Library Books
By Rebecca Goodale
Portland, Maine: Rebecca Goodale, 1998 (26.7 x 27.9 cm.) Ink and collage on paper.

Working in a library, as I do, there is an attraction to images that reflect that environment and depict the landscape that is familiar to any librarian, particularly when depicted from an unusual perspective. The attraction of Rebecca Goodale's "Library Books" is that it presents an almost voyeuristic view of a library from outside through its panelled windows. The front cover, bound in cloth, opens to reveal two women inside the library, card cut-outs lent depth and perspective by the book's tunnel concertina design. Among a naive impression of library shelves, one woman is seated on a chair reading a book entitled "Paris". The other woman, standing, can be seen through a door frame behind her browsing the shelves. A vase of tulips sits on a small side-table behind which a standard lamp stands in the corner. Through the library's 'rear' window, a third woman is visible, sitting in an armchair with a book open on her lap. The quiet library scene is bright and colorful, the open windows inviting.