Modern libraries came into existence in 1851 when architect Henri Labrouste finished the Bibliothèque St. Geneviève in Paris. The two-story structure was the first library building with a central heating system and gaslight. Its reading room was open until 10 pm and seated 400 students. The reading room of the British Museum opened in 1857 and accommodated its regulars – among them Karl Marx – with an elaborate ventilation system. In 1858, Boston followed with its new public library. Ever since the nineteenth century, libraries developed into social institutions, catering not only for books but also for people. From our present point of view, dedicating a specific space for reading and writing seems obvious and unimportant at the same time. However, rather than a mere engineering of space, library architecture plays a larger role in global cultural history than even library lovers might suspect. (Text: Ulrich Johannes Schneider)

CARTE BLANCHE II – MY FAVOURITE LECTURE:

In these pandemic times, we would like to reward ourselves and our audience with four special treats: We have asked well-known researchers from various disciplines to present and discuss their favorite lecture with us.
We are looking very much forward to Sianne Ngai (University of Chicago), Carolin Meister(Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe),  Ulrich Johannes Schneider (Leipzig University Library) and Massimiano Bucchi (University of Trento).

In diesen pandemischen Zeiten möchten wir uns und unser Publikum mit vier Geschenken belohnen: Wir haben herausragende Forschende unterschiedlicher Disziplinen gebeten, uns ihren Lieblingsvortrag zu präsentieren und mit uns zu diskutieren. Die Vortragsreihe ist die internationale Fortsetzung der Reihe „Carte Blanche. Forschung aus der Nachbarschaft“ des Sommersemesters 2020.
Wir freuen uns sehr auf Sianne Ngai (University of Chicago), Carolin Meister (Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe), Ulrich Johannes Schneider (Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig) und Massimiano Bucchi (Universität Trient).