Ridwan Sururi and Luna, one of his horses who help to run Kudapustaka, a small mobile library in Serang.
On Instagram
You can read more about animal libraries and other unusual libraries in Improbable Libraries.
Monday, 20 June 2016
Indonesian horse library
Friday, 17 June 2016
Perfume Bottle Bookcase
Not just a bookcase, but an object that lends itself to personal usage interpretations. Frame and the shelves are made of matt painted metal available in the following colours: black, white, saffron yellow, red, blue, green, mint green, anthracite grey, dove grey, brown and powder pink.
Gino Carollo for Panik
Thursday, 16 June 2016
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Baileys bottle bookcase
My bad. Turns out the bookcase is shaped like a BAILEYS BOTTLE, not a suppository. My apologies. #BaileysPrize pic.twitter.com/wDBx69lhFC
— Philip Ardagh (@PhilipArdagh) June 8, 2016
Tuesday, 14 June 2016
La Bibliothèque de la Cité
Bookshelf mural in Lyon.
Created by Cité Création.
Photo by Vyshemirsky.
Monday, 13 June 2016
Friday, 10 June 2016
Arte Utilitario: Beso, amanecer, and burbuja
Un los últimos años he desarrollado "Arte Utilitario" a través de Esculturas & organizadores. El "Arte Utilitario" complementa su expresión de arte con la funcionalidad, dando posibilidades de ser intervenida por el usuario e integrada en su quehacer en un contexto dinámico de permanente transformación.
Antonio Yachan
Thursday, 9 June 2016
Book stacking in Japan
With bookstores in Japan overflowing with manga, novels and non-fiction, it takes a lot to stand out and get noticed. However, with the advent of the three styles of book stacking, it’s impossible for passersby not to stop and take a gander at these literary works.
Rocket News 24
Wednesday, 8 June 2016
Shape-A-Shelf
Bookshelves need an update. They need to be more flexible in their use and accommodate all sorts of things. So how to make a bookshelf more flexible? Make it flexible! Literally! No more bookends needed! Shape it like one and forget about them! Flexible soft shelf made out of 100% recycled PET.
shapeableshelf.com (and launching on Kickstarter on August 1)
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
Chiave de Volta
The hint of a curve not only gives the structure an attractive lightweight look but encapsulates the underlying design idea as well as its purpose: the books lean neatly back against the sides of the shelves giving the structure stability.
967 Arch
Monday, 6 June 2016
Friday, 3 June 2016
Thursday, 2 June 2016
Chevron Pattern Suitcase Bookshelf
Kitschy-cool shelf in the shape of a vintage suitcase features vibrant pattern wallpaper at the back for a decorative touch.
- Mixed metals
- Wipe clean
- 47cm (W) x 44.5cm (H) x 20.5cm (D)
Urban Outfitters
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
The Open Book
Nestled into the pristine lowlands, The Open Book is a charming bookshop with apartment above in the heart of Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town. Live your dream of having your very own bookshop by the sea in Scotland...for a week or two.
Airbnb
Friday, 27 May 2016
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
The Safe House: A Decline of Ideas (trailer)
A new documentary which explores the heritage and significance of the British Public Library, also questioning why such a historically important British institution is in dramatic decline in today's contemporary society. The film features intimate and personal stories from great British figures, including names such as Stephen Fry, Irvine Welsh, Bonnie Wright, Amma Asante and Daisy Goodwin. Titled Safe House: A Decline of Ideas, the project will also discuss possibilities of how public libraries could be salvaged for future generations.
Tuesday, 24 May 2016
The Guantánamo Detainee Library
"Given its location, it isn’t astounding what periodic international uproar the Guantánamo Detainee Library has generated. Created early in the century, there was great concern and speculation about what measures the U.S. Department of Defense might take to deprive their detainees of intellectual and linguistic stimulation. It isn’t the only library in the detention center—there is also one for military personnel—but it is surely the most controversial. According to reports, there are books in eighteen different languages in the bookshelves."
Ilan Stavans and Muira McCammon
Read the whole article at Kenyon Review
Monday, 23 May 2016
Friday, 20 May 2016
Supergal Bookend
A female superhero character seems to hold your books preventing them from falling.
Made of metal, painted black.
Size: L 20 x W 12 x H 17 cm ; Weight: 350 gr
Artori Design
Tuesday, 17 May 2016
Fiction
Make your books fly. Whether vertical or horizontal the Fiction book stand turns an ordinary pile of books into a sculptural feature in your home or office.
Sebastian Bergne
Friday, 13 May 2016
Book sales up, digital sales down
New figures released today by The Publishers Association shows that the UK publishing industry is in good health with total sales or book and journal publishing up to £4.4bn in 2015. The figures also revealed the UK’s love affair with the printed book is far from over as for the first time since the invention of the ebook, overall physical book sales increased while digital sales decreased.
Highlights of the research include:
Commenting, The Publishers Association Chief Executive, Stephen Lotinga, said:
- Sales of physical books from publishers increased for the first time in four years while digital sales fell for the first time since The PA started collecting figures
- There was particularly strong growth in sales of physical non-fiction/reference books which saw sales increase by 9% to £759m
- School books sales were up overall by 9% to £319m with growth in physical and digital both home and abroad.
- Audiobook downloads had another good year with 29% growth in 2015.
“These figures show that the UK publishing industry continues to go from strength to strength and the UK’s love for print is far from over. Digital continues to be an incredibly important part of the industry, but it would appear there remains a special place in the consumer’s heart for the aesthetic pleasure that printed books can bring. At a time when the Government is looking for world leading sectors to drive growth in the UK economy, they could do a lot worse than look to the success of our publishing industry.”
Image: Cassia Beck
Thursday, 12 May 2016
Tuesday, 10 May 2016
Monday, 9 May 2016
Tidying your bookshelves
Like a lot of avid readers, I enjoyed Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up but bristled when it came to the section about books. The gist of her now-famous method is this: go through all your possessions by category, touch everything, keep only that which “sparks joy,” and watch as your world is transformed. It seems simple enough, but Kondo gives minimalism the hard sell when it comes to books, urging readers to ditch as many of them as they can. You may think that a book sparks joy, she argues, but you’re probably wrong and should get rid of it, especially if you haven’t read it yet.
Lithub
Saturday, 30 April 2016
Literary Trumps needs your help
Another quick mention for one of the Shedworking staff's side projects (which features at least one shedworker in Virginia Woolf). It's a crowdfunded Trumps game focusing on writers, their quotability, their literary prizes, their major works, and, naturally, their speed. You can find out more (and pledge) at the Unbound site which is publishing it.
Monday, 25 April 2016
Arch
En bokhylla bör framför allt annat vara funktionell, men ibland kan funktionen överskugga utseendet. Arch har en avskalad form som tar möbeln tillbaka till dess väsentlighet, ett bärande plan, varpå en enkel estetik applicerats i form av klassiskt böjträ. En hylla som lär följa med från hem till hem.
Fogia
Friday, 22 April 2016
Shakespeare 'digital library' wallpaper
For the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, Vodafone and the British Library have made some of the earliest and rarest editions of Shakespeare's plays available to all, allowing people to download the Bard's most popular works from specially-designed wallpaper featuring virtual library bookshelves.
The pop-up Digital Library is providing new access to free digital copies of the quartos by allowing people to simply scan the QR codes printed on the virtual books as the 'digital library' tours the UK. The wallpaper will also provide digital links through to the British Library's Discovering Literature website (http://www.bl.uk/shakespeare), revealing more about the world of Shakespeare and his plays, from King Lear and madness to the violence of Romeo & Juliet and the life of the Bard himself.
The Digital Library's first official appearance will be as part of the St George's Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square on 23 April, open to the public from midday until 6pm but, in order to share the quartos with a broader audience around the UK, from 25 April the Digital Library will be taken on a tour of cities and rural locations, including Birmingham, Penzance and Silchester.
Tuesday, 19 April 2016
Fifty Shades of Grey fort
An Oxfam bookshop in Swansea has been inundated with so many copies of the erotic novel that they’ve started begging women to stop bringing them in. The shop now has so many copies of the book, they’ve built a fort out of them.
Metro
Monday, 18 April 2016
Sigurður Guðmundsson's Mountain
The layering of vertical and horizontal lines depicts a certain process from a natural foundation to the man who has created his cultural products: rocks, turf, man, shoes, bread and books.
Culturehouse
Thursday, 14 April 2016
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
New reading scheme will support young people's mental health
"At a time when 1 in 10 young people have a diagnosable mental health issue, public libraries across England are today launching a scheme to support them with expert endorsed books available to borrow for free. Reading Well for young people is part of the hugely successful Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme and will provide 13-18 year-olds with high-quality information, support and advice on a wide-range of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self-harm, and difficult life pressures, like bullying and exams."
More details at The Reading Agency
Thursday, 31 March 2016
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close
Almost 8,000 jobs in UK libraries have disappeared in six years, about a quarter of the overall total, an investigation by the BBC has revealed.
BBC
Thursday, 24 March 2016
Funky bookshelf
Designed to go against the wall or in the middle of the room as a divider with peek-through open cutouts. Even more funky, this bookshelf transforms to any space as it is created to stand horizontally or vertically with nine adjustable shelf fitting any which way.
Shiner
Monday, 21 March 2016
Thursday, 17 March 2016
Pi Workstation
The Pi Workstation functions as a desk, bookshelf and occasional chair. In addition to these functions, there is the option to remove the bookshelf and transform the desk into a 2 top dining table.
Joe Manus
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Library in the shape of a book
A library in the shape of an open book is expected to open next year in Dubai. The Mohammed bin Rashid Library in Al Jaddaf will hold more than 1.5 million volumes, 1 million audio books and 2 million e-books, making it the world’s largest electronic collection and the biggest library in the Arab world.
The National
Monday, 14 March 2016
Saturday, 12 March 2016
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Literary Trumps
As well as running Bookshelf and Shedworking regular readers know that I have also published various books over the last half dozen years, the last two on Bookshelves and Improbable Libraries. This year, instead of a book, it's a game - Literary Trumps. I am hoping to crowdfund this via the excellent book publisher Unbound which crowdfunds all its titles (you may have read the best-selling Letters of Note or the Booker short-listed The Wake).
The game is played along similar lines to other Trump games you will have played in your youth, only instead of classic cars or dragsters, Literary Trumps is all about writers, their quotability, their ouptut and their speed. Please do click on the links above for more information and do consider making a pledge to fund it - the whole thing will only happen if 500 people generously put their hands in their pockets.
Friday, 4 March 2016
What sex is your bookshelf?
What if my bookshelf is female and also male? And what do we mean by male and female books, anyway? Those written by women with female protagonists, or a style and substance beyond this which male writers have access to, or can assume?
Arifa Akbar in The Independent
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
I Murdered My Library
What happens when you begin to build a library in childhood and then find you have too many books? From a small collection held together by a pair of plaster of Paris horse-head bookends to books piled on stairs, and in front of each other on shelves, books cease to furnish a room and begin to overwhelm it. At the end of 2013, novelist Linda Grant moved from a rambling maisonette over four floors to a two bedroom flat with a tiny corridor-shaped study. The trauma of getting rid of thousands of books raises the question of what purpose personal libraries serve in contemporary life and the seductive lure of the Kindle. Both a memoir of a lifetime of reading and an insight into how interior décor has banished the bookcase, her account of the emotional struggle of her relationship with books asks questions about the way we live today.
Kindle Single
Friday, 26 February 2016
Literary Trumps
As well as running Bookshelf and Shedworking regular readers know that I have also published various books over the last half dozen years, the last two on Bookshelves and Improbable Libraries. This year, instead of a book, it's a game - Literary Trumps. I am hoping to crowdfund this via the excellent book publisher Unbound which crowdfunds all its titles (you may have read the best-selling Letters of Note or the Booker short-listed The Wake).
The game is played along similar lines to other Trump games you will have played in your youth, only instead of classic cars or dragsters, Literary Trumps is all about writers, their quotability, their ouptut and their speed. Please do click on the links above for more information and do consider making a pledge to fund it - the whole thing will only happen if 500 people generously put their hands in their pockets.
Thursday, 25 February 2016
Ernest Shackleton bookshelf in Antarctica
"It is now known that the explorer carried with him dictionaries, encyclopaedias and books chronicling other dangerous polar expeditions. He took established works by Dostoyevsky and Shelley - but also, explains Alasdair MacLeod from the RGS, newly published fiction by popular authors of the time."
BBC
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Betty's Reading Room
A couple from Orkney have created an unusual memorial to friend who died unexpectedly. Betty's Reading Room has been created in a once derelict bothy in Tingwall in the Orkney Islands. Craig Mollison and Jane Spiers said they wanted to create a fitting tribute to their friend Betty Prictor.
BBC
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
Shopping for bookcases
Bookcases say as much about you as the books you read. So which style to choose? An interior designer offers some suggestions.
The New York Times
Monday, 22 February 2016
Albero bookcase
The bookcase comprises just a few ingeniously interconnected elements, which show Gianfranco Frattini's attention to the laws of statics and dynamics. It has four vertical struts and two rack and pinion poles at the two ends, all crafted from solid olive wood. The shelves, produced in MDF with olive essence veneer, can be positioned in the holes along the struts as desired with a minimum of eight and a maximum of 12 shelves. A special metal cylinder is attached to the ceiling to hold the bookcase in place. The Albero's frame is attached to this and the floor thanks to two adjustable metal ferrules that ensure its stability. The height of the bookcase can vary between 2.66 m to 3.26 m.
Poltrona Frau
Monday, 8 February 2016
Thursday, 4 February 2016
Ebook sales falling
Ebook sales for the UK’s five biggest publishers fell in 2015, according to a new report in the Bookseller, collectively declining 2.4%, to 47.9m units. It is the drop in numbers of books sold in this medium for the “big five” since the digital age began... “For those who predicted the death of the physical book, and digital dominating the market by the end of this decade, the print and digital sales figures from the big five for 2015 might force a reassessment,” wrote the Bookseller’s features editor Tom Tivnan.The Guardian
Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Tuesday, 26 January 2016
Fishbone shelf
A modular shelf resembling herring fish bones that can be arranged in a variety of ways. The back panel is made of multi-layered plywood while the shelving surface is made from extremely thin curved sheet-metal.
Fancy.com
Friday, 22 January 2016
Mini mobile libraries in Seoul
The ‘mobile library’ project is part of a larger initiative by the Seoul Innovation Park, and the city of Seoul, South Korea to revitalize a site originally occupied by the ministry of food and drug safety. a number of social companies and startups have been gathered, and will continually work from the site to address various social issues in the city.
Designboom and Archiworkshop
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Improbable Libraries on Australia's ABC
Mark Sutton and Zoe Norton Lodge love libraries. In fact, Mark’s parents met in a library and his mother is a former librarian. But when in history did the concept of a library first emerge? What were some of the most famous libraries from history? What are some of the most unusual libraries around the world? And what challenges assail the library in the modern day?
[I'm talking about unusual libraries around the world from around the 36:30 mark]
ABC
Monday, 18 January 2016
The Search for Tiny Libraries in New Zealand
Dotting the countryside of New Zealand are dozens of tiny libraries – freestanding buildings that serve as meeting places, resource centres and lending libraries for the smaller regions located between larger urban areas. While New Zealand’s national public library culture thrives, these unassuming structures, having survived regular floods, aging populations, and the rise of the Internet, are mostly alive and continue to provide books for local readers.
BBC World Service
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Antiquity
Antiquity is a homage to the historical icon Venus D’Arles... In full view, an intricate system of strategically placed mahogany shelves surround and veil the marble statue, allowing an interesting play with the seen and unseen. This wooden framework functions as a bookshelf that can hold eclectic items, but it also doubles as "scaffolding," paralleling the experience of a tourist visiting an antique sculpture under conservation.
Sebastian ErraZuriz
Monday, 4 January 2016
L Shelf
A single module, a piece of bentwood, the logical result of the meeting with a carpentry workshop specialized in bending wood.
Objet Optimisé
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