Nowadays, libraries tend to be open spaces with big windows, big tables, and lots of computers. They are as much a place to congregate and access databases as anything. This has not always been the case.
Gone, particularly in library facilities built in the last thirty years, are the nooks and crannies, winding halls and archways, and solid oak furniture. Gone are the spaces you can retreat from the world and absorb—much more than mere read—the thought of another writer. Gone is the tunnel where your mind connects with another mind through some kind of portal.
This image hints at the lost portal. First, the image presents the best wallpaper there is for the portal--the spines of books. The winding hall and archway of the image lets you know you walked through a portal to a nook and cranny. And the lamp in the image casts a protective wall around your space. Here the warmth and glow of the lamp lights the tunnel your mind travels to meet another mind in a book—a Box Of Organized Knowledge. You open the door and take the important step as you open the book and turn the page. The only sound you hear is the crinkle of the page.
All this requires the wallpaper, the winding hall and archway, the nook and cranny, and the small lamp. Have a good journey the next time you find yourself at this portal.
