search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
Library Garden in Aarhus University Library. Photo © Laura Stamer.


Staff at Brown County Library in Wisconsin also, despite being situated in a built-up urban area, describe treating their garden as the library’s ‘front door’: creating an unusually homely entrance fi lled with trees and bushes, and once again growing berries and long beans. Staff there described the space as like an “outdoor classroom” that supports library children’s programming in particular,8 and many of the library gardens that I encountered during my research empha- sised a link between children’s education and garden spaces.


as part of his Library Marathon – an eff ort to promote the work of libraries by visit- ing a branch in every UK local authority – he described being shocked to receive a great many replies from other green-fi n- gered libraries around the country! Another international library that has been creative in its approach to its out- door space is Austin Central Library in Texas, with a rooftop garden that features a butterfl y habitat to promote conser- vation and provide a relaxing space for users!7


anniversary of Wordsworth’s birth in 2020.9


Visitors were, however, still able to explore the Trust’s Library, as well as reading extracts and viewing original papers from both William and Dorothy’s writing. Crucially, I was struck by how the Trust had made use of Dove Cottage’s gar- den – restored as accurately as possible to its condition when the Wordsworths lived there – and connected it with events, exhibitions and the poetry itself. From sessions on Outdoor Eco-Art to guided tours exploring what parts of the garden and surrounding landscape inspired Wordsworth’s work, Dove Cottage seemed to provide a strong example of how to circumvent the challenges posed when a popular space requires temporary closure and how to conceptually align a library garden with its literary resources.


Nevertheless, the library is a space designed for students at every stage of life, and another UK library garden I recently visited in person also seeks to achieve a balance between catering for both young and adult audiences. Dove Cottage in the Lake District village of Grasmere was once the home of William Wordsworth, his wife Mary and his sister Dorothy (author of The Grasmere Journal), and the space was also visited regularly by contemporary poets such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge. When I visited Dove Cottage (cared for by the Wordsworth Trust) in July 2019, the cottage itself was closed for conser- vation work in preparation for the 250th


30 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ‘‘ Garden Library pp28-31.indd 4


The words of Wordsworth at Dove Cottage. Photo courtesy of The Wordsworth Trust.


with literature to create novel and exciting library spaces.10


For many of


us, there seems to be an intuitive sense that “green” libraries can enhance crea- tivity, relaxation and even health – yet what evidence is there of the benefi ts that library gardens can bring?


Books! ‘tis a dull and endless strife: Come, hear the woodland linnet, How sweet his music! On my life, There’s more of wisdom in it.’ – William Wordsworth, The Tables Turned


While William Wordsworth’s 1798 The Tables Turned encouraged his readers to set down their books (at least temporar- ily!) and experience the power of nature for expanding the mind, Dove Cottage in 2019 has – like many of the international library gardens I encountered during my research – combined the natural world


Budding benefi ts of library gardens Widespread data gathered across diff er- ent fi elds indicates that being outdoors or at least having plants and fl owers nearby can have a positive impact on physical health, mental wellbeing and the capacity to learn. For instance, a March 2017 Department for Envi- ronment, Food & Rural Aff airs report (compiled in conjunction with the European Centre for Environment & Human Health) identifi ed ‘an extensive and robust body of evidence’ connecting access to green spaces with reduced mortality, specifi cally citing health benefi ts such as healthier heart rates, blood pressure, vitamin D levels, cor- tisol levels and recuperation rates.11


In


2019, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ sustainability committee also recog- nised the potential benefi ts of outside spaces for mental health, asserting that “spending time outdoors… can really improve mental health… our senses are engaged diff erently… our imagination can be sparked and we can gain a dif- ferent perspective on our lives, projects and problems.”12 These benefi ts also appear to extend to concentration and learning outcomes: research published by staff at Plym- outh University, for example, called on schools to prioritise time outdoors, acknowledging that outside activities


January-February 2020


23/01/2020 14:45


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60