George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland

George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland

Often called a ‘cathedral of books,’ this library of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, is a fitting destination for International Literacy Day. Visitors will find some 300,000 volumes, most from the 19th century when the library was established as part of the Peabody Institute, the oldest music conservatory in the United States. Founder George Peabody intended for the collection to be free to the public, and administrators still honor his wish.