I won’t lie: I love libraries—especially art, architecture, and design libraries. When I was 4-and-a-half years old, I ran away from home, heading straight to the public library children’s room—it was full of beautifully illustrated picture books. As a high school student, my first job was as a helper in the town library, which had a great selection of illustrated periodicals. At Cooper Union, I had a job in the art library and worked with one of the legendary librarians of the time, Gerd Muehsam, who later went on to the New York Public Library.

Today, I frequent several libraries in New York, both for inspiration and as quiet places to work. One of my favorites is the International Center of Photography Library, located in the School at ICP. There is always a well-thought-out window exhibition, with books and objects selected along an unusual theme, which can be taken off the shelf and perused. There is also a nice conversational buzz in the background; no shhhssshhhing here. Information.

I recently received an announcement about the Fleet Library at Rhode Island School of Design, which received a $50,000 National Forum Grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS) to hold a symposium this week titled "Materials Education and Research in Art and Design: A New Role for Libraries." This is incredibly inspiring; read on:

From the press release: From June 6 to 8, 2013, this unprecedented summit will convene international stakeholders, including artists, architects and designers, educators, researchers and librarians, to focus on the resources and documentation that are required to prepare art and design students for knowledgeable, responsible, and innovative use of materials in their professional work. Participants, including designers in the field, will speak to the current practical and expansive needs for information about materials; in addition faculty now teaching in art and design institutions will articulate the support they need to develop and collect material knowledge and share it to their students.

Librarians in the process of building collections and databases of material samples will also be on hand to speak to the issues they have encountered. Respondents and other participants from the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) schools with materials collections, as well as faculty and librarians from these and other AICAD schools and university art and architecture programs at non-AICAD institutions will attend the forum. The symposium includes an evening keynote and reception, a day of sessions, and a half-day workshop. A white paper will serve as a record of the symposium and a guiding resource for the creation and development of materials collections. Information.