Libraries – Thomas Guignard photography

Exterior of a brick modernist library, a symmetrical rectangular building with a bay of concrete-framed windows to the centre.

University of Windsor Leddy Library

At the foot of the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit, the modernist Leddy Library marks the University of Windsor's shift from its roots as a Jesuit college to a public university.

Exterior of a brick Modernist library. The words "G. Flint Purdy Library" are displayed in white letters on the facade.

Wayne State University Libraries

Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan is a fine example of an early modern American campus.

Interior of a Beaux-Arts library building, showing a large mural depicting the bust of a man holding allegories of scientific achievements.

Detroit Public Library

Cass Gilbert's Beaux-Arts masterpiece was a key element of Detroit's City Beautiful aspirations.

Biblioteca universitaria USI Lugano

This former hospice for the elderly witnessed the early years of artificial intelligence research before welcoming the library of a brand new university.

Library of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics BME-OMIKK

The grand reading room of the BME-OMIKK library in Budapest mixes medieval structural knowledge and 19th century engineering in a cathedral of knowledge.

Exterior of a contemporary library at nightfall. Each level is slightly offset from the others, resembling a stack of boxes. The top floor is cantilevered over the plaza below. The library is brightly lit from the inside.

Halifax Central Library

Halifax's living room is a beloved community asset and a striking symbol for a city punching above its weight.

Interior of a contemporary library, showing a thin steel and glass breezeway crossing a space with high bookshelves on either sides.

Biblioteca de México “Ciudadela”

From instrument of colonialism to citadel of knowledge, this massive library in the heart of Mexico City is a joyful labyrinth where to get lost in a good book.

Exterior of a contemporary library. It has a wavy concrete facade with clusters of small irregular windows on a glass pedestal.

Médiathèque La Passerelle, Vitrolles

This library near Marseilles is the face of urban renewal for a neighbourhood once blighted by rapid growth and destructive politics.

Exterior of a former mall movie multiplex converted into a library. It is a symmetrical brick Postmodern building. A blue sign with the words "Woodlawn Public Library" stands above the entrance. Cars are parked at the front. There is snow on the ground.

Woodlawn Public Library, Dartmouth NS

A former multiplex cinema in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, now serves as library branch and central technical processing for the Halifax Public Libraries.

Interior of a modern library, with a service counter at the back with the words "Retour" and "Prêt". To the left is a set of stairs leading to an elevated area with bookshelves. The words "Espace biblio" are written on a partition wall. To the right, an art print representing flowers hangs from a wall. The back wall is structured in a zigzag pattern, with T-shaped windows in each fold.

Bibliothèque la Mosaïque de la Pocatière

Opened for the 1967 Canadian Centennial, this Modernist theatre in a small Québec town now serves as the local public library.

Interior of a modern library with wood-panelled walls. It is a large room with rows of tables and large windows to the left. Students are working at the tables and computer workstations.

Bibliothèque François-Hertel, Cégep de la Pocatière

The library at Cégep de la Pocatière blends state-of-the-art equipment with mid-century elegance.

Exterior of a traditional French bastide house in a lush green park, with trees in the foreground.

Bibliothèque les Deux-Ormes – Aix-en-Provence

Near Cézanne's childhood home west of Aix-en-Provence, this former bastide serves as neighbourhood library since 1993.