Beautiful College Libraries: Johns Hopkins
Upon his death in 1873, entrepreneur Johns Hopkins bequeathed the sum of $7 million to a trust fund for the sole purpose of establishing a hospital and university. Today, Johns Hopkins University spans five campuses, three of which are located outside the US. The Johns Hopkins University Library system is massive, to say the least. There are more than three million volumes registered in the library system, and ten main divisions categorized by area of study and geographical location. Yet it is the George Peabody Library at the Baltimore campus that is the most beautiful.
George Peabody was a wealthy and esteemed philanthropist who managed to accumulate his wealth in Baltimore, Maryland. He funded the Peabody Institute beginning in 1857, and meant it to be used as a cultural center for all citizens. His vision was finally realized in 1866, with the addition of an art gallery, music school and public library. Times changed, sensibilities altered, and the library was transferred to the City of Baltimore for safe keeping and use by the public. Finally, in 1982 Johns Hopkins University was able to takeover the ownership and reinstate the Peabody name to the library. The George Peabody Library is now a part of the multi-tiered Eisenhower Library system and Special Collections department.
The building housing the George Peabody Library is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful in the US. It was designed by noted architect Edmund G. Lund, who described his creation as a “cathedral of books”. The ground floor is black and white marble polished to a mirror-like shine, and reflects the exposed latticed skylight 61 feet above. The interior is fashioned in a neo-Gothic manner, a refreshingly bright look for the era of American architecture at the time of its construction. Surrounding the inner courtyard covered by the latticed atrium, are five floors of cast-iron balconies leading to the stacks. The supporting columns for the floors are beautifully restored to their gold-scalloped charm.
Understandably, most of the Peabody collection of volumes focus on the interests popular during the 19th century. Therefore the 300,000 volumes are centered on religion, art, architecture, history, literature, exploration, travel, and many others. The George Peabody Library is not the typical college or university library, as it was acquired as a measure of conservation and preservation of the written word. For those students following a course of study in the Romance languages and other topics listed above, the Peabody is certainly a good place to visit. Even those with an eye to architecture or historical design will appreciate the beauty of the Peabody.
Education is not always about sitting in a study hall pouring over data or staring at a computer screen. Some of the most valuable lessons and bits of information can be found in a good old fashioned book. In fact, is it not true that becoming too focused on the digital world can cause us to become blinded to the further reaches of history? After all, our history is our future. Step away from the backlit screens of e-readers, tablets, laptops and other electronic devices. Explore the real world of books for awhile.
