A Beautifully Nostalgic Photo Series on Expired Library Books
Reading a book can often be a solitary venture. But reading a library book is a communal act. By checking out a volume, the reader becomes part of the history of the object, adding wear and tear and marking the checkout card with their name or a due date. For photographer Kerry Mansfield, library books are full of stories and are part of a disappearing shared experience that deserves to be studied and chronicled. Her photo series Expired captures former library books, showcasing the unique traits they’ve gained during their time in circulation. Mansfield photographed over 180 books to create the 175 photographs in the series. (She plans to shoot 75 more.) Seventy-three of the images have been collected into a book, each copy with its own library check-out card and envelope in the front.
1/9The afternoons that Mansfield spent in her elementary school library as a child sparked her interest in library books. “I remember reading the list of names that had come before me and cradling the feeling that I was a part of this book’s history and its shared, communal experience exposed by curlicue handwritten names and room assignments revealing repeat customers devouring the book beyond its deadline,” she says in her artist statement for the series.
2/9The series captures the parts of the library experience, such as check-out cards, that have been phased out by bar codes and e-books.
3/9The artist wanted to capture the imperfect beauty of the well-worn and well-loved volumes.
4/9According to Mansfield, the images are akin to the post-mortem photos of the Victorian Era.
5/9The artist tracked the views and close-ups taken of each book, marking a card with interesting details such as stains or torn pages.
6/9Mansfield shot a copy of Old Yeller, which had become worn to the point that the title had to be hand-written on the spine.
7/9The series also showcases cover and dust-jacket design during the mid–20th century.
8/9The books were shot against a black background and have origins in libraries across the country, from Ashland, Ohio, to Beverly Hills, California.
9/9The series includes a large number of children’s books including classics such as Charlotte’s Web (1952), Madeline in London (1961), and a volume from the Babar series.
