Regular followers of my blog will know I am an ardent bibliophile, and that extends to an adoration of those places dedicated to connecting us with books: libraries. I wholeheartedly agree with Jorge Luis Borges: “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” The dust motes floating dreamily in a shaft of sunlight, the scent of old books and varnished wood, the beautiful tranquility and sensitivity shimmering in the atmosphere – this is any book lover’s haven.

I was delighted this week, then, to find two articles in the news celebrating unique and innovative library design.

First, the announcement that the FLUX Foundation intends to build a library for the Bay Area Book Festival in June. Exciting in itself, but then we come to the materials with which the library will be constructed. Not bricks. Not wood. Books! In total, 50,000 books are waiting to be formed into the library, an art installation that will stand in the MLK Civic Center Park in Berkeley, CA.

Project Lacuna has been devised with the following vision (source):

Libraries connect us—to each other, and to ourselves. They nurture our communities with knowledge and ideas, and they provide spaces for discussion and reflection. They open us to worlds unknown, and they reflect our worlds back to us. Libraries are monuments to the pursuit of knowledge, and to the universal right to seek, nurture, and possess knowledge. 

Lacuna is a library whose very walls are constructed with books. Like a library, access is entirely free, and visitors will be able to peruse shelves and remove books that capture their imagination. As books are removed from Lacuna, the structure will morph—gaps in the book brickwork will cause changes in the way light and sound filter through Lacuna’s walls, creating an ever-changing play of color, shape, and sound that will evolve over time. Benches in and around Lacuna’s will provide places for reading, discussion, and contemplation of the ideas contained within Lacuna’s walls. 

Doesn’t that sound amazing! Admission is free, and visitors can take books (which have been donated) at no cost. To find out more, visit http://www.projectlacuna.com/what-is-lacuna/.

Also in the news was a roundup by the Telegraph newspaper online of the most spectacular libraries worldwide.

Each of the absolutely stunning images comes with an interesting nugget of information in the caption. In the library in the shot above, for example, in Austria, we’re told that all the books were re-bound in white to match the colour scheme. Imagine the time and expense! Now that’s dedication to art.

This one is my absolute favourite, The Escorial Library, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain – the beautiful ceiling reminds me why I so fell in love with Spain that I situated my new novel Indiscretion there.

To browse all of these amazing libraries, visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10382588/The-most-spectacular-libraries-in-the-world.html.

It’s enough to make one want to make a pilgrimage around the world’s very finest libraries!