A Christmas tree with a certain special difference has been created at Bath’s Central Library this year.
Using volumes usually kept in the library store the ‘tree’ was built by Katie Whelan-Jones a member of staff at Bath Central Library who is also an illustrator and artist.
The books have been placed on top of each other to form the cone-shaped tree which is topped by a paper star made from an ex-library book. The whole structure stands at around 180cm and contains approximately 200 volumes – most of which are copies of Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates from the 1970s.
Julia Burton, Development Manager at Bath Central Library, said: “We were inspired by an image of a similar tree made by a library in the USA. Once we had identified the most suitable set of books to use Katie devised the best method of construction and we were able to build it fairly easily.
“Visitors to the library have been really interested in the finished tree, looking to see the titles of the books and asking us about how it has been constructed. We’re already thinking about what we can follow it with next Christmas!”
No glue or other fixing device has been used so the books can all be returned unharmed to the library shelves in the New Year.
Councillor David Dixon (Lib-Dem, Oldfield), Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, added: “This imaginative Christmas tree is well worth a look while you’re browsing for books, checking out a DVD or surfing the free WiFi at Bath Central Library. It’s also a great excuse to take a break from the Christmas shopping and discover what’s on offer at Bath & North East Somerset Council’s libraries.
“We hope that it will inspire people to participate in our upcoming ‘Recycle an Ex-Library Book Competition’ which will launch in spring 2013.”
