Library - Buildings

Buildings

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Librarians have sometimes complained that some of the library buildings which have been used to accommodate libraries have been inadequate for the demands made upon them. In general this condition may have resulted from one or more of the following causes:

  1. an effort to erect a monumental building; most of those who commission library buildings are not librarians and their priorities may be different
  2. to conform it to a type of architecture unsuited to library purposes
  3. the appointment, often by competition, of an architect unschooled in the requirements of a library
  4. failure to consult with the librarian or with library experts

Much advancement has undoubtedly been made toward cooperation between architect and librarian, and many good designers have made library buildings their specialty, nevertheless it seems that the ideal type of library is not yet realized — the type so adapted to its purpose that it would be immediately recognized as such, as is the case with school buildings at the present time. This does not mean that library constructions should conform rigidly to a fixed standard of appearance and arrangement, but it does mean that the exterior should express as nearly as possible the purpose and functions of the interior.

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