I’ve long had a soft spot for books about the movies. My space-challenged loft features a shelving unit, embarrassingly overstuffed from floor to ceiling, dedicated to the topic — from collections of critical essays and reviews to interviews with or biographies on filmmakers to wide-ranging histories of an art form that’s still in its relative infancy.  

The Lloyd Library doesn't receive as much foot traffic as the public library a few blocks away. Most people probably don't realize that its quiet Plum Street building houses a phenomenal collection of medical, botanical, natural history and travel books dating as far back as the 15th century. Book artist Kate Kern served as artist-in-residence at the Lloyd Library over the summer, and works of art resulting from her stay, made mostly by non-artists, are now on view through Dec. 30.