Over the past year, Thibaud Poirier has traveled all across Europe to capture 25 of the world’s most magnificent libraries. From the opulent Literature Room, of the Library of Sorbonne, in Paris, to the minimalist and modern architecture of the Grimm Zentrum Library in Berlin, these images are utterly captivating. The spaces also seem colossal beyond imagination, especially when empty of people. I can’t wait to see the Paris based photographer continue to add more libraries to his ongoing series. In the accelerated digital age we’re living in, it’s especially important that we value these most vital institutions.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Salle Labrouste, Paris

Grimm Zentrum Library, Berlin

Bibliothèque de la Sorbonne, Salle Jacqueline de Romilly, Paris

Palàcio Nacional de Mafra, Mafra

Bibliothèque de l’Hotel de Ville de Paris, Paris

Stadtbibliothek, Stuttgart

Trinity College Library, Dublin

El Ateneo, Buenos Aires

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris

Biblioteca Casanatense, Rome

Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra

(via MyModernMet)