As teacher-librarians, we work hard to do it all: provide dynamic programming, protect intellectual freedom, purchase the best new books, collaborate with colleagues, and hone our reader’s advisory skills so we can hand the perfect book to our patrons right when they need it.

It’s a lot. 

By the time the end of the school year rolls around, I am yearning for a break. Rather than thinking of summer vacation as time off, I think of it as active recovery time. Like other educators, I use this time to take care of home projects and tasks I didn’t find time for during the school year, but I think it’s equally important to relax and find joy as a form of self-care.

Woman standing in ornate library

Monastery library in Füssen, Germany

When I am in relaxation mode, you will often find me on my screened-in porch, stretched out on comfy cushions with an ice-cold lemonade and a good book.

I try to find a balance of doing things I need to do, relaxing, and doing things that bring a sense of wonder and delight. Travel and books are two of my favorite things, so if I can combine them, that is the ultimate recipe for joy.

When I travel, I am always looking for “bookish” places. This could be a bookstore, library, literary-themed museum exhibit, or coffee shop. Whether the bookish place is in my hometown or across the globe, it always energizes and renews me to see other people appreciate and revere books like I do.

In June I had the opportunity to travel to central Europe. While there, my quest for bookish places led me to amazing historical libraries, university and public libraries, bookstores, and streetside community book boxes.

All of them provided a spark of joy that filled my cup, leaving me feeling uplifted and hopeful.

 

In the Czech Republic, my tour guide at Prague’s Clementium Baroque Library and Astronomical Tower described the library as a “cathedral of books.” The Clementium, a former Jesuit college, is a complex where Albert Einstein taught and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed music. The library, which has been called one of the most beautiful in the world, was founded in 1556 and houses 27,000 volumes according to the Prague City Tourism website.



I was in awe of not only the beauty of the space, but also the respect and reverence the caretakers and visitors alike showed the library. I was struck by the stark contrast between this elevation and preservation of knowledge and what we see happening with increasing book bans in the United States where information and ideas are sometimes feared, demonized, and censored.

Of course book banning is not a new concept. Our guide shared that yes, some books were banned in the early history of the Clementium Library, and there was at least one title that was preserved in the library collection while other copies had been burned.

Seeing books carefully preserved in awe-inspiring, historic places lifted my spirits and made me feel more hopeful about our fight as librarians to preserve and share knowledge and ideas. Being there brought me #bookjoy.

So no matter what recharges your battery and gives you joy, I hope you find it.

Have you visited any special #bookishplaces? If so, I’d love to hear about it!

 

Bibliography

“The Clementinum Astronomical Tower and Baroque Library | Prague City Tourism.” Prague City Tourism, 23 Oct. 2024, prague.eu/en/objevujte/the-clementinum-astronomical-tower-and-baroque-library/. Accessed 15 July 2025.

Dimitriou, Elena. “THE INFINITY BOOK TOWER in PRAGUE – Seretravel.” Seretravel, 9 Feb. 2022, seretravel.com/the-infinity-book-tower-in-prague/?lang=en. Accessed 15 July 2025.