Re-thinking public library spaces with diversity and essential roles

Abstract

After the Internet was developed, public libraries started providing opportunities for many kinds of activities in addition to their traditional services, such as console games, making something in maker space, free Internet connection, and so on. Public library spaces have become more diverse to facilitate this change, and people can use them as free spaces. While this is an excellent way to increase the number of patrons, it seems that the share of people reading books is decreasing among the visitors. As libraries become more convenient and many people use them as free spaces, user interest in library materials is fading away, and thousands of materials have become just decoration.

My diploma thesis aims to reorganize public library spaces to promote the essential roles of a library along with the embraced diverse new functions of the public library. Today, when the public library becomes freely used for a broader array of uses than simply reading and borrowing books, we need to rethink the spaces connecting patrons and literature because just placing books on rows of shelves in the library is no longer enough to make anyone read them.

In the first part, I refer to current public library designs, concepts, and trends after the Internet has been commonized. I also discuss the future prospection of public libraries through a literature review to consider new public library designs. Secondly, I provide a brief review of design methodology, which approaches the interior and urban aspects to consider the optimal balance between diverse functions and essential roles. In the end, I show the new public library design in Fukushima City as an example of applying the methodology of my design approach.

Through this diploma thesis, I suggest a design approach from both interior and urban perspectives as one of the ways to rethink the library space and attempt to see how it creates architecture in the actual site.