Readers, library lovers, and architecture buffs alike are all invited to an exciting night of architecture, photography at Library Shop Mission Hills! Travel some of the most beautiful libraries in the west from the comfort of your local independent bookstore. On April 14 at 925 W. Washington St, international architecture photographer Lara Swimmer visits San Diego to take us on a tour of the most iconic libraries in the American West.
This evening will include a presentation, Q&A and book signing. This program is free to attend, but registration is encouraged. A limited quantity of signed copies of The Reading Room will be available, and with all proceeds to benefit the San Diego Public Library. Pre-order a book online when you register to guarantee your signed copy. Books will be available for pickup at the event.
About the Book
Reading Room: New and Reimagined Libraries of the American West documents a new generation of regional libraries that are redefining public space in the 21st century. Through text and photography, the book examines the libraries’ place and function in cities and rural communities alike. It makes a case for the urgent need for these buildings, which serve as part of a vital community in the post-pandemic digital age.
With bold and breathtaking photography by award-winning architectural photographer Lara Swimmer, writing by former Architectural Record critic Laura Raskin and a forward by Seattle City Librarian Marcellus Turner, this book will stand out in a market with few competitors.
Reading Room features 25 significant new and renovated main and branch libraries designed by a slate of nationally recognised architects representing the American South (Austin, Louisville, McAllen), Midwest (Madison, Minneapolis, St Paul, Tulsa) and West (Billings, Juneau, Los Angeles, Missoula, Newport, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle), and will appeal to those who love architecture; architects and library professionals; and students of design and urban planning.
About the Speaker
LARA SWIMMER is an internationally published architecture photographer. She was made an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects for her contribution to the field in 2005 and was named one of the top 12 Women in Photography Internationally by Architizer in 2018.
Lara works on assignment for architecture and design firms, documenting civic buildings, art collections and environmental works, as well as private residences. With contributions to numerous publications in the design realm, she authored her own book on the Seattle Central Library, titled Process, in 2005. Her photography of museums and libraries has helped architecture firms to win countless national awards, and has been exhibited in museums, from the SF MoMA, the Milwaukee Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, NYC to Art Center Basel in Switzerland.
