MS&R is beginning the design of a new regional library for the Louisville Free Public Library. As we all know, the future of the public library is in question (at least in the minds of many.) We want the new library to be both a reflection of the strong traditions of the library yet open up to the possibilities that the future hold. One scenario–which runs counter to what many architects have professed and built–is to accept that the library (which should reflect the patrons) should be physically bi-furcated into digital-analog domain that accepts the notion that one size does not fit all. (Note: a tag on a recently purchased hat: one size fits most.) We also acknowledge the current auto-responses to the siren calls of instant messaging; instant posting; parsing the world into 144 characters. Yet we somehow can not let our library buildings become an reflection of this techno-infatuation.
So–we pose the the question: “What do you think the library of the future should look like?” Post your comments here; on the facebook at http://tinyurl.com/ychscdq; on Twitter at msrltd.
2 Comments
As someone who’s used the library heavily in this recession…
The library isn’t just a repository of books.
If you want to look at the library of the future, you need to look beyond just their physical contents. It will take an understanding about what the library functions as for community and we can examine that through what the library does now.
You can break that down into 3 major categories.
1) Accessibility
2) Community Gathering.
3) Community Building.
1) Accessibility:
Libraries are an access point to the digital knowledge and resources available on the web at a HIGH SPEED of access that may otherwise be out of budget for the home.
When you look at the cost and availability to physical media at any retailer, anything beyond $10 a month can quickly grow to a week’s worth of groceries. The opportunity to access hundred’s of thousands of titles. Many of which aren’t available at retailers who only carry contemporary publications and authors.
2) Community Gathering:
Principally the library is a community gathering space for research and acquisition of knowledge. but when you really think about it, they may be the first public social networking site in the analogue world.
Libraries offer an opportunity to find community activities and resources that are otherwise unnoticed in our instant gratification world. They do this through something amazingly simple… Physical Bulletin Boards and a Public Address System. When you go to get a drink, there’s postings for local events and personal adds. When you travel to an area geared for job creation, there’s a listing of local resources.
3) Community Building
Libraries provide cultural exposure to different societies relevant to the community we are apart of locally. This includes clubs, speaking engagements, book readings, children’s story time, and topical discussions about current issues that provide a forum for discussion. This is the backbone of community building.
While many use the library in one respect or another, there is the OPPORTUNITY for growth and development of one’s awareness of our neighbors through these events.
My conclusion:
So if you want to keep the library relevant you have to look beyond the physical and understand the cultural relevancy of the place. When it comes down to it, the library is the gathering space for the public’s thirst for knowledge and community.
So how do we build on that.
Accessibility
If publications move more to digital copies. That doesn’t mean the price of either the devices to access that material or the bandwidth to download it will be be attainable to the public.
-What if a library had an army of iPads or other slate computers that access public licenses to digital works. The device would be “tethered” or secured against leaving the premises (via security tag or something that deactivates the device when beyond the range of the library)
Community Gathering:
The need for a place that offers publicly accessible gathering will always be there… if we foster it. In an age of Facebook and Twitter, there may be more need than ever to offer something that can’t be done in a virtual world. Perhaps it’s meeting people we don’t know, who share ideas, problems, or interests that are in common or in conflict.
3) Community Building:
While it’s nice to keep in touch and spy on my friends activities on my personal time and from the comfort of my own home. It still isn’t a replacement for in person communication. The relevance of nuance and subtly of intonation is hard to express in 144 characters.
So the need for opportunity to meet people from our local community still exists. The relevance of running into that familiar person at the grocer or bigbox, chain, or another “placeless” space, remains critical to making our community more relevant to us than ever.
Final Thought
While I can listen to 20 podcasts about Photography, and I can read and comment on hundreds of blogs about industry news and tips and tricks. There is still something about coming together at my monthly Camera Club, that I can’t get else where. There is a tangible benefit to getting to meet people who share a similar interest at a local happy hour.
The library is a place that can facilitate this type of interaction and community growth.
Ryan-thank you for your thoughtful comments. We will follow the threads on this and see what evolves; what commonalities there are; and where the differences emerge. Jeff