I mentioned a little over a week ago that I was beginning a new series on libraries and bookstores of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, and I am finally making the first entry in that series. My beginning piece will feature the beautiful Linderman Library of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.
Linderman Library is the humanities library, and it is my favorite place on campus. I earned my M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature at Lehigh University, and this extraordinary abode of books is a comforting and inspiring place to work. I have spent many hours doing research and writing in this safe haven for book people.
Linderman Library has many places to work, including a long reading room, which feels like something out of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books, many nooks with desks, and one of the best features of the library–the rotunda. Several levels of books fill the outside circle, and a winding metal staircase goes from the first to the third floor.
One of the most beautiful features that is often missed is the dome that caps the rotunda. It is one of striking beauty, and made of stained glass. If you have the opportunity to visit Lehigh University, you should go to Linderman Library, visit the rotunda, and look up at the dome!
I am fortunate to live in an area with so many bookstores and libraries, and I was doubly fortunate to attend a University with a humanities library that is not only filled with thousands of volumes of books and journals, but also it is beautiful. The very nature of its architecture encourages students to study in its comfortable environment.
I will continue this series on libraries and bookstores in the Lehigh Valley, PA soon.
What a beauty!
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Yes, it is wonderful!
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Surely one of the most beautiful universities in the country. To spend a day walking the halls and browsing its library would be a dream. How fortunate you are!
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Yes, I certainly am!
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Perhaps I will get there some day. I am a graduate of FSU and Barry, nothing like these hallowed walls
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I think all libraries are wonderful places, because of the books they have, but Linderman Library is special.
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I can see that, I could spend a very long time browsing those shelves!
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I have done that, simply looking without any particular book in mind.
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I am a huge fan of the classics, I have read them over and over again, so I know where I would spend most of my time.
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Amazing! I think that I would spend even more time at the library than I do now, if I had access to that beautiful building!
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Yes! It is an extraordinary place!
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I’ve been to their library closer to the north end of campus but I don’t think this is the same one.
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No it is not. You went to the science and technology library. This one is up the hill above the chapel.
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What a magnificent library. Looking foward to more in this series..
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Thank you, and I will try to post about a library or bookstore at least once a week.
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Reblogged this on A View to A Book and commented:
Looking forward to this series…
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Thank you!
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That is my idea of what a library should look like. They have remodeled our old one and it looks so stark and austere. I don’t enjoy being in there. I also require a cozy chair these days.
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I agree with you completely!
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How beautiful!
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Yes, it is a wonderful place!
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Gorgeous! If I lived near any bookstore or library, you bet I’d be there at least thrice a week. They feel like safety and freedom.
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That is a very accurate observation–they do feel like safety and freedom!
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Wow!! What a beautiful library! Thanks for the post!
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You are very welcome!
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Oh so beautiful! You could spend hours/days/forever in there exploring the titles. Thank you for the insider’s view!
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You are very welcome!
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You really are lucky to have access to such large and beautiful libraries. Ours are so small and inadequate by comparison.
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Yes, I am very fortunate, and I wonder how many people in my area realize how unusual this is.
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I think often it’s the case that people who didn’t grow up with access to this kind of service (especially older people) don’t realize that they can go and borrow books on any topic that interests them, and that it’s absolutely free!
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That is a truly sad situation. I hope most people do realize the value of libraries and what they offer.
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It’s up to those of us who know about libraries to make sure all our friends and family know about them.
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Yes, it is!
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What a beautiful library and I love the Harry Potter reference…
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Yes, it is, and thank you!
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Breathtaking architecture! And I agree, it reminds me a bit of Hogwarts too..
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Yes, I think it is beautiful!
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They have done right by Linderman, and I have used its wonderful collection for several projects. Closest library I have been to in the US to rival the Bodleian and other libraries in Oxford as regards feel and architecture. Most of the other libraries in the Valley (in the US), while boasting good collections, seemingly come out of the 1960s Cold War Industrialized bureaucracy. Environment is very much a key aspect of the life of the mind.
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Yes, it absolutely is a part of the mind. I wish architects of the 1960s had understood this important detail.
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Oh, My Friend! You have posted such a great piece! You simply enchanted me with this library! I’m going to have to add this to my places to visit when I make my first trip to Pennsylvania!
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Thank you so much! It is beautiful.
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That is a gorgeous library. Wonderful style and architecture. Would love to spend time in a library like that.
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Yes, I am blessed to be able to use it whenever I wish.
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I was fortunate to have spent a little time in the Linderman, in 1972, when I spent the night and much of the next day, at Lehigh University. It is a truly lovely facility.
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Thank you for sharing your visit!
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Reblogged this on LIVING THE DREAM.
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Thank you!
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