This article, Civic Engagement Trumps ‘Shhh!’ in the NY Times is a must read!
How interesting that the very design of the building has the potential to bolster the image of the borough. Note also:
- “But Mr. Holl’s design is also a statement about the individual’s place in a larger communal framework…
- “The strength of this layout is that it allows Mr. Holl to balance the reader’s need for solitude with a strong sense of community.”
- “The views aren’t just pretty; they remind us that the intellectual exchange of a library is part of a bigger collective enterprise.”
Thank you, Mr. Steven Holl for recognizing what a handful of libraries and library students, like those in LIS418LE already know. Now let’s go out and wake up the rest of the profession!
This is the future for libraries – creating a communal framework both in physical and programming design, reinforcing a strong sense of community, and reminding that we are part of a collective enterprise. The sooner we embrace this critical role, the sooner we can move beyond the idea that “we can cut library budgets because everything you need is on Google.”
No other institution is better poised to fill this role than the library. And this is a time when the public is dying to feel a part of a collective, to feel grounded within their community.