A poem as lovely as a tree...

Each year, libraries worldwide receive countless millions of donated books from people showing support for their communities. This is the story of some truly unique books donated anonymously to libraries around Edinburgh, Scotland earlier this year. The first paper sculpture, pictured above, was left on a table at the Scottish Poetry Library. This "poetree" had a tag addressed to the library's Twitter account reading:

It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree…We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books…a book is so much more than pages full of words...This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…a gesture (poetic maybe?)

Then, in June, the National Library of Scotland received a similar piece. Made from a copy of Ian Rankin's Exit Music,this sculpture was also left anonymously.

Later that month, the Filmhouse received this altered book:

 

And the Scottish Storytelling Centre found this dragon nesting in a window in early July.

The tag on this last gift read:

For @scotstorycenter - A gift in support of libraries, books, works, ideas...Once upon a time there was a book and in the book was a nest and in the nest was an egg and in the egg was a dragon and in the dragon was a story.

Making a donation to your local library is a wonderful way to support the countless programs they have available. Here in Des Plaines, the Friends of the Library give generously of their time and effort, working to turn donated books into opportunities like summer reading club prizes and magnifiers for the visually impaired, to name only a few. If those delicate little masterpieces in Scotland inspire more of us to support our community libraries, they are magical gifts indeed.

To see more photographs and learn more about the amazing works of art in Edinburgh click on Mysterious Paper Sculptures posted to Central Station by chrisdonia, and brought to us by our own Roberta Johnson (and Neil Gaiman).