Did You Know? You Can Get Free Coloring Pages From Libraries & Museums

A therapeutic wave of childhood nostalgia just washed over us, and this sudden flashback is all because of The New York Academy of Medicine Library’s #ColorOurCollections social media campaign.

Our minds have ventured back to a moment in our childhoods where we had just realized that coloring with crayons was way better than tasting them. According to Curbed, the library has made available a collection of printable pages based on works housed in libraries and museums in the US and abroad specifically for the public’s own coloring pleasure.

While doodling certainly has its place on the hierarchy of activities to calm a restless mind, we can think of a few reasons to take advantage of this unique opportunity to experiment with the adult coloring book trend.

For one, the printable sheets won’t cost you anything, not to mention they’re far more creative than the random, indistinguishable scribbles that our sub-conscious minds produce (unless of course, you’re capable of creating more than a mess of squiggly lines, in which case, carry on).

Then, there are the various institutions taking part in this thoughtful coloring-centered project. The list includes Bodleian Library at Oxford University, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Library of Medicine, the New York Public Library, the University of Calgary and Williams College, as well as the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Research Center and the Folger Shakespeare Library, which are just two of the Smithsonian Library’s network of 21 specialized research institutions.

When participants are done brushing up on their coloring skills, the organizers of #ColorOurCollections invite them to use the hashtag to share their completed pictures on social media. So, go forth and color to your heart’s content. And don’t be afraid to convince your followers that your favorite historical figure would’ve looked awesome with purple hair.