“A library is a focal point, a sacred place to a community; and its sacredness is its accessibility, its publicness,” author Ursula K. Le Guin famously said. “It’s everybody’s place.”
To celebrate one such world-class resource, the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library held its annual open house and adopt-a-book fair Oct. 7, inspiring more than 1,100 people to join in person.
“The event was a resounding success, with the vast majority of participants being first-time attendees. Everyone was deeply engaged with the materials on display and put forward astute questions and observations about book history,” said Anna Chen, the Clark’s head librarian. “We were thrilled to connect so many people to histories they identified with.”
“There were people of all ages, photographing themselves and their friends with the architecture and in fancy attire and gravitating to the south book room where Clark’s piano sits,” said Bronwen Wilson, UCLA’s Edward W. Carter Chair in European Art and the director of both the Center for 17th– and 18th-Century Studies as well as the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library at UCLA. “The adopt-a-book component inspired many as well to contribute any amount from $5 and up to support the acquisition, preservation and conservation of our collections.”
Read full article at UCLA College Stories
Photo credit: David Eng