Building Design + Construction - October 2019

2019 Giants| |CULTURAL REPORT

46 |BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION | October 2019

BY DAVID MALONE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ad libraries build collections, good

libraries build services, great libraries

build communities.” That statement by

R. David Lankes, a professor at Syra-

cuse University’s School of Informa-

tion Studies, was a bit controversial

when he tweeted it back in February of

2012. But now, in July of 2019, it seems as though
      many architects and designers agree; a library
      should go beyond being just a collection of books,

and instead become all-inclusive community learning

centers (with the key word here being “community”).

And what better way to highlight the community

aspect than to incorporate it directly within (or, in

some cases, above) the library itself.

Both the Milwaukee Public Library and the Brook-

lyn Public Library have recently completed or are

nearing completion on branches that, in addition

to their collections of books, also include features

such as maker spaces, recording studios, and

apartment units.

The HGA-designed Mitchell Street Branch of the

COURTESY HGA

FOR LIBRARIES,

THE FUTURE IS ALL

ABOUT COMMUNITY

“

B

The future of libraries is less about being quiet and more about

hands-on learning and face-to-face interactions.