Many libraries in the 21st century are changing their main focus from books in the print form to serve other needs of the community. Users are looking more for a place to work, to study or to gather rather than purely a place to find a book to read. One library director, Dan Gjelten, said “We’re moving books out and moving comfortable new furnishings in….and [also] replacing them with coffee shops.” Libraries have historically been a social institution and will continue to be so, but in a different physical environment.
This article mainly features architects discussing the physical changes of libraries. Architects are stating that the change of library design bridges across the divide of public and academic libraries. Both are serving the user needs for a place to come together, interact, and learn together. It is important to study exactly what the particular community needs in order to gain the funding for a large library design project like these. They also noted that with a smaller space for circulating materials, less full-time staff is necessary. This could contain costs to the new library spaces.
This article notes that one inspiring model of the change of library design to a community center is the central library in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The library has many amenities including a radio station, three restaurants, a bar and an organic market.
Here is the link to the full article;
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/buildingandfacilities/891656-266/changing_spaces_exploring_future_user.html.csp
Would your community benefit from a change in your public libraries design?
What are the negatives to losing space for physical materials circulating the library?
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/buildingandfacilities/891656-266/changing_spaces_exploring_future_user.html.csp
Would your community benefit from a change in your public libraries design?
What are the negatives to losing space for physical materials circulating the library?
Would you like a public library like the one noted in Amsterdam?
Kelley, M. (2011, September 27). Changing Spaces: Exploring Future User Needs, Sustainability, and Value: Library by Design. In Library Journal Archive. Retrieved November 6, 2012
The rural library I worked at was sufficient in size and design to accommodate the needs of the community. One of the negative aspects of losing space for physical materials is that users no longer have the option to explore the stacks to find an item that they might not otherwise come across. I think that users will adapt to the options that they have, and if they only have the option to browse for digital books, they will not want to look among the volumes for an item, but if the stacks still exist for the user to browse they will likely take advantage of the option. There is a balance of different kinds of immediacy when discussing electronic and print formats.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Josh, these changes in library design are not the best option for all libraries. You really have to assess one's particular community and what that community's needs are. Many communities need a gathering spot and creating one in the library is a good option.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Josh. I personally love being able to browse. Yes, the internet is amazing and there are good searching tools, but sometimes it isn't the same. I'm not sure how I would feel about a library like the one in Amsterdam. Parts of it seem really amazing and parts seem to take away from the idea of a library. Restaurants, bars, etc? Isn't the point of a library to have mostly free services? I feel like this may be things that take away from the idea of a library more than things like the internet and digitization do.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point Sara. Having places like restaurants or bars that charge the public might hurt the image of the library which provides free access to information. I'm not sure what lead to the creation of the Amsterdam library, but I'm sure the city felt the need for these facilities to be centralized.
ReplyDeleteI think this kind of redesign can work for larger libraries. They have the staff and community available to fill the new space with activities and also have enough space to still maintain sections of the library for quite browsing and reading.
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