We love books because they take us around the world, into the past or future, and beyond the limits of reality. True book lovers don’t mind toting around their current read. Doing so allows them to prop open their current book and read through a few more pages whenever a moment presents itself—whether it be waiting in line at the store, relaxing during a lunch break at work, or stealing a couple minutes away from a boring class lecture. But it’s not just the books that capture your imagination; libraries can play a big part, too. Take a look at these three incredible libraries around the world, and maybe even spend a minute or two daydreaming about plopping down among the shelves and reading the day away. All of these libraries are open to the general public, so, if you get the chance, one day you can make that daydream a reality!
Thomas Fischer Rare Book Library, Canada
Enjoy this glimpse of the beautiful, modern library located in Toronto, Canada, which happens to be “the largest repository of publicly accessible rare books and manuscripts” in the country.
https://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/
Photo by Fischer Rare Book Library (CC BY 2.0)
University of Coimbra Library, Portugal
Take a tour of this historic and intricately detailed library, located at the oldest university in Portugal, in fact, one of the oldest universities in the world.
Photo by user PhR61 (CC BY 2.0)
Suzzallo Library at University of Washington, USA
If being reminiscent of Hogwarts isn’t enough to draw you in, take the beautiful vaulted library as its own reason to visit, and you can even whet your appetite with a virtual tour on the library’s website!
http://www.lib.washington.edu/suzzallo/visit/tour
Photo by Martin Kraft (CC BY-SA 3.0)
—Laci Player