LI BRARY 2.

0 - AN EXTENSION OF THE PUBLIC REALM

Danny Gi jzen Stijn Kuipers Rex Tu Piet Suijkerbuijk

This investigation is about the spatial impact of the increased mobility of information. A common place, central in our society where this impact is especially visible is the library. The library has changed considerable under the influence of the mobilization of information. We could even argue that the traditional role of the library in city and society is now marginalized and is only a fragment of the broad range of functions a contemporary library should offer. The contemporary library has, or should, become an eminent part of public space, with the corresponding spaces, functions and human behaviour.

Hypothesis
The addition of new functions to the library attracts new users and generates new spaces. It also causes the behaviour of the users of the public library to change. The library is not only used to exchange information by books, but through mobility of information, also by new media (digital, audio, video and verbal). In the new library new (social) rules and new interactions between people apply: the library is a city in a city. It is an institutional space but functions as an extension of the public realm.

Research Question
Do the new functions and spaces of the library lead to new forms of social interaction and social codes within the library? How does the library of the future look like?

Methodology
The libraries used in the research are the future libraries of Almere (De Nieuwe Bibliotheek) and of Eindhoven (Openbare Bibliotheek Eindhoven). These cities and libraries are roughly comparable in size and share some, not all the same, characteristics of a future library. Taking multiple libraries will filter out deviations caused by local influences, something that would be an interesting subject for future research. There are 3 areas to be distinguished when we want to relate the use of the library to public space: the behaviour of people, the kind of space and the functions.

Human behaviour

Use of spaces

Program / functions

} }

Observations

Interviews + Literature

Interviews and literature First the context is investigated by a theoretical study on the transformation of the library to the future library. By doing interviews with the main staff members of the libraries being investigated we can put the research in the perspective of the changing library. Observations The main part of the research consists of observations of the behaviour of visitors within the libraries. The emphasis will be on the activities and general attitude of the visitors, the social interaction between the visitors and the social codes applying to the space. Our idea was, which turned out to be not working like we thought, to observe different characteristics of the spaces and the user-profiles attached to those spaces:

SPACE 1

SPACE 2

SPACE 3

SPACE 4

SPACE 5

Each observation will be videotaped and observations will be made according to this form: Behaviour - Mobility/movement - Social codes - Interaction Activities Non libraryrelated Kind of info / mobility of info Attributes Objects and facilities used.

Library-related

Later on we found out that those user-groups were present all over the library in different spaces. Therefore it was not possible anymore to characterize the spaces by specific user groups.

Conclusions
Mobility of information & people Traditionally one came into the library, gained knowledge, and went out again. Now, one comes in and bounces between different attractions inside the library, produces, sends and gains information and goes out. This means that the library itself has become more dynamic, and the information goes two ways instead of one way: exchange of information. The mobility of information (by laptop, data storage, internet access, etc.) enables users to choose a place where they like to work/study/relax/etc. They dont choose a space based on their activity, but on their needs or wishes of working environment.

Functions and facilities The traditional function of the library was selecting, offering and lending paper based information. Since libraries offer more and more facilities, over time the core of basic functions a library has to offer has grown. Users With all the activities and spaces being added, libraries have gradually become a micro-sized replicate of our society, namely, A city in the city. This includes all kinds of user groups: the people who are just coming to socialize, meet similar people, to have something to eat or to drink, but also to work and to do research. Library of the future With the introduction of PC and portable and virtual data storage, users are able to take work, study material, but also music and games to any place. When they require information from the library or a comfortable workspace, they dont necessarily need to be at the office, at school or at home. The users are attracted by the low threshold of the new libraries and large amount of reliable

information and services offered. Unfortunately a large amount of facilities do not bring in any money. So if we project this development on a future library, the core of the library will consist of a profitable, low key attraction, probably horeca. Then, depending of the demands and technological developments we have several plugins. So of them are basic values, like books and computers. Others can be: conference rooms, Apple store, exhibition space, gaming areaWith the continuous changing society we can imagine different features will be added into the future library and therefore change into a new form of activities and usage of the library. Another development is the disappearance of small independent librarys in city-districts and villages. A cure for this would be the reintroduction of the library-bus, and establishing sattelite-stores in elderly nursinghomes, schools or stations.

Distribution of work
Evaluated according to - Substantial contribution in end result: Stijn: ++ Piet: ++ Danny: + Rex: +/- Amount of time spent & working attitude: Stijn: ++ Piet: + Danny:+/Rex: -

Sources Literature
Allan Konya (1986). Libraries. London : Architectural Press. Ayub Khan (2009). Better by design : an introduction to planning and designing a new library building. London : Facet. Brian Edwards ; with Biddy Fisher (2002). Libraries and learning resource centres. Oxford: Architectural Press. Chad, Ken, and Paul Miller(2005). Do libraries matter? The rise of Library 2.0. Talis. Daisey, J.(2010). Computer service and traditional library services. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.lrs.org/documents/fastfacts/283_Computers_and_Libraries.pdf Een nobel bedrijf: vijfenzeventig jaar Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, 1919-1994 (1994) Francien van bohemen, public affairs. gemeente en bibliotheek van de toekomst: verslag van de vier grote vereningingen van openbare bibliotheken, vgn - congressen over het toekomstig bibliotheekbeleid Focke, H.(2002). Bibliotheken bouwen in Vlaanderen twintig jaar openbare bibliothekenbouw 19781997. VVBAD. Home-Bibliotheek Utrecht. 2012. Home-Bibliotheek Utrecht. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bibliotheekutrecht.nl. Lawrence W.H. Tam, Averil C. Robertson(2002). Managing change: libraries and information services in the digital age. Library Management. Vol. 23 Iss: 8/9. pp.369 - 377 Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk(2006). Service for the next-generation library. Library Journal, v131 n14 p40. [ONLINE] Available at: http://cil733.pbworks.com/f/Library%202.0%20Journal.pdf Maness, J. (2006). Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries. Webology, 3 (2), Article 25. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.webology.org/2006/v3n2/a25.html Richard J. Bazillion and Connie L. Braun(2001). Academic libraries as high-tech gateways: a guide to design & space decisions. 2nd ed. London: American Library Association. red. R.A. van der Wal, E.J.C. Verkleij, C. van de Beek (2004). Bouwen van bibliotheken. Den Haag: VNG Uitgeverij.

Interviews

Ingrid Fest - Quality, research, projects. 02/01/2012, Eindhoven library. Hans Veen - Interim-director. 02/01/201, Eindhoven library. Lizet Bekkers Manager front office. 05/02/2012, Eindhoven library.