Planning Public Library Buildings. Concepts and Issues for the Librarian

Citation

McNicol, S. (2007), "Planning Public Library Buildings. Concepts and Issues for the Librarian", New Library World, Vol. 108 No. 7/8, pp. 386-387. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074800710763707

Planning Public Library Buildings is intended to guide librarians through the preliminary information‐gathering and decision‐making process involved in the construction of a new public library building. It addresses the many challenges and issues faced including library mission and role, providing for lifelong learning, social inclusion, community and cultural needs, regeneration, funding, information technology and dual purpose buildings. The author acknowledges that each of these topics has a substantial literature in its own right, but in bringing these together, this book aims to “guide and enlighten the librarian's thought process”.

The book starts by discussing the mission and roles of public libraries against the background of social, economic and other changes. This is followed by a discussion of public library buildings in the context of the role of modern cultural buildings, for example their role in regeneration and renewal.

The current state of service provision, in particular the size and shape of static service points, is reviewed in chapter 3. The range of services provided, interior organisation and issues such as the role of central libraries and decentralisation are discussed here.

In chapter 4, the author argues that finding the right location is the principal factor in determining the success of a library. This chapter therefore considers the role of the librarian in deciding on the location and the factors involved in placing the library within a community. Dewe looks at shared, co‐located and integrated, as well as free‐standing, libraries. Options other than a new build are considered in chapter 5, for example, conversion, extension and refurbishment. This is followed by a section about sustainability, safety and security.

Chapter 7 looks in detail at the architect's brief and the librarian's role in writing this. It also describes the librarian's role in the later stages of the project including construction and making the building operational. Next, the author examines how library buildings can be designed to exemplify the qualities set out in the architect's brief, for example, flexibility, accessibility and comfort, and how these can be evaluated on completion.

The subject of chapter 9 is how the public library can be identified as such and the variety of design concepts, such as marketplace or living room, which can shape its image. The overall organisation and interior layout is the subject of chapter 10. The book concludes by examining the debate about the end of the book and the demise of libraries. It ends by looking at potential building role models from the UK and abroad.

It is claimed that Planning Public Library Buildings will be informative for funding authorities, librarians and architects of public libraries. Certain sections of the book, for example, the checklists and in particular the many case studies from the UK and overseas, would be valuable to a librarian in the early stages of planning a new library. Practitioners may well find this a useful book to dip into to find leads for particular topics of interest. Overall, however, Planning Public Library Buildings seems to be aimed more at library and information studies students. There is a great deal of contextual information and historical background that would be of interest to students or researchers in the field, but perhaps of less value to those with a practical focus. More practical advice from others who had gone through the process might have made this book of greater value to librarians rather than the fairly theoretical approach taken in some sections of this book. More illustrations – photographs and floorplans – would have been useful to illustrate some of the concepts described.

Overall, a valuable and comprehensive book on public library planning, but one which is likely to be more widely read within the academic community than among practitioners.