Consider a book, a library, and the spaces around it that we inhabit. 

“All the things that are wrong in the world seem conquered by a library’s simple unspoken promise: Here I am, please tell me your story; here is my story, please listen.” -Susan Orlean, The Library Book

“Without libraries what do we have? We have no past and no future.” -Ray Bradbury

Some etymological food for thought: The word library derives from liberty. The Latin word for free is liber; the noun, libertas (whence liberty), the adj. liberalis. Thus the liberal arts are those befitting a free man. But Latin liber, libr–, originally the bark of a tree, came to mean book (see Bible), whence Latin librarius, whence Fr. libraire, librarie, librarian, library. Liberty does not permit libel, though from the freed man, Latin libertinus, comes the English libertine, which originally meant unrestrained in politics and religion rather than morals. Liberarare, meaning to balance and weigh in one’s mind. (Joseph T. Shipley’s Dictionary of Word Origins).

Create a work of art and share what this means to you.  Explore material, media and message. Submissions will be accepted until Friday, October 13th. 

Please click here for the submission form.