Description
Book SynopsisWith their cameras and notebooks in hand, photographers Sabine Schmidt and Don House embarked on an ambitious project to document the libraries committed to serving Arkansas’s smallest communities.
Remote Access is the culmination of this fascinating three-year effort, which took the artists to every region of their home state.
Schmidt’s carefully constructed color images of libraries and the communities they serve and House’s rich black-and-white portraits of library patrons and staff shine alongside the authors’ observational essays about their experiences. The pages here come alive with a deep connection to Arkansas’s history and culture as we accompany the authors on visits to a section of the Trail of Tears near Parkin, to the site of the tragic 1959 fire at the Arkansas Negro Boys’ Industrial School in Wrightsville, and to Maya Angelou's childhood school in Stamps, among many other significant destinations.
Through this testament to the essential role of libraries in the twenty-first century, Schmidt and House have created a clear-eyed portrait of modern rural life, delving into issues of race, politics, gender, and isolation as they document the remarkable hard work and generosity put forth in community efforts to sustain local libraries.
Table of Contents
- Series Editor's Preface
- PREFACE: A Word About Librarians
- INTRODUCTION: Walking to Fayetteville: One True Photograph • ROBERT COCHRAN
- PROLOGUE: The Guidance of Strangers • SABINE SCHMIDT
- 1. St. Paul Public Library: St. Paul, Madison County
- 2. Greenland Public Library: Greenland, Washington County
- 3. West Fork Municipal Library: West Fork, Washington County
- 4. Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library: Eureka Springs, Carroll County
- 5. Twin Groves Branch Library: Twin Groves, Faulkner County
- 6. Calhoun County Library: Hampton, Calhoun County
- 7. Smackover Public Library: Smackover, Union County
- 8. Kingston Community Library: Kingston, Madison County
- 9. Cotton Plant Branch Library: Cotton Plant, Woodruff County
- 10. McCrory Branch Library: McCrory, Woodruff County
- 11. Marked Tree Public Library: Marked Tree, Poinsett County
- 12. Cabe Memorial Public Library: Stamps, Lafayette County
- 13. Tollette Branch Library: Tollette, Howard County
- 14. Horatio-Garner Memorial Library: Horatio, Sevier County
- 15. Norman Library: Norman, Montgomery County
- 16. Millie M. Brooks Library: Wrightsville, Pulaski County
- 17. Driftwood Library: Lynn, Lawrence County
- 18. Parkin Branch Library: Parkin, Cross County
- 19. Ashley County Library: Hamburg, Ashley County
- 20. Conway County Library Bookmobile: Morrilton, Conway County
- 21. Charleston Public Library: Charleston, Franklin County
- EPILOGUE: The Kindness of Strangers • DON HOUSE
- Acknowledgments
- APPENDIX A: People and Places Photographed
- APPENDIX B: Technical Details
