EX LIBRIS AD MEMORIAM
A kiosk of library memories that leads you to hunt for unexpected books
Ex Libris Ad Memoriam playfully shares quotes from oral history interviews and invites visitors to search for an associated book amongst the shelves of the Arts and Social Sciences library at the University of Bristol.
We worked with a team of PhD researchers who interviewed current students, staff and alumni of the university to gather stories about libraries. We then worked with computer scientists to playfully analyse the interviewees' quotes, scoring them under the following criteria; People, Work, Humour, Place, and Time. We used the results to select a book from the ASSL library that resonates with the quote.
Visitors are encouraged to choose a quote, printed on the pink bookmarks, and go on an adventure to find the associated book. Having found the book, the bookmark can be slipped inside for another user to find. Visitors can also post their own library memories or write feedback on a new bookmark and post it through the slot!
“In a world full of unknowns, I found libraries in Bristol always reliable... Libraries have the power to do a lot, and they should do a lot.”
The project, which was commissioned by the Brigstow Institute, encourages people to think about the importance of libraries, both personally and also as public spaces, with a specific kind of social interaction. Historical uses of libraries are celebrated whilst also considering the role of libraries in the future. The quotes share memories about the university libraries, public libraries, mobile libraries and include childhood memories associated with libraries.
The quote analysis was linked into the library catalogue to help select a book from the ASSL that relates in some way to the characteristics of the quote. The results are sometimes surprising, humorous and tangential, offering visitors the opportunity to delve into an unexpected book during their visit to the library.
An additional layer of engagement might come when another visitor deliberately searches for that book, and upon finding it, receives the gift of a pink bookmark and library memory, already inside, thereby illustrating how the library catalogue cycles through many users, and providing an explicit link between them.
Collaborators
Creative technologist: Pete Bennett
Fabricator: Aron Duckworth
PHD student researchers / story gatherers: Benjamin Park, Gillian Hurst, Eszter Vigh, Thomas Proudfoot, Pravin Kamble
PHD student researcher / creative technologist: Joshua Ramini
Special thanks to all the UoB students, staff and alumni for contributing their stories, and to Jez Conolly and the staff at ASSL Library for their help putting the project together.
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