I Love Libraries

I love libraries, I really do. I love the soft papery smell and the dense organization and the anticipation of discovering a new favorite book. I love the decadent combination of quiet, solitary engrossment within a literary community.  

Libraries have always been part of my life. As a child, I was a voracious (and rather incorrigible) reader. I spent long hours at the Sweet Home Public Library, not just reading or borrowing books, but also participating in kid-focused activities hosted by the library, especially in the summer. I developed a strong friendship with the head librarian; she didn't even bat an eye when I asked if she wanted to see my newly-aquired handstand skills (I was an *active* reader). There was a great encouragement of literacy from both my parents and my community, and a request to be taken to the library was almost never turned down.

During my years at Miss Porter's School, when the old library on Main Street was still in use, I sought the quiet solitude of its aged nooks and crannies as a respite from the all-pervasive company that was part of boarding school life. I grew to know the floor of the Lewis and Clark library quite well, studying until my eyes fluttered and then curling up under a desk (oh, and there was a reasonable extensive collection of books at the college library as well).

We have discovered some incredible new libraries during the course of our world journey. Some new favorites include the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt, and the Trinity College Library in Dublin. Edinburgh has a series of fantastic libraries, including a Map Library. On our final day in Edinburgh we stopped by, hoping to find some original maps done by my cartographer ancestor, John Ogilby.

And I found them! The first was a brilliant "pocket atlas" that charted roads in and out of London using a new and unique strip map technique. I was stunned to realize that the excentric archivist was actually going to let these untrained and potentially grubby paws touch an old and original book, regardless of whether I was a direct descendent. But he did, even though I refused his proposed trade (old map for a dance in the middle of a library, sans music? It begs the question: from where do you glean your knowledge of American women, do you only watch Dancing with the Stars?).

And so I leafed through an incredibly old pocket atlas that contained original prints from copper plates by John Ogilby. And these maps were beautiful and exceptional and rather remarkable. The 'strip maps,' presented within a scroll design, consist of vertical panels that illustrate a road mile by mile. Intricately detailed images embedded in the map (rivers, mountains, mills, churchs, etc) give landmarks that direct the traveler along the correct course. A small compass is also included to indicate the cardinal direction of travel.

These maps were originally published in John Ogilby's "Britannia," in 1675, as the Kings Royal Cosmographer. While at the Edinburgh Map Library, I got my hands on an original printing of Britannia; the content was estentially the same, but with larger maps and accompanying text. I was able to get a fascimile of one of the maps, and will be able to order the rest via mail.

I don't want to say that I was disinterested in my family history before this journey to Scotland, but the connections I encountered have deepened my geneological interest. The Ogilbys are pretty cool.

Certain elements of Scottish culture and traditions resonated with me and recalled pieces of my family and my childhood. When we were children, my grandmother frequently gifted kilts to my sister and me (please note that these were the properly pleated and sufficiently scratchy versions). The song about "Loch Lomond" unburied itself from my memory and has since refused to depart; does everyone know this song?

Turns out that my Scottish blood is thicker than I realized.

Images of fantastic libraries (and many other themes) from around the world can be found at Curious Expeditions.