Ever since fire consumed the Library of Alexandria, bibliophiles have been captivated by stories of epic endings to libraries. Madison, Wisconsin recently contributed a memorable ending, answering the question: “What would happen if we cleared all the books out of the Central Library, handed the debris-strewn three-story building over to a bunch of artists, live bands, and DJs, and invited the community to a giant one-day-only party?”
The answer was Bookless, which drew more than 5,000 people to the send-off event for Madison’s now-former downtown library. The Onion’s A.V. Club posted a Bookless video by jazz/rock band Lovely Socialite that does a nice job of capturing the feel of the event and some of the art (yes, the butterflies at 4:45 are made of microfiche), including the somewhat terrifying dragon skeleton leering over the “Bibliotheque Discotheque” in the basement and the pneumatic-tube powered “Ask the Oracle” booth.
For more on Bookless, see Madison Public Library’s Bookless a Hit and the MPL Foundation’s Bookless in the News.
—Marc Gartler, Madison Public Library
LibraryLab posts come courtesy of the American Library Association member interest group Library Boing Boing.