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William Warren Library
The William Warren Library is a reference library open to the general public. It also offers a lending service to members for a small annual fee. Operated under the James H.W. Thompson Foundation, the library focuses on Asian arts, textiles and culture. As one might expect from the Foundation, the library is well managed, has excellent resources (in both English and Thai) and is suitably stylish and comfortable to visit. It is closely associated with the nearby Jim Thompson House Museum.
William Warren is a prolific author and has written extensively about Thailand and Jim Thompson. He has lived in Thailand since 1950 and worked as a lecturer at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University for more than 30 years. Not surprisingly, many of his publications on various aspects of Thai culture, the arts, and history can be found in the library.
Objectives
According to the official website, the William Warren Library has the following objectives:
- To enhance an understanding of Jim Thompson’s passion for Asian arts and culture through a variety of resources, including archival material on Jim Thompson and books assembled in the library itself.
- To promote activities of the Jim Thompson Art Center and the Jim Thompson House Museum.
- To serve as an archival center for all events organized by the Jim Thompson Art Center, the Jim Thompson House Museum, and the James H.W. Thompson Foundation.
- To serve as a research facility providing in-depth information on Asian textiles and such Thai art forms as painting, literature, sculpture, etc.
Library services
The library has two computers for database searches. It also has facilities to watch DVD documentaries and movies, of which there is a surprisingly varied and interesting collection.
Free wireless internet is available for visitors who bring their own notebook computers, and photocopying services are available for a small fee.
Opening hours
Tuesday to Saturday open from 09.00 - 17.00
Closed every Sunday and Monday, and national holidays.
Registration and membership
Library membership is not required to access the library. Anyone can visit, but to access the reading rooms and use documents, users must first register at the information desk and leave baggage in lockers.
For an annual fee of 500 baht, members of the William Warren Library are allowed to borrow from the general collection, Jim Thompson / The James H.W. Thompson Foundation Publications, Art Exhibition Catalogue and Contemporary Textbooks, back issues of magazines and multimedia. Borrowing is limited to a maximum of three items at a time for no more than 10 days. Members also receive other benefits including monthly newsletters and discounts on activities at the Jim Thompson Art Center.
Contact details
Website: http://www.thejimthompsonartcenter.org/
E-mail: library@jimthompsonhouse.com
Telephone: +66(0)2612 6741
Fax: +66(0)2219 2911
Address
The William Warren Library
4th Floor, Henry B. Thompson Building
6 Soi Kasemsan 2
Rama 1 Road
Wangmai
Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330
Thailand
Map
Getting there
Take the BTS skytrain to the National Stadium Station. The William Warren Library is just a short walk from the station.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to the library staff at The William Thompson Library for their help and granting permission to take photos when we last visited on January 16, 2010.
Comments
Do you know the opening times
Do you know the opening times for this library? Thanks.
What's my name?
For immediate press release
What's my name?
An artist's talk by Karl Holmqvist
Date: January 22, 2010
Time: 6 pm
At William Warren Library, The Jim Thompson Art Center
6 Soi Kasemsan 2, 4th Fl. Henry B. Thompson Bldg.
Swedish artist Karl Holmqvist will present his new artist's book What's My Name? (published by Bookworks, London 2009). It contains a selection of poems since twenty years of writing, and spoken word performance. Often using quotations from popular sources, Karl Holmqvist's writing can be said to form a collage, with individual bits recognizable from elsewhere but together forming a new whole. Karl Holmqvist also works with video and installation and will give some further examples of his artistic practice.
His solo exhibition included I´LL MAKE THE WORLD EXPLODE, Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch, Berlin, Entrevista con el Vampiro, Gaga ARTE CONTEMPORANEA, Mexico City, I'M WITH YOU IN ROCKLAND, Argos Arts, Brussels (2009); BOOMTOWN, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik (2008); 1999 Group exhibition included The Malady Of Writing, MACBA, Barcelona, Momentum 2009, Favoured Nations, 5th Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art, Moss*, Poor. Old. Tired. Horse., Institute Of Contemporary Arts, London*, For Fans and Scholars Alike, Westlondonprojects, London (2009); Manifesto Marathon, Serpentine Gallery, London (2008 ). He currently lives and works in Berlin and Stockholm.
http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/karl_holmqvist
http://www.bookworks.org.uk/asp/detail.asp?uid=book_6FAEFDFD-2FEC-498C-B...
For further information and confirmation pls. contact 02 2192911 or artcenter@jimthompsonhouse.com
This session is part of the Jim Thompson Artist in Residency Program, made possible by the James H.W. Thompson Foundation.
Nice library in central Bangkok
I've been there a few times and have always been impressed by the books and service. It's much nicer than many of the libraries I've used in England.
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