Beach Libraries
Beach libraries are popping up around the world. In Albena, Bulgaria, on the Black Sea coast, sits an open air library which boasts over 6,000 books in as many as 15 languages. Designed by German architect Herman Kompernas, the sprawling structure is made from a sun and wind resistant material, and protected by a drop-down vinyl cover for inclement weather. The library operates on an honor system: you can borrow a book for the entire duration of your vacation and return it at the end. Visitors are also encouraged to leave their own books for others to read.

Some beach libraries are just temporary. A one-day beach library, comprised of 30 full bookshelves, was constructed on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, in 2010 by IKEA to advertise its bookshelves. Surfers and swimmers could exchange their own books or leave a donation to The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation. Other beach libraries are more permanent. In 2014 a beach library, pictured below, opened on the family beach in Abu Dhabi, a project undertaken by the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Community Development.

Author Talk: Daniel S. Medwed, Barred
Sunday, July 30, 5:30 p.m.

Thousands of innocent people are behind bars in the United States. But proving their innocence and winning their release is nearly impossible. Legal scholar Daniel S. Medwed will speak about his groundbreaking exposé of how our legal system makes it nearly impossible to overturn wrongful convictions.

In Barred, Medwed argues that our justice system’s stringent procedural rules are largely to blame for the ongoing punishment of the innocent. Those rules guarantee criminal defendants just one opportunity to appeal their convictions directly to a higher court. Afterward, the wrongfully convicted can pursue only a few narrow remedies. Even when there is strong evidence of a miscarriage of justice, rigid guidelines, bias, and deference toward lower courts all too often prevent exoneration. Offering clear explanations of legal procedures alongside heart-wrenching stories of their devastating impact, Barred exposes how the system is stacked against the innocent and makes a powerful call for change.   Please visit here to register for this program.

Daniel S.?Medwed?is university distinguished professor of law and criminal justice at Northeastern University School of Law. A renowned?innocence?advocate, he?is?the author?of?Prosecution Complex: America’s Race to Convict and Its Impact on the Innocent. He lives in Sheffield and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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