Slice of Life: Amazing Library Tour!

Hello fellow bloggers and readers! Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to the truly fantastic Detroit Public Library (main branch). In celebration of their upcoming 150th year anniversary in 2015 they have been hosting  a free tour called, “Discover The Wonders of the Detroit Public Library“, which is two hours long and highlights the art, architecture, and book collections in the library.

I had previously been to the library once briefly during the annual holiday “Noel Nights” event held in downtown Detroit. I only got to see one floor, but my jaw dropped from the sheer immensity of amazing that it held. Needless to say, this was my same reaction during the tour. Trying to be cool and not act like a total library nerd.

The tour started off in the front of the library and we made our way through the entire building. Here are some of my favorite highlights and art pieces during the tour:

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Picture of the library made entire out of compost. There were orange slices, tooth picks, popsicle sticks and more.
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Decorative Jewel Cabinet (1883) Commissioned in 1883 for a member of the Russian royal family.  In 1929, Joseph Stalin presented this cabinet to Charles Sorensen of the Ford Motor Company in appreciation for helping establish Russian automobile plants.

 

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Selfie with Shakespeare. I couldn’t resist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Troubadours ca. 1880.

 

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Pictorial Map of Michigan (located in Teen center) ca.1923
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Pewabic tile fireplace (located in Teen center) Sits under Michigan map. Each tile represents scenes from children’ literature. 1921.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Adventures of Tom Thumb, 1936 Located in the Children’s Library.

 

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Old school card catalog. Who remembers having to learn the Dewey Decimal system in school?
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Ceiling of main entrance hall. The detail is so beautiful!

And that concludes my library tour highlights post. I hope you enjoyed the photos! There were so many that I took, but I tried to give you a good selection of photos to show you how great this library is. I hope I can go on more artsy, library, or bookish tours in the future.

Have you ever been on a library tour before? If so, share your thoughts in the comments. 🙂

*All the pictures were taken by me with my Android phone except for the gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “Slice of Life: Amazing Library Tour!

  1. I’m in love with that fireplace!!! Can I just set up a little nest in the Teen section and live next to it? Also, I think there’s an unwritten rule in book-nerd-world: anyone who passes a painting/bust/living statue of William Shakespeare must take an immediate selfie.

    1. It’s so cozy! I like the fact that the fireplace has picture from famous children’s stories, it make it unique. Haha it is an unwritten rule! I waited till the tour group walked ahead, and stayed behind to snap the picture, lol.

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