As a child, I have many memories of libraries.

My dad has been researching our family tree for as long as I can remember, and before the internet, (yes, I’m that old!) research involved going to the library.

Dad would be looking through microfiches of old newspaper records, obituaries, news stories and birth announcements for any mention of the Fitzjohn’s, so he could not only track our family and heritage but bring those characters to life. And I’d be getting lost in a book in some dusty corner of the library. Although I rarely go into libraries these days, I still have a special affinity for these places of complete equality, where anyone can walk in, for free, borrow any book they like or simply stay there and just read.

This is a great infographic from a contributor of…

The World’ Most Famous Libraries: Now and Then

Is there anywhere in a community that’s more culturally and socially important than a library? They bring so much, and ask for so little in return. They are places where communities can come together, where connections can be made, where people can take steps along the journey of self-improvement, and where people can enlighten their minds and understand more when they leave than they did when they arrived.

And it’s not just today or in the recent past when libraries have been so important. The earliest such building dates back all the way back to the 7th century before the birth of Christ. Alas, it’s no longer standing — how cool would it be to explore that building? Even if you couldn’t understand anything that was written in the books, it’d just be enjoyable to be in the first building dedicated to books and the pursuit of knowledge.

Not that you need to look back in history to find historically important libraries. There are important libraries standing right now, all across the world. One such example is The British Library, which is in London. It’s home to many literary treasures and important documents from history. Others include the Library of Congress, which is the largest library in the home, home to millions of books. For visually impressive libraries, there’s the Admont Library in Austria.

To learn more about these libraries and others from around the world, take a look at the infographic below, which was produced by the University of Southern California.

Infographic Design By University of Southern California

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