(via) This animation from StoryCorps illustrates a story told by Ronald Clark, whose father was the janitor at the Washington Heights branch of the New York Public Library in the 1940’s.

Back then, the custodian had an apartment inside the library, which is to say that after hours they had the place to themselves. In “The Temple of Knowledge”, Clark relates what it was like to slip away from his bed in the middle of the night to explore.

“A story for anyone who’s ever dreamt of having unrestricted access to books.”