Creating Custom Libraries

Christy Shannon Smirl wants to put a book in your hands. And on your shelves. And on your coffee tables. Founder and owner of Foxtail Books & Library Services in Jackson Hole, she is a private library curator, ready to work with homeowners within any space or budget to build and maintain custom libraries.

“Your home library should be brimming with books you love and that look great,” says Smirl, who has a master’s degree in library and information science. “Your home is filled with important objects like your favorite artwork, precious antiques and fine furniture. Shouldn’t your library be chosen and arranged with the same intention and care?”

Passionate about books and how they are displayed, Smirl helps homeowners select texts relevant to their personal interests, such as those in the library shown here. “The couple who owns the home are both scientists, so we selected books that tell the history of science.” Every volume in that section, from an 1860 encyclopedia to a 1939 chemistry and physics handbook, tells the story of scientific knowledge.

The library includes field guides and natural histories of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as well as classic literature, mysteries for casual reading and titles for the couple’s teenage children. “This is a foundational library,” Smirl says. “It’s intended that the family will build on it for years, until every inch of shelf space holds a book. I’ll be here to help them keep it polished, cozy and loved.”

Whether you’re organizing 1,000 cookbooks or creating space to showcase your favorite titles, Foxtail Books & Library Services fills a niche for Jackson Hole readers and bibliophiles who seek aesthetic function.