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| “Tridecahedron.” by Emily Coleman Decker Library |
Modern Art Dessert is mine to take home, for at least three weeks. Until February 16, this was a mystery, a non-thought, a complete unknown. Perhaps I should clarify. Modern Art Dessert is a cookbook available for checkout from the library at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).
I know that as a UB staff and student I am allowed to check out books from MICA’s Decker Library as it is part of the Baltimore Area Library Consortium (BALC). I know that Goucher, Stevenson, Loyola, Notre Dame and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) are part of that same consortium. I knew that MICA had tons of art books. I knew that MICA had some non-art books. What I didn’t expect were the fascinating titles I found when I finally went to explore.
I found Korean, Greek, French and even British cookbooks. I discovered The Urban Cookbook: Creative Recipes for the Graffiti Generation. Of course, in retrospect, I realize that if I were going to find that book anywhere, I was going to find it there.
I suppose I could find The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People who Read Them at some other library, but lucky for me, I found it at MICA, right around the corner.
Craft books ranged from arts of ancient times to The Cult of Lego. I think that Scandinavian Design in the Doll House was in the architecture section or was it interior design?
Out of Our Minds and F NISH TH S B K were found in the philosophy section amongst other books on how to kick start creativity. I think just reading the titles kick started mine.
I even found one book that reminded me of home.
My home at UB, that is. MICA’s library has a copy of Rules for the Unruly, written by Marion Winik, a professor of creative writing at the University of Baltimore.
I didn’t have to check that one out, though. I already own a copy and mine is signed by the author.
I did leave with three books, though.
And I’ll be back for more.
I’m also looking forward to exploring Goucher’s Library, which I’ve heard has the largest Jane Austen collection in the United States. The collection includes all of Austen’s first British and English editions and some Italian and Dutch editions of Pride and Prejudice that were printed in the 1950’s, among other treasures.
After that it will be time to explore the other BALC libraries. Who knows what else I’ll discover?
As published in The UB Post, February 25, 2014