One sustainability adage goes: “The greenest building is the one already built.” This section highlights libraries that started life in other forms, as well as renovations that adapted what was already there rather than starting over with new construction. Click on photos or names for more information about each library.
The library is more than a place for books. It’s a place for people and a place for the community. This final section of the Library Design Showcase highlights new or renovated facilities that offer a cozy place for patrons to read, to gather, and to connect with their community and the world. Click on … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2011: Community Living Rooms
Many libraries offer vibrant and fun spaces to entice children and turn them into lifelong learners. Libraries are also recognizing that teens have different needs, including technology, flexible and collaborative space, and a separate area where they can be themselves. This section highlights some of the impressive new children’s and teen’s spaces in libraries. Click … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2011: Children’s and Teen’s Spaces
Bold signage—and more subtle cues—can help patrons find their way. These facilities use color and other techniques for both wayfinding and to create dramatic, energetic environments. Click on photos or names for more information about each library.
The trend towards building greener continues unabated. Features like green roofs, solar panels, landscaping to manage stormwater, and certification under the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program are becoming almost commonplace. Another feature that’s gaining popularity: geothermal well systems that use the relatively stable temperature of the ground … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2011: Sustainable Construction
A careful choice of construction material can enhance the performance and aesthetics of a building. These facilities offer examples of how the choice of material contributes to the final product. Click on photos or names for more information about each library.
Not many libraries restrict themselves to offering “traditional” library services. These are examples of how buildings support innovative library programming—or how they support everyday functions in a novel way. Click on photos or names for more information about each library.
Officials of two Colorado libraries announced March 16 that they will be adding to their catalogs e-books that are published by members of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA). The Red Rocks Community College Library and Douglas County Library also revealed that by June they plan to launch click-through links so interested patrons can purchase … Continue reading Two Colorado Libraries Break New E-book Ground
Christine Wigfall Morris, affectionately known as Miss Chris, was hired by the City of Clearwater, Florida, in July 1949 as its first African-American librarian. Prior to working for the city, she had never been inside a public library because local segregation practices did not encourage African Americans to visit one. Now at 88, she has … Continue reading Christine Wigfall Morris and Barbara Sorey
A new library facility at Drexel University in Philadelphia is “the first step toward embedding the libraries across campus,” according to Dean of Libraries Danuta Nitecki. The 3,000-square-foot Library Learning Terrace will be located on the ground floor of one of the campus’s residence halls. The space is intended to facilitate learning, rather than just … Continue reading Learning Terrace To Embed Library throughout Drexel Campus
More and more, publishers, database providers, and other corporate content proprietors are taking steps to replace the traditional benefits of ownership with the rigorously controlled provisions of licensing. Known as terms of sale (TOS) or end-user license agreements (EULAs), these licenses uniformly stipulate who can (and can’t) use a certain product and how that product … Continue reading Must We Abide?
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz joined Wisconsin’s librarians March 6 as they again assembled to march to the State Capitol in opposition to Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill (PDF file), whose passage would dramatically curtail collective bargaining rights for public-sector employees. “I was proud to join librarians to march to the Capitol and fight Scott Walker’s … Continue reading Madison’s Mayor Joins Librarians’ Labor-Rights Rally
