Libraries are cornerstones of civic space, providing a free hub for learning and ideas. But with the rise of the internet, the role of the library has come into question all over the world and things are changing. American architectural photographer Elizabeth Felicella has spent the past eight years riding public transit to all 211 library branches in New York city, photographing not only their architecture and their nooks and crannies, but also the little adaptations that librarians and custodians have conjured to better retrofit the space to changing times.

she argues that these buildings are not only historically significant—they are also living reflections of the communities they serve.
Read more about her series, Reading Room, here.