The coolest libraries in America

November 3, 12:33 PMSeattle Books ExaminerDanielle Dreger-Babbitt

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Seattle Public Library at Night

The coolest libraries in America.  It's not an oxymoron.  Granted, it's not a phrase you hear everyday.  But libraries are totally cool, even more so when the economy sucks.  Libraries are the new Netflix (bet you didn't know your local library bought new DVDs and circulated them for free).  Libraries are the new bookstore (why pay for magazines or the new Janet Evanovich when you can check it out of the the library).  Libraries are the new mall (most libraries now have teen areas and encourage teens to hang out and read or play games.  Some libraries even have video game tournaments).  So yeah, libraries are cool.  MSN CityGuides recently listed "America's 10 coolest libraries"

Boston Public Library, McKim Building

It should come as no surprise that Seattle Public Library's Central Branch tops the list.  It is 11 stories of glass and steel and sheer architecture genius.  Also, on the list is one of my old stomping grounds: the Boston Public Library, McKim Building.  It is often referred to as "a palace for the people."  Built in 1895, the BPL  boasts murals by John Singer Sargent.  Recently the McKimBuilding has become the site for films.  Scenes for  The Pink Panther 2 were filmed in the Abbey Room and On Broadway had a scene shot in Bates Hall.

Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago

The rest of the list highlights libraries that serve both large and small communities.

• Cuyahoga County Public Library, South Euclid, Ohio
• Los Angeles Public Library, Richard Riordan Central Library, Los Angeles, California
• New York Public Library, Humanities and Social Sciences Library, New York City, New York
• Thomas Crane Memorial Library, Quincy, Massachusetts
• Minneapolis Central Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri

Of the remaining eight libraries, I've only seen the Minneapolis Central Library.  On a cross country road trip with a fellow librarian this summer, we made a point to stop and visit the new library.  The library has nearly 40 miles of shelving on it's four floors.  After 2010 it will also include a Planetarium.