Learn, Not Loan
The result is a building that’s evolving from
a lending library into a hub for study, practice,
making, work and cultural experience. In
short: a spot for personal development in its
broadest sense – cognitive, social and cultural.
A possible next step could be the addition of
physical activities; think of yoga and fitness.
I can imagine a time when even mental wellbeing- from psychotherapy to group counselling –
becomes part of the mix.
Together, all these things would give rise to
the transformation of hardware (books) supplier
to software and service centre. With an offering
that’s built around people, aimed at helping both
individuals and communities to function better.
Picture an old-fashioned library that
ultimately becomes a noncommercial counterpart
of the shopping mall. A community mecca that
resembles a village green, surrounded by places
for learning and making, for practising and
working on yourself, for singing with others and
studying in groups. Books would always be part
of the medley, but they would no longer prevail.
The library would be free of racks, and architects
and interior designers would be free of the yoke
that required them to create spaces filled with
aisles of shelving.
Such a destination sounds so much more
inspiring than the libraries of my past.
ROBERT THIEMANN
Editor in chiefI MUST CONFESS that I haven’t been in a library
for years. I do make use of Uber and occasionally
Airbnb – evidence of my gradual participation in
the sharing economy. When I want to read a book,
however, I don't borrow it, I buy it. What’s more,
libraries are usually humdrum and unexciting.
Parents with children whisper their way through
the stacks. Students hunch over laptops. Shelf after
shelf full of books. No, libraries do not inspire me.
But when we started making this issue’s
Frame Lab, I realized that a silent revolution had
nearly passed me by. A quick flip to page 131 will
show you what I mean. Our section on libraries
has very little to do with shelves filled with books.
Not that today’s library isn’t a book depository.
What we discovered is that the relationship
between bookshelves and communal areas seems
to have changed completely.
The youngest generation of libraries is no
longer all about books. It’s true that you can still
find hundreds of thousands of them there, but
more and more often they are efficiently amassed
in underground storage rooms, where robots
fill visitors’ orders, including those received
online. The parallel with click-and-collect retail
is remarkable. Librarians have fewer admin
duties and more time to answer questions and to
perform other relevant services.
A second effect of fewer books at ground
level is extra room for functions that the libraries
of my youth didn’t offer. A selection of the
facilities found in today’s better urban library
reads like this: recording studios, maker spaces,
movie theatres, exhibition zones (cultural centres
and libraries are merging at an increasing rate),
co-working opportunities and big comfy sitting
areas. Not to mention a slew of hospitality venues.
8 EDITORIAL