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Libraries

Some believe that the great Carl Barks modelled his Scrooge McDuck on Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American captain of industry. One of the richest men in the world, Carnegie was also a generous philanthropist, sponsoring art, music and literature. As well as museums and concert halls - including the famous Carnegie Hall on Manhattan’s 7th Avenue - following the sale of his enormous empire in 1901, he had more than 2500 public libraries built throughout the United States.

The picturebooks in this section of the exhibition tell this and other stories. We learn of the very first Puerto Rican librarian and storyteller, Pura Belpré, a New York librarian; we are given a tour of Portugal’s National Library, or simply get an insight into how libraries are viewed by children like Lola and Charlie in the book by Lauren Child as they visit a library in the company of book-devouring lions and bears.

Libraries are treasure troves of books that inform, educate and entertain young and adult readers. Their stock of essays, novels, poetry collections, stories and characters are all available free of charge to readers young and old.

Libraries and librarians throughout the world still have many stories to tell. We await a splendid picturebook for very young readers bringing to life the story of Jella Lepman, founder of Munich’s Jugendbibliothek and IBBY International.