass dome was the reception desk where you would ask the librarian for the book. If you don't know anything about libraries, in ye olde days, the stacks were closed and the only people who had access to them were the librarians. The patron would go to the librarian with the card from the catalogue, looking for a particular book and the librarian would go and get it from the stacks.