As part of Arrowstreet's work at the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square, their graphics team designed a mosaic featuring an interpretation of the City of Boston created entirely out of hardcover books. After developing a template to determine sizes, colors and quantities, Arrowstreet (Boston) sourced over 1,000 books, which were purchased from a local used bookshop or donated for the project.

Each book was scanned and placed into an Illustrator file to create a template. This allowed Arrowstreet designers to see the entire mural, refine details and move books around easily, while protecting the books for the installation. The full-sized mural was then laid out for a final check. Each book was numbered to indicate its location on the template, before everything was sent to the fabricator to be sealed, sprayed and securely attached to backer panels for installation.

Several Arrowstreet staffers recently attended an event on "The Future of the Library," where, as Megan Carriere and Jody Chan wrote on Arrowstreet's website, "The panelists challenged the audience to consider the future of the library and the future we want for the space where we connect with knowledge."

The mosaic is another innovative and engaging piece of art for the Boston Public Library, which celebrated the grand reopening of the Central Library on July 9th.