Spreading the book content all over the library: a book-based exhibition

Abstract

In December 2018 an unusual exhibition was placed on the walls of the Nordic Library at Athens. We selected text extracts and images by Nordic travelers who visited Greece from the 18th to early 20th century and printed them in panels that would hang in all available walls. Several Nordics have been in Greece during that time, but their presence is barely known to the public. Furthermore the travelers’ books are not often used by the library’s regular users, who are mainly classicists and archaeologists. These publications provided the exhibition content that was taken from their pages and was placed around the library. The Books and journals that contain travelers’ writings were put together to a prominent spot to support the exhibition and help visitors find out more. The collection attracts a wide range of visitors since it is accessible and easy to perceive. We chose the most interesting text extracts and artwork (some travelers were artists) and this way we cast a light to a less known part of the collection and promoted the library itself. The poster will shortly explain the methodology of choosing the content and the format of presentation and will include photographic material.