I’ve had the privilege of being surrounded by books for most of my life. And for the last six-seven years I’ve been paid to enjoy that privilege. One of the places I’ve worked was the National Gallery of Denmark which as a research institution of course has a library. It’s an old library and it is naturally centred around art. A couple of years ago the library was swallowed up by the library of the Royal Danish Academy which is the largest library on art in Scandinavia. I was not a fan of that decision because it split part of the old gallery library from its place of birth and made books available for the public not only to study in the museum, but to take home. Which can be a problem if people do not return the books – as many of the books have old notes and scribblings in them, something that cannot be replaced by a new copy of the book. I was rather sad with the whole business of a large fish swallowing an odd little library.

Anyways. As the library of the gallery is not primarily a public library the books are stored away in hidden hallways underground, on staircases and strange corners of the museum. Here are some impressions.

You can always hope you have a forgotten Leonardo in your collection. And be prepared for it.

Part of the library.

Until some ten or fifteen years ago the museum had a bookbinder in its employment. Just beautiful. A smell of times past…

/anna

I have for some time been contemplating doing a series of posts about libraries. I have spent a good deal of my time in libraries as a student, as part of my work, and as daughter of a librarian. Libraries can be marvellous and they can be terribly depressing. I will mostly be describing the marvellous kind.

I begin with one of the most beautiful libraries in Copenhagen.  The Copenhagen University Library  is its official name but colloquially it’s know as The Library in Fiolstræde or just Fiolstræde from its location in the poetically named street Fiolstræde – Violet Alley.

The library is the main library for the faculties of social sciences and law, and as such I (an art student) have in theory nothing to do there. However the University Library is part of The Royal Library and books from their holdings can be delivered to any of their sub-branches. Very fortunate since the faculty library for humanities is extremely depressing and ugly. I have often wondered whether this was some kind of joke – that the aesthetic studies should inhabit the ugliest campus of the University of Copenhagen. But no matter – I think I have a personal responsibility of moving in beautiful places. Which means that since I began my studies I have had books delivered to Violet Alley or to The Black Diamond (next in line in this series), two places where I have also studied for most of my exams.

Violet Alley is one of the only neo-gothic buildings in the Danish capital. It was designed by Johan Daniel Herholdt who was inspired by the San Fermo church in Verona. The library was inaugurated in 1861 and some ten years ago it was restored to its former glory. Look!

There are desks between the bookcases where students can work undisturbed (or surf via the free wifi) with a view to the large windows or to the beautiful ceilings.

Unfortunately the library will be closing next year and the books will be moved to warehouses. It is all very sad not least since this is the oldest Danish library still functioning. There have been many protests from professionals and users – there’s even a protest group on Facebook.

I would be very disappointed if they close it. The library is situated in the heart of Copenhagen and neighbours the original site of the university, the Cathedral, the former Cathedral School (Metropolitanskolen which will turn 800 next year), the ancient student’s residence Regensen and the Trinity Church that was build for the students in the 17th century and originally housed the library. If this part of the city should not house the university library I think the whole area will suffer from it historically speaking.

I am cheering for the Violet Alley Library!

/anna

On Thursday this week I went to the American Academy to have a look at some books from their large library. The collection is centred on classical studies, history of art and architecture and has about 135.000 volumes (compared to the 25.000 volumes of the Danish Academy).

The American Academy in Rome

I was kindly received by the librarian but as this library has open shelves I was left on my own to browse. Great! Makes everything much easier and faster. And more inspiring – when you are allowed to look around for yourself the chances are you will stumble upon interesting stuff you never thought of searching for or knew the existence of. I like this much underrated side of research – the go-where-your-nose-takes-you-method.

I sat down in this beautiful reading room and puzzled over visual representations anatomical lessons and of the dissected body from the 15th-18th centuries and then it was time to eat!I has bought a lunch ticket and was allowed to join the fellows of the academy for lunch. Look!

Then just add people and food. And they were so nice and talkative and I enjoyed myself for some three quarters of an hour learning about projects of book restoring, Latin translation, and composing. Very nice.

And then back to reading about the nature of pre- and postlapsarian man according to St Gregory of Nyssa. Just to get a theological view of what man is in essence. According to Gregory an essential human being is without skin. Which is nice to know when you are writing a thesis about flayed men in J.H. Fuseli’s drawings and the meaning of that

As the bar was closed in the afternoon I didn’t have a coffee, but I did have a walk in the garden. Mmmm. As always the Americans do it on a large scale.

I had a very good and effective day in that library. It is so well equipped and has such a calm atmosphere that I would go there all the time if it weren’t so far off. As it is I enjoyed this visit very much.

/anna