AT-THE-LIBRARIES

Admont Abbey Library in Admont, Austria is the largest monastic library in the world.

25 Amazing Facts About Libraries

Libraries are a reader’s best friend. In honor of National Library Week, here are 25 things you might not know about these hallowed halls of book worship.

Woolf photographed by George Charles Beresford, 1902; Virginia (left), Vanessa, and two brothers; a Hogarth Press book jacket designed by Vanessa.

5 Things We Learned From the NYPL’s Virginia Woolf Exhibition

Virginia Woolf loved using purple ink—but only for certain kinds of writing.

The New York Public Library's Most Checked-Out Books of 2021

When the New York Public Library reopened its branches this year, these were the books people checked out.

8 Cool Bookstores and Libraries You Can Spend the Night In

Paris’s Shakespeare and Company has hosted some 30,000 “Tumbleweeds” passing through town. Want to be the next one?

Two weeks. 50 years. You know, whenever you get around to it.

A Book of Poetry by E.E. Cummings Was Returned to the Library 50 Years Overdue

The poetry collection was taken out in 1971 and finally resurfaced with an anonymous note and a peculiar apology gift.

Stephen Hawking at Cambridge's Emmanuel College in 2013.

Cambridge University Is Hiring an Archivist to Catalog 160 Boxes of Stephen Hawking’s Work

After Stephen Hawking’s death, Cambridge University announced plans to house his whole archive. Now, they need someone to help them organize it.

Bob Dylan performs in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1978.

It’s All Overdue Now, Baby Blue: Man Returns Bob Dylan Album to Ohio Library 48 Years Late

"I am returning with this letter an overdue item (by my count, approximately 17,480 days overdue as of this writing)," Howard Simon wrote.

Clara Barton photographed by Charles R. B. Claflin in 1865.

The Library of Congress Needs Your Help Transcribing Clara Barton's Diaries, Correspondences, and Other Rarely Seen Papers

Who was Clara Barton, really? Transcribing her personal documents can help shed light on a complex question.

A portrait of Marian Anderson taken by Carl Van Vechten in 1940.

Explore Marian Anderson’s Handwritten Letters, Private Recordings, and More in a Newly Digitized Collection

Marian Anderson’s singing was unparalleled—and her work to promote civil rights was just as important.

No Squawking, Please: A Backyard Bird Library Is the Star of This Livestream

This bird feeder webcam shows a miniature backyard library where the feathered guests get to misbehave.

Burning books may kill coronavirus germs, but at what cost?

“They Will Catch on Fire”: Michigan Library Asks Patrons Not to Microwave Their Books

The possibility of killing coronavirus germs by nuking a novel is still not a good enough reason to try it.

Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison devoted his life to opposing slavery.

The Boston Public Library Needs Help Transcribing Anti-Slavery Letters

The letters shed light on how leading abolitionists were protesting slavery during the Civil War era.

Students In Virginia Are Getting Their School Library Books Delivered By Drone

With classrooms and public libraries closed, Virginia's Montgomery County school district has partnered with Google's drone company Wing to deliver books to kids.

Sourdough bread in a bakery in San Francisco, the city that gave the library its very first sourdough starter back in 1989.

Take a Virtual Tour of Belgium’s Sourdough Library

Go globetrotting for dozens of sourdough starters in this mouthwatering tour of the Puratos Sourdough Library.

Museums and libraries are offering dozens of printable coloring pages for free.

10 Classy Coloring Pages You Can Print at Home

These museum collection coloring pages are free and available to print at home, so bust out your crayons to beat quarantine-related stress.

You might be stuck in the living room, but it doesn't have to look like it.

6 Fun Backgrounds to Use on Your Next Video Call

From the New York Public Library’s Rose Reading Room to Schitt’s Creek’s Rosebud Motel, there’s really something for everyone here.

A Little Free Library full of canned goods in Chicago.

People Are Stocking Their Little Free Libraries With Food and Toilet Paper to Help Neighbors

Now, Little Free Libraries across the map hold everything from peanut butter to toilet paper—and some books, too.

This App Lets You Download Free E-Books, Magazines, Comic Books, and Audiobooks From Your Library

With the Libby app, you can access your local library's collection of e-books and audiobooks for free without leaving home.

The 17th-century Samuel de Champlain map of New France was stolen from the Boston Public Library.

18 Surprising Things Stolen From Libraries

From swords and skeletons to chairs and coins, here’s a roundup of the most unusual items thieves have stolen from libraries.

18 Surprising Things Stolen From Libraries

From swords and skeletons to chairs and coins, here’s a roundup of the most unusual items thieves have stolen from libraries.

The Library of Congress Needs Help Transcribing Walt Whitman’s Poems and Letters

The Library of Congress is home to the largest collection of Walt Whitman manuscripts on Earth, and it needs your help transcribing and reviewing them.

9 Charming Facts About E.B. White’s Stuart Little

The book—unlike the 1999 film adaptation—never really makes it clear if Stuart Little is a literal mouse.

Americans Went to the Library Nearly Twice as Often as the Movies in 2019, Gallup Poll Finds

Library visits also outranked concerts, sporting events, and a slew of other activities by even greater margins.

Spending a Lot On Books? This Browser Extension Tells You if They’re Available at Your Local Library

Library catalogs can be confusing, and Amazon’s one-click purchasing is hard to resist. This browser extension can help.