15 Nov The New Library

Posted at 06:00h in POV by kod-wma

Point of View:

The New Library—Beyond Borrowing Books

Libraries are in the news—and not about their demise—but about the importance of libraries that extends far beyond just lending books. A recent piece in The New York Times, “To Restore Civil Society, Start with the Library,” observes that libraries are not facing irrelevance—just the opposite. In many cities “library circulation, program attendance and average hours spent are up.” Eric Klinenberg, the author of the NYT article notes the importance of libraries:

“Libraries are an example of what I call ‘social infrastructure’: the physical spaces and organizations that shape the way people interact. Libraries don’t just provide free access to books and other cultural materials, they also offer things like companionship for older adults, de facto child care for busy parents, language instruction for immigrants and welcoming public spaces for the poor, the homeless and young people.”

Research by the American Library Association shows that children who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue using the library for lifelong learning. From pre-school story hours to homework centers, libraries expand learning opportunities for children and help to engage parents in their child’s literacy development.

The value of libraries as social infrastructure is especially high in less advantaged communities where residents, young and old, have limited access to books, trips, learning experiences and technology. Withee Malcolm Architects has been working with developers, community leaders, local library systems and consultants to design libraries that meet the expanded needs and aspirations of residents in these communities. New public libraries in Bloomington, CA and Willowbrook, CA, which replace outdated branches, are examples of an evolving model where the library is both an integral part of an affordable housing development and a valuable asset for the larger community.

The Bloomington Branch Library is located at the heart of a residentially anchored, mixed-use community, Bloomington Grove for families and Lillian Court for seniors. San Bernardino County included the public library branch as part of the original program for the intergenerational development in the belief that library would not only serve community residents, but also help to catalyze future development in the district.

The 6,500-square-foot library is designed to serve multiple generations of users, with special areas for different age groups: children, teens and adults. The entire library is light and airy with ample stacks, computers and a variety of comfortable seating. Librarians maintain a busy, interactive social program for all ages including reading, speakers and group activities.

The Willowbrook project optimizes the use of County property to provide housing for over 100 seniors, library, learning and community spaces under one roof. The 8,000-square-foot library, the first in Los Angeles County to be in a mixed-use building, includes: reading areas for adults, teens, and children; early childhood and family areas, a shared community room, with audio visual equipment that can be configured as a training/classroom, programming space, group study rooms, a workforce center, public restrooms, support areas, staff areas, laptop kiosk machines, information pod, public access computers, Wi-Fi, and parking. The library is equipped with a “Technology Station” that offers free use of all computers in the adult area, a Homework Center in the children’s library and the teen’s area. The Group Study Rooms are also equipped with a wall mounted projector and a white board with inputs and controls for remote conferencing.

The new generation of libraries create active social centers that serve their communities in multiple ways, giving everyone access to books and technology and, perhaps more importantly, to other people through their programs. They also provide their users with the opportunity to build lifelong relationships with reading and enduring personal memories such as Susan Orleans describes in her recent New Yorker article, “Growing Up in the Library,” “The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.”