From the exquisite interior of the Carnegie Library to the one room shacks that dot the southern coast, Robert Dawson has woven his way from state to state, documenting national libraries as he goes. With so much pessimism about the state of libraries and cynicism about waning attendance, Dawson’s most recent photo book, The Public Library, is a hopeful reminder that libraries are still essential pillars of community.
Dawson has been photographing libraries for over 20 years and has been intrigued by the symbolic nature of the institutions for far longer. Beyond the literature they house, each library is a token of community culture and a pinpoint situated in the thick of history. From the books they hold to the architectural structures they use, the range of libraries is just about as diverse as the range of Americans across the U.S.
“They’re less about the books, they’re more about communities,” Dawson shared with NPR after the release of his book. The libraries stitch together periods of war, peace, loss, and perserverence. This notion was nowhere more pressing than Dawson’s photographing around Virginia, where the libraries are heavy with the history of the Civil War.
Image courtesy of Literary Road Trip
Inside the Handley Regional Library in Winchester (featured above) are portraits of Southern generals and other symbolic nods to the Civil War – all of which are a sympathetic gesture from the builder, a man who affiliated himself with the Confederates. It is this intimacy with a living past, “the closeness of that history,” that encourages Dawson to photograph libraries.
Mockingbird Public Library, Abilene, TX (image courtesy of Graham Foundation)
.jpg)
Fresno County Public Library, Fresno, CA (image courtesy of Graham Foundation)
Beyond realying a rich past, “it is a shared commons of our ambitions, our dreams, our memories, our culture, and ourselves” that is represented by the libraries, Dawson writes in the introduction to his book. It’s what creates the diversity between libraries across the country, but also a continuity between each unique library and it’s equally unique community. “The diversity reflects who we are as a people.”
.jpg)
Seattle Central Library, Seattle, WA (image courtesy of NPR)
Dawson’s collection of library photographs aren’t an ode to a dying breed, but rather an incentive to maintain the structures and acknowledge the community role they hold. Each structure not only houses books but preserves history. “In a culture that is increasingly privatized, libraries are among the last free spaces we have left. Public libraries are worth fighting for, and this book is my way of fighting.”
Shepherdsontown Public Library, Shepherdstown, W VA (image courtesy of NPR)
To date, Dawson has covered over 20,000 miles and hundreds of public libraries. You can check out his full portfolio on his site, Robert Dawson Photography.
Featured image: Allensworth Public Library, CA (image courtesy of Slate).