The arched entrance is flanked by statues of a winged lion and an eagle. My daughter was in awe. We couldn't wait to step inside.
The children's area of the Lillian H. Smith library is located on the main floor. Large windows provide lots of natural light to the space. My daughter was pleasantly surprised when she discovered an entire area of books dedicated to holidays. Every holiday was present, Christmas, Kwanza, Halloween, Easter and even April Fool's Day. The books are all place together in a couple of bookcases...really well labeled and organized. We will be heading back here in the fall to select some holiday books.
Tucked in behind the children's area is the first of the special collections that can be found at Lillian H.Smith branch, the Marguerite G. Bagshaw Collection of Puppetry Creative Drama and Theatre for Children. This collection of reference books was incredible. My daughter was afraid that we weren't allowed to touch the books...but we were. This is a spot that I will have to return to on my own one day, and learn how to make all sorts of incredible puppets!
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| view from the 4th floor looking down to the main entrance |
We then made the trip up the spiralling staircase, up to the fourth floor of the library. On the fourth floor is where you will find the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books. This collection has over 80,000 children's books; new, old and rare. The collection is displayed in a museum style fashion. When we visited a selection of bug and insect books were on display. This was a beautifully quiet and peaceful way to look at some amazingly old books and some that were quite familiar. We found a little reading area where a pile of pop-up books were set out for children to read. My daughter and I sat and read each and every book.
Let's break it down...