Artwork: Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), “Dream Series #5: The Library”, 1967, Tempera on board, Funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Collector’s Circle, the Henry D. Gilpin and John Lambert Funds, and the Pennsylvania Academy Women’s Committee, 1987.34.

Depicting activities ranging from introspection to animated discussion, Lawrence represents over thirty-five figures in this vibrant library scene orchestrated through a refined palette of reds, greens, yellows, and blues. Public libraries appear frequently as a subject in Lawrence's paintings, embodying a space where African Americans can access their identity, culture, and history. for Lawrence, Harlem's Schomburg Library played a critical role in his development, providing a facility where he could research such heroes of the African-American community as John brown, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Toussaint L'Ouverture, all of whom became subjects for Lawrence's work.