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In the collection of works by members of the Oulipo, All That Is Evident Is Suspect, there is a marvellous article by Paul Braffort called Imaginary Libraries. In case you’re not familiar with it, the Oulipo is a French writing movement which works on the basis of constraints. The word “Oulipo” is an acronym meaning (approximately) “workshop of potential literature”.
Braffort posits the following kinds of library, among others:
Imaginary real libraries. These are libraries composed of real books, but owned by a literary character.
Real imaginary libraries. These are imaginary books or authors that have been cited in real books.
The alphabetical library.
The geographical library, containing books such as East of Eden and All Quiet On The Western Front.
The chromatic libray, with books like A Clockwork Orange, Fifty Shades of Grey.
The Daily LIbrary, with books like The Man Who Was Thursday.
I think this is an interesting exercise, the attempt to think of different kinds of library. I might add this to the list of things I’ll be covering in my Creative Writing Using Constraints course, which I’m hoping will go ahead on the 21st June 2025.
You may enjoy this sketch by The Two Ronnies.