The Library of Water occupies the old town library building on the hill above Stykkishólmur's harbour — a prominent white structure visible from most of the town. American artist Roni Horn installed the permanent work here in 2007: twenty-four tall glass columns, floor to ceiling, filled with water drawn from Icelandic glaciers. The light through the glass columns shifts as weather and time change outside, and the effect is simultaneously minimal and strange.
The floor is inscribed with Icelandic and English weather-related words, inviting visitors to sit and read them while experiencing the light play of the installation. The building itself, perched on the rock above the harbour, has panoramic views of Breiðafjörður and its islands. There is a small donation requested. It's one of the more thoughtfully placed pieces of public art in Iceland, and the setting — a disused library building repurposed as both gallery and lookout — makes the experience better than it might sound on paper.