Small town libraries share something with the other transitional spaces I photograph. Even when vacant, they feel inhabited. Chairs pulled from tables, books returned to shelves, handwritten notices, worn floors, even a randomly underlined word in a book or a dog-eared page. The accumulated choices of generations of readers give these rooms a distinctly human presence. We come to libraries for something different. We enter looking for knowledge, curiosity, escape, or simply a quiet place to be. The objects surrounding us contain the thoughts and experiences of people we will never meet. I’m drawn to the quiet intimacy of these spaces, rooms where we can be alone while surrounded by the presence of others.

A wooden table with a clear plastic spoon and a blue and white pen on it.
Close-up of old green and brown hardcover books with gold and white lettering on the spines, showing years from 1954 to 1958.
Close-up of Marc Chagall's 'The Fiddler,' an oil painting depicting a fiddler in a vibrant, abstract setting, framed in an ornate gold frame, hanging on a beige wall.
A computer mouse and a keyboard on a wooden desk.
Close-up image of a beige upholstered sofa with a visible scratch and stain on the fabric.
Electrical wires connected to a floor outlet in a carpeted office or workspace, with some wiring tangled and a plant branch in the corner.
A top-down view of a bundle of colored pencils on a wooden surface.
A row of six green hardcover books with gold writing on the spines, stacked vertically next to three red books with black and white titles on the spine, and a white book with gold lettering on the spine, all on a wooden surface against a floral-patte
An old wooden cabinet with small drawers and labels on the left, next to a modern white multi-function copy machine or printer with three drawers, inside a room with wooden walls and a window with wooden blinds.
Bookshelves filled with books and a table with stacks of books near a window with closed blinds.
A wooden table with three cardboard boxes, a folded cloth, and a small wooden container labeled 'Scrap Cards' filled with pens and pencils, against a plain white wall. A vintage wall-mounted light fixture with two white glass shades is above.
A small model or print of a historic brick building with a front staircase, columns, and trees in bloom, placed on a wooden shelf against a dark wooden wall.
Close-up of a worn red hardcover book with a partially torn dust jacket and yellowed pages.
A row of five thick, hardcover books with yellowish-brown covers on a wooden shelf, labeled 'Biography'.
Books on a bookshelf against a bright green wall.