Books may be the main draw of a library, but they are not the only attraction. Museum-quality exhibitions that tap into an institute’s vast archives can also bring in a crowd. These showcases at some of the best libraries in the U.S. are free and open for everyone to, well, check out.
‘Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels,’ Los Angeles Central Library
“Alta” focuses on 100 remarkable Angelenos who are creating positive change in the city, telling their stories through portraits, ancestral DNA and interviews. The exhibition provides an “excellent” opportunity to learn about these individuals in a “storied setting,” NBC Los Angeles said, and also shows how their lives intersect with Southern California’s past, present and future. (through April 27)
‘Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress,’ Library of Congress
A handwritten account of the bombing of Hiroshima, James Madison’s crystal flute, the autobiography of an enslaved West African scholar and an AIDS Memorial Quilt panel are among the 127 objects on display in this inaugural exhibition at the Library of Congress’ new David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery. The exhibit focuses on the “preservation of cultural memories,” The Washington Post said, with many items, like several original “Spider-Man” comic panels, being “quintessentially American.” (through December)
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‘Precious, Almost Sacred: Voting Rights in America,’ Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at the University of Georgia
The long, hard battle for equal voting rights is examined in this exhibition, which uses newspaper clippings, letters and photos to chronicle Georgia’s role in the fight. Special focus is placed on “monumental steps” like the Voting Rights Act of 1965, WUGA said. That act “began the journey towards removing racial discrimination at the polls.” Other displays look at voter suppression, disenfranchisement and the creation of absentee ballots. (through June)
The early jazz scene was filled with women composers, instrumentalists, bandleaders and arrangers who were often considered novelties and, as such, were not taken seriously. These groundbreaking artists get their due in “Rhythm is My Business,” their music coming alive through audio, video and other archival items from the New York Public Library’s vast collection. (through June 13)
‘Secretary to the People,’ Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia
Artist Sheryl Oring has spent the last two decades traveling the U.S. with her vintage typewriter, asking Americans to dictate messages to the president. She makes two copies: one the participant can send to the White House and one for her archives.
“Secretary to the People” showcases dozens of these missives, which include words of advice, praise and admonishment. Oring sees her project as a “type of radical listening,” she said to WHYY, and Oring leaning in to accurately hear Americans’ words is a “quintessential” part of the experience. (through April 30)
‘Taught by the Pen: The World of Islamic Manuscripts,’ Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University
In this celebration of Islam’s “interconnected artistic, religious and scholarly traditions,” visitors can view more than 150 Qurans, calligraphy albums, poetry collections, prayer books and maps spanning the 9th to 19th centuries, the Yale Library said. These works hail from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia and North America, and the exhibition delves into how the manuscripts and the “ideas they contain” were “transmitted and disseminated” around the world. (through Aug. 10)
