Thursday, February 27, 2014

Scranton Public Library Periodicals Room


As we are finishing up with our final changes to the Centennial Book Collection that we will be launching soon, I wanted to point out one of my favorite pictures of the Reference Room at the library. The formal name of the room above is the Barrel Vault Room because of its wonderful concave ceiling. When the library was built the floor was open to the downstairs. In this picture you can view the beautiful railings and lighting that was in the room. As the library needs changed the floor was closed and its now the Periodicals Room.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Photo of the Silkman House

This is from the History of the Scranton Public Library Collection. The photo is undated, but the presence of street car tracks would place it in the first half of the 20th Century. Built by Aaron Burr Silkman in 1840, the Silkman House served as the residence of various Silkman family members until 1938 when the property and building were given to the Scranton Public Library. It served as the Providence Branch of the library until 2006. It currently houses the library's Technical Services Unit and the Lackawanna River Corridor Association.