Freckles of highlight break through the shadows to cast interesting patterns on the miniscule, well-kept public library in Norman, Arkansas. Despite the welcoming “open” sign, the padlock on the door told us no-way today. The building is a popular target for photographers.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Pine Buff, Arkansas
On July 18 in year of our Lord 2015, I made a trip to the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains in west-central Arkansas to photograph the cute, quaint, and unique public library building at Norman, Arkansas. It is a small building, but you'll find it sitting by its li’l ol’ self in an two-city-block square all of its own.
Norman Library is a popular target for Arkansas photographers and outlanders who stumble across it. I arrived in Norman in the mid-afternoon to discover the normally ignored back of the building nicely lit by the afternoon sun. The preferred front view was buried in back-lit shadows.
Neat and Orderly
The library is open for business only three days a week. I glimpsed through the glass in the locked front door. It appeared to be as neat on the inside as it is on the outside.
I vowed at the moment to return during morning hours. Turns out, the return trip was a week later. I arrived in the area on Friday night to be ready to rock Saturday morning. Not long after sunrise I discovered that the front of the building, despite facing east (more or less), was steeped in shadows cast by trees on the grounds. Tree shadows make interesting patterns, however, and are not nearly as visually cruel as the black-hole-of-Calcutta back-lit shadows cast by a setting sun.
Little Building, Expansive Lawn
The library is enfolded by what appears to be a two-block square that it calls home. The square is well tended, litter-free, and visually inviting.
In the Waning Hours
The other pictures are Saturday morning exposures. This one depicts a scene in the waning hours of Friday. A fresh breeze kept Old Glory fluttering.
Unfortunately, I know little of the provenance of the library, other than the obvious. It looks like it has been there for “quite a spell,” and has survived nicely because local townspeople wanted it to do so. I heard through the grapevine on the streets of Norman that supporters are actively seeking grants targeted to such institutions to fund further preservation and improvements. Good luck folks, keep on keepin’ on.
