Robert Dawson's photographs have been recognised by a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize. He is an instructor of photography at San Jose State University and Stanford University.
"A book for anyone with a deep and abiding love of libraries.
Dawson's latest project is a powerful argument for the continued
relevance of our public libraries as information and community
centers, even as libraries adapt to changing technological and
budgetary landscapes." - Library Journal
"Dawson's project makes a powerful case for how public libraries
serve communities in every corner of the country." - The New
Yorker's Page Turner blog
"For book lovers, library denizens, and fans of architecture or
Americana, The Public Library is a delight." - The Christian
Science Monitor
"If you think all public libraries look pretty much the same, well,
you need to take a look at this book. Oh, sure, there are plenty of
grand ones, such as Philadelphia's own Central Library on the
Parkway. But we also have the Fishtown Community Branch, featured
in this volume, which used to be a firehouse and, before that, a
stable. There's also the log cabin library in Cable, Wis. And many,
many more, both grand and humble." - Philadelphia Inquirer
"Rich imagery of libraries across the national and cultural map,
from cherished landmarks of the heartland to a Death Valley trailer
parked in shade to lessen the heat. Add thoughtful text from the
likes of Barbara Kingsolver to Amy Tan, and Dawson's subject goes
beyond buildings to celebrate the civic realm." - San Francisco
Chronicle
"The Public Library is absolutely wonderful in its entirety, at
once an ode to the glory of our most democratic institutions and a
culturally necessary prompt to defend them like we would defend our
freedom to live, learn, and be-a freedom to which the library is
our highest celebration." - Brain Pickings
"This beautifully crafted book celebrates public libraries across
the U.S. in both color and black and white images captured by
photographer Dawson over an 18-year period. Artfully arranged in
such chapters as 'Civic Memory and Identity' and 'Literature and
Learning, ' the book includes a foreword by Bill Moyers and an
afterword by Ann Patchett.. Dawson goes beyond the physical
structures and touches on how viscerally and nostalgically
Americans feel about public libraries, and suggests that, as a
culture, we depend on them more than we know." - Publishers
Weekly
"This collection of photographs and texts of and about
libraries--grand or dead, faded or sumptuous--make up a narrative
that combines the public sphere with private memory. Robert
Dawson's work is an irrefutable argument for the preservation of
public libraries. His book is profound and heartbreakingly
beautiful." -- Toni Morrison
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