Catonsville Public Library

A classic Mid-Century Modern library with the design elements classic to this era, the Catonsville Library is a large, open branch in the Baltimore County Library System.  Located on Main Street, this branch is located within easy walking distance of much of the community.

Here's a few pictures I took recently when I stopped to check out the branch after attending a meeting close by:

The front entrance.  That's Main Street on the right.

I love the mural in the children's section!

The children's section is to the right.  Adult to the left.  This is the adult section.

The middle is a large open space!  Around the outside of the square, you have the stacks.

One of the few pictures I could get of the center without people.

And a close up of the windows around the top of the open space.  Lots of natural light!

Let me tell you - I go to visit these libraries, and they are packed with people.  Attempting to get any shots of any building without any faces in them is next to impossible.  This is just a small sampling of what the library looks like.  Trust me, this place was packed with people!

Baltimore County Public Library Website: https://www.bcpl.info/index.html

Elkridge Public Library

Howard County Public Library opened a new branch a few months back.  I finally got an opportunity to stop by and visit this wonderful new branch.  This new building is located on the same property that housed the previous Elkridge Branch, but it has been beautifully updated!

Howard County has always done a marvelous job of keeping their branches updated and current with the most modern resources and technology.  This branch has something new and exciting - a tool library.  You can check out tools, take them home and use them for the full checkout period and then return them.  Talk about a huge money saving device that benefits the community!

The Elkridge Library is located just off of Route 1 in Elkridge.

As always, I post pictures without people's faces.  As always, I struggle to get enough pictures without people's faces.  For the middle of a weekday afternoon, this place was absolutely packed.   I took as many pictures as I could to get a good idea of what the branch looks like, and I posted what reflects the branch without posting pictures of people's faces.  

Front Entry

The site plan for the library.  I like the dedicated wetlands and green space.

This is the tool library.  I really like that it's separate from the rest of the building.

Library entrance. It's got a very sleek, modern feel to it.

I'm a big fan of the bubble wall along the side!

Look at all of those gorgeous books!

A view of the children's desk.

A view down the side of the children's section towards the teen section.

Study tables.

The cafe area at the very front - away from the stacks!

Howard County Public Library Elkridge Branch Website: https://hclibrary.org/locations/elkridge-branch/

New South Wales Library

Our hotel in Sydney was just down the street from the New South Wales Library.  This gorgeous showpiece of a library is centrally located in Sydney near Central Quay.

New South Wales Library Website: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/

The Lobby is breathtaking....

Computers.... and people....

 
and more computers, and more people...

The Reading Room.  I love this room!

Hey look!  It's a card catalog!

I love the light in here!  I love the space - there are outlets everywhere - so it's easy to charge a phone, or use your laptop.  This is gorgeous!

My pictures don't even begin to capture the elegance of this library.  It is a gorgeous, well utilized space that is heavily used.  There were people using library resources everywhere you looked.  I think I work in a beautiful library, but this building just takes my breath away. 

Lawrence Public Library

While we were in Kansas, we ventured over to the Lawrence Public Library.  I have been following them on Facebook for quite some time.  I love their social media presence, and I just couldn't wait to see their physical building!  

I can honestly say this was one of the most surprising libraries I've ever been in.  The building is large, and built in a circle.  (Hence the fiction loop below.)  They have a large auditorium in the front as you enter the building, in addition to a coffee shop.  Looking at the picture below - you can see the fiction loop along the back wall.  You can also see the open doorway halfway down - that's where the circulation department is located, and you can also shortcut over to the non-fiction collection, the children's and young adult section and access the stairs to the basement.  It's a gorgeous building that brings in light, air, and art - oh so much art.  The building was breathtaking!

Join me in a tour of this beautiful building!

Front Entrance

The back of the building, along the fiction loop.  Romance is on the right.

Coming off of the fiction loop and into the non-fiction.  If you look at the front of the building, this is on the right hand side of the building.

The back corner of the building.  Just look at those gorgeous windows!  There's another set on the other side of the building, both overlook the big park across the street from the library.

The center of the building.  I guess the proper word is atrium.  Stairs to the downstairs on the left.

Children's is directly across.  Look at that beautiful strand up above!

Downstairs.  Meeting Rooms, Business Center, Computer Lab, and Local History Section.  So many people down here - it was impossible to get pictures without faces.

Lovely artwork in the basement!

View from downstairs looking up.

Looking into the children's section from the atrium area.

You can't see it from here - but the city has flooded one end of the park across the street from the library to make an ice rink.  You can kind of see the ice and the kids skating on it if you squint!

Lawrence Public Library Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/lawrencepubliclibrary/

Lawrence Public Library Website:
http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/

Sollers Point Library

I stopped by this beautiful library and community center recently.  This gorgeous building housed a full service library, a small museum and a community center with a gymnasium, cafeteria, and several classrooms.  This building had a little bit of everything!  When I drove up and got out of the car, the one overpowering thing that I noticed was the overwhelming smell of water in the air.  Sollers Point is located within a couple of blocks of the Bay.  The shipyards were within sight of the parking lot.  One thing I didn't know about the community is that this area is also known as Turner Station.  Those familiar with the story of Henrietta Lacks will recognize the name of her home. The little museum in the Community Center had a display dedicated to Henrietta Lacks and the medical advances that have been made with the tissue samples that were taken from her before her death.  You know that this beautiful little library is a great asset to the community!

The entrance from the Community Center into the library.

The view from the back corner of the library across.  The entrance is to the left in this picture.

From the same spot as above - the back corner - looking left.  The entrance is behind that wall that is straight ahead.

A better look at the children's area.  Love the big windows and all of the natural light!

Just behind those trees are the shipyards.

I love that there's a baseball diamond and rec fields just outside the library.

The view of the desk from the hallway in the community center.

This last picture is not from the library.  It's from the museum.  It chronicles the journey of the HeLa Cells, and the major medical discoveries that have been made from Henrietta's cells.  There's so much more to see in this little museum.  If you're headed over to the East Side of Baltimore to see the library, make certain that you go when the museum is open so that you can also check out everything that they have to offer.