Reading Room Book Talk: New and Reimagined Libraries of the American West

Lara Swimmer’s new book Reading Room: New and Reimagined Libraries of the American West documents a new generation of regional libraries that are redefining public space in the 21st century. Through text and photography, the book examines the libraries’ place and function in cities and rural communities alike.

Join Head Hi and Esto as we host photographer Lara Swimmer, writer Laura Raskin, and editor Jack Murphy for a conversation about Reading Room and the role of libraries in the digital age.

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Lara Swimmer shoots on assignment for architecture and design firms around the globe. With a background in documentary film, her approach to architectural photography starts with what she considers the "found object," real moments in the life of a room, space, streetscape, or building.

Her work has been featured in publications including Architect, Architectural Record, The New York Times, Dwell, Gray, Wallpaper*, among others. Lara’s images have been included in national and international exhibits, as well as appeared in numerous books. She has also contributed to and authored over five books with publisher Documentary Media, most notably, PROCESS: Seattle Central Library, INSPIRED: Churches of Seattle, and most recently from Artifice Press, READING ROOM, New and Reimagined Libraries of the American West, 2023.

Laura Raskin is a writer and editor who has covered architecture, urbanism, and design for 15 years. Her writing has been published in The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Metropolis, and numerous other publications. She was previously an editor at Architectural Record magazine and received her M.A. from Columbia University's School of Journalism. Laura recently transplanted her family from Brooklyn to the Green Mountains of Vermont.

Jack Murphy is Executive Editor of The Architect’s Newspaper and AN Interior. Previously he was the managing editor of these publications. Before joining AN, he was Editor of Cite: The Architecture and Design Review of Houston and an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. Murphy was Co-Editor-in-Chief of PLAT 8.0 Simplicity and the assistant editor for Totalization, edited by Troy Schaum and published by Park Books in 2019. He received an Honorable Mention for the Pierre Vago Journalism Award 2020 from the International Committee of Architecture Critics. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Art & Design from MIT and a Master of Architecture from Rice University. In addition to his work as an editor, writer, and educator, Murphy has contributed to award-winning architectural practices in Boston, Austin, Houston, and New York. He lives in Brooklyn.

Head Hi is an organization dedicated to art and design specializing in publications and cultural programming with an espresso bar located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn by the Navy Yard. We feature a curated selection of publications from around the globe. Working with local and international artists, designers, publishers, community members and organizations in various fields, Head Hi is a space for exploration and interaction that hosts talks, book launches, art shows, music performances and other events. 

Presented with Esto, an agency and archive founded by photographer Ezra Stoller. Esto provides vibrant images of the built environment and contemporary life. Assignment work includes still and video imagery. The photo archive provides a comprehensive survey of High Modern and contemporary architecture.