The Taipei Public Library, Beitou, Taiwan has been rated the most eco-conscious building in the country. It is constructed out of wood from sustainably managed forests.
The Picture Book Library, Iwaki city, Japan is meant for preschoolers and has an anti-hushing policy. The architect Tadao Ando was asked to ensure that the covers of the picture books were fully visible.
The Nassau Public Library, Nassau, Bahamas was originally built in the late 18th century as a jail. An octagonal building, it was converted in 1837 to a library.
The Reading Club 2000, Manila, Philippines was founded by Hernando Guanlao (Nanie) as a way to honour the memory of his parents who taught him to love books. Nanie placed old textbooks of his own outside his house to see if people would want to borrow them and they did. His library has about 2,500 books and he runs a book bike service to deliver reading material to the poorest communities in Manila.
The Library of Congress in Washington, DC, is the largest library in the world. It has over 151.8 million items sitting on its 838 miles of bookshelves. Incidentally, it also has the smallest book, a copy of Old King Cole , whose pages you can turn only with the help of a needle!
(Sources: “Amazing Libraries from Across the World” by Sarah Park (http://matadornetwork.com/trips/photo-essay-amazing-libraries-around-the-world/) and “15 Super Unique Libraries Around the World” by Sarah Park
( >http://matadornetwork.com/trips/15-super-unique-libraries-around-the-world-pics/ )
