Description

By definition, libraries will exist forever as every new day brings new information that needs to be organized, disclosed and stored. Theoretically, this means a library building should be built for eternity. In fact, however, buildings slowly fade away as time passes by, so maintenance is of the essence to keep a library operational during its average lifespan of at least 80 years. But maintenance alone will not guarantee this lifelong usage of a library. Customer demand and client behavior changes too. So besides the structural need for makeovers, there apparently is a commercial need. That is why library refurbishment is a necessity in order to keep the library vivid, visible and vibrant. In general, such a refurbishment takes place every 15 to 20 years. In some markets, especially where libraries compete with third commercial parties in leisure markets, libraries need to adapt faster. In the Netherlands, a small overhaul every five years is not uncommon. One can conclude that every library building faces an interior refurbishment at least four, and sometimes up to ten times during its lifespan.

A typical library refurbishment is initiated by the library itself or by the municipality. Interestingly, they both have different motivations. Generally speaking, the municipality will start such a process with the building in mind – the technical maintenance – while the library will be motivated by customer-related and content issues – the commercial maintenance. These different approaches are reflected in the financial discussions that usually occur when refurbishment is addressed, as the typical technical maintenance is part of a long-term scheme that is budgeted, where the commercial maintenance is usually not. These funding issues can result in refurbishment inertness, which is the main reason why so many libraries look outdated. Nevertheless, library refurbishment is an issue every library has to deal with.

When looking at healthy library development over the years, it emerges that the ability to refurbish without too many difficulties plays a key role in a library’s long-term success. What is needed for a successful library refurbishment, what are key factors to take into account and how can a sustainable library interior concept be achieved that can adapt over the years?

The Three Library Faces

When talking library design, an interesting fact is that a library in general has three slightly different faces. It can be explained by the ancient Greeks, who already knew three meanings for the word βιβλιοθήκη (bibliotheca, library). Mentioning the library, the Greeks could address a building, a collection of books or the library organization. That seems logical, but becomes even more interesting when you think library design. It is all too often that an architect imagines a beautiful building, the interior architect suggests beautiful bookshelves while the library organization itself has detailed design ideas of the user interface based on its continued client contact. Apparently, a library has three faces. But do they work together well? Especially with large projects, this slightly different perception of what a library should be often causes mismatches during the lifespan of a building that could have been prevented, if this insight had been taken into account.

The Shearing Layers

In his book How Buildings Learn,[1] American writer Stewart Brand elaborated the concept coined by architect Frank Duffy of the shearing layers. This concept views buildings as a set of components that evolve in different timescales; Frank Duffy summarized this view as follows: “Our basic argument is that there isn’t any such thing as a building. A building properly conceived is several layers of longevity of built components.”[2] Apart from the site as the geographical setting, the main element of the building is the structure. Exterior surfaces cover the structure with a skin, and within the structure the space plan with walls, ceilings and floors creates rooms. These rooms are serviced by all kinds of technical equipment and services in order to keep the structure warm, dry, healthy and so on. And, to complete the shearing layers, all kinds of stuff like furniture fill the room. The interesting thing about these layers is that they all have different timescales. In general, structures live for 80 years, skins for 40 years, the space plan for 20 years, services for ten years. Now, what has this to do with libraries?

Shelving: Structure, Space Plan or Stuff?

When designing a library, the question should be asked whether the shelving is part of the architecture (the structure or space plan layer in Duffy’s terminology), or whether it is part of the layer of “stuff”. A great example of shelving as part of the structure can be found at Gunnar Asplund’s City Library in Stockholm, Sweden, 1928. Its great rotunda features many stories of circular wooden bookshelves, surrounding a huge open room.

An example of a completely different approach, with shelving conceived as a temporary occupation of a room, can be seen at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1977, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. The Centre features entirely open spaces without any columns, thus enabling every possible furnishing and layout on its substantial 14,000 m² floor space.

Somewhere in between these two extremes Alvar Aalto’s City Library of Rovaniemi, Finland, 1965, can be found with its long wall-like shelving that acts as a space plan. Clearly, when shelves are part of the “stuff layer”, a major makeover is far easier to achieve than when shelves are part of the “structure layer” or the “space plan layer”. If they are, one might consider not changing the shelving at all during refurbishment processes, and turn to other improvements instead, thus leaving the architecture intact. Indeed, fixed shelving can be a restriction to future improvements. This leads to the question of the relation between a library building and a library interior – what are its key determinants?

A Library Is its Interior

The three faces of the library converge in its interior. Here architecture, books and the library organization meet, and are joined by, interior design. That is why shelving layout should always be designed with both the architecture and the user interface in mind. A library interior is completely different from an office interior or a domestic environment, the latter ones taking into account, to a larger degree, individual taste as a measure of their main design choices. A library interior is far more than just a collection of stuff and furniture brought together under an umbrella of individual design preferences: it determines fully the way the library is able to operate. A library interior that is not developed together with the library organization is bound to fail. To put it this way: when architects and librarians do not team up in designing the library interior, the architect’s dream might become the librarian’s nightmare. There is no way an architect is able to create a library interior without carefully consulting and understanding the third face of the library, and librarians should stand up and insist upon architects to do so. Workshops are wonderful occasions to discuss a necessary library refurbishment.

Emergence of Library Interior Design

In a way, the birth of contemporary European library interior design can be found in Germany, at the City Library in Gütersloh, Germany, 1984, designed by architect Wolf Hilbertz. This library was among the first to disassociate itself from traditional libraries, and introduced new elements to the library program such as a coffee bar, very fast book return logistics and different atmospheres to reflect special content.

This forerunner was followed in 1993 by the Library of Münster, Germany, by architects Bolles-Wilson: a popular, active and open information center that featured a for that time innovative book collection divided into three areas, the so-called dreigeteilte Bibliothek (tripartite library): a background archive collection, a standard collection and a special highlighted part of the collection, all beautifully composed as a perfect example of a structure and space plan layer library. In the meantime, many Scandinavian countries built their Kulturhuser: buildings with many cultural, social and municipal functions combined.

In 1999, Joseph Pine and James Gilmore coined the term “experience economy”, stating that the creation of an experience around a product had become an inevitable necessity in order to be able to reach customer satisfaction and achieve purchase.[3] The Library of Smallingerland, opening as the first Dutch “experience library” in 2001, quickly adapted this, as did many others, such as the Amstelveen Library, 2001, also in the Netherlands.

These libraries added all kinds of different experiences to the library visit, introducing the first retail-like shopping windows, gathering areas and display stands to the library floor. When the Almere Library in the Netherlands in 2002 started to research and analyze client behavior, the connection between retail approach and library layout first became evident. This analysis, initiated by the Almere Library, stated that a typical overall library user does not exist. Instead, there are various types of users or target groups. For example, young mothers with children are mostly interested in easy-to-read literature, lifestyle cooking and picture books for their kids. Or middle-aged men are mostly interested in thrillers, traveling and success stories. Therefore, the library should be divided into various “mini libraries”, each addressing one specific target group. These departments were initially referred to by the names of popular Dutch magazines, addressing the same profile as the library department. The name of one of these magazines, Libelle, targeting young mothers with children, then became the name of the entire concept. It has evolved over the years, and the efforts made to investigate the needs of their client groups have reached almost scientific proportions. Later, this idea of various library departments resulted in a number of library formulas that have continued to shape Dutch libraries since the early 2000s. Most of these formulas were originally initiated by regional library organizations, followed by a national library initiative, funded by the state. Today, a Dutch library can decide to have its interior refurbished according to the rules of several ready-to-roll library formulas. They consist of (usually eight) different departments, all with a distinct look and atmosphere. The so-called “White Box” (design: Jos de Vries) features a rich variety of shapes and mainly uses the color white. The “Black Box” (design: SVT) features more basic shapes and is characterized – not surprisingly – by the use of black. As these formulas are quite expensive to implement, the interdisciplinary design studio aatvos recently designed an affordable “budget formula” called the “Blue Box”.

As clients are used to a social and urban context that renews itself faster than ever, the need for library refurbishment seems to accumulate faster over the years as well. In a way, library design reflects retail or car design: the average lifespan of a shop or car nowadays hardly exceeds five to seven years, where it used to be seven to ten years a decade ago. Therefore the commercial maintenance becomes more important. What do these rapid makeovers mean for the way media are displayed?

The Book Collection: Four Quadrants, Tripartite or “Many Worlds”

In the old days, libraries were straightforward. The book collection was divided into four quadrants, and one could find fiction and non-fiction books, split into two age groups: adults and youth. The non-fiction is usually organized by a division system based upon content. As we have seen, since the innovation initiated at the Library of Münster other approaches have ensued. With the introduction of experience libraries, target group libraries and library formulas, the need for a new division system arose. In general, various systems can now be distinguished. The first, the traditional four quadrants, is still around. As is the second, namely the tripartite library that we have seen in Münster. A third system has been first introduced at the experience library in Smallingerland and developed over the years into various library formulas such as the White, Black or Blue Box.

It evolved into a collection of “mini libraries” or “worlds”. An average library that is divided into worlds usually contains six to twelve different departments. Each one of them contains a specific part of the library, either addressing a specific target group, or grouping media around a specific content profile, thus splitting the library into smaller parts that can easily be overseen. In a way, this third system reflects modern society, as people want to spend less time to find their way. So, in order to keep up with social change, libraries should consider implementing a new division system when refurbishment takes place. But of course, there is more to a contemporary library than just books.

A Third Place

With their first place being their home and their second place being their work, many people feel the need for a third place, that is a free, safe, cozy, available, accessible public space that is just out there and offers hospitality and a coffee to stay or to go. Think of a small business meeting on neutral ground, spending time with friends, charging a phone while surfing the web, or just taking a short break. The company that has really turned third places into a worldwide success is Starbucks. Starbucks sells coffee by offering such a third place, and they would not have achieved their enormous success without a deep understanding of the need for such a space and its special amenities in today’s urban life. Many semi-public places like museums, hospitals or railway stations have followed their lead. However, at practically all of those third places one is expected to buy at least something. This is where libraries come in: they are able to offer such a place free of charge – and should do so, in order to ensure future customer connection and client satisfaction. Besides welcoming customers, what can libraries use those third places for?

New Functionality

Refurbishment is by definition initiated because library interiors no longer meet actual requirements and are no longer equipped for the job. Modern functionality, first introduced at the Gütersloh Library, continues to conquer library space. As books partly withdraw from many clients’ main interest, and are becoming both function and decoration at the same time, new functionalities like courses, classes, seminars, places for workout and workshops, classrooms, room for debate and cultural events, music performances and so on enter the library premises at great speed. Libraries become places of social education, cultural encounters and meeting places for lifelong learning and co-creation. Libraries have come to play a key role in the social emancipation of minorities, a stepping-stone for the have-nots to develop a social life again. In order to accommodate these new functionalities, libraries need space. Space for classrooms, study places for individuals and groups, café-like areas for informal gathering, meetings, hang-outs, lots of places for display and studios for hands-on workshops. In a way, libraries turn into small-scale department stores with a blend of functions that are all attached to the low-key, free public library brand. These new functionalities reload the library brand. This is an opportunity for refurbishing libraries one should not miss.

Digitecture

With smartphones being ubiquitous, libraries need to find ways to cope with the danger of a social-physical vacuum these all-around gadgets bring along. This occurs when the smartphone owner is more connected to his online social network than to his offline environment. Libraries need to come up with technical solutions to neutralize this vacuum. While the technology is still under development, it is important to conceptualize such a library environment and find ways to implement solutions when refurbishing a library. What about a library that notifies you when your friends are around, offers screen-like walls to swipe your timeline on, touch tables to share your latest pictures and the ability to co-create the public atmosphere in a game-like setting or adaptive rooms that visitors can make their own by chancing color, sound, images, acoustics and smell? In the near future we will see an increasing presence of digital technologies in architecture, followed by a merge of these two professions into digitecture. In this field, the classic difference between digital (communication) and architecture (space) disappears. We will see spaces with functiona­lities we have not experienced before, making it possible that people do no longer visit the library, but visit their library instead. RFID and iBeacon ­technology can be of a great help.

Use of RFID

As many books are already equipped with radio frequency identification or RFID chips, this technology can be used to do far more than just smoothening the lending process. When shelves and display tables are equipped with antennas, static furniture can become responsive to its content. As touch technology conquers the display world with great speed, the intuitive interactive library has become a reality. The first signs of this development can be seen in the work of Alex Talsma and aatvos for the Public Library in Kerkrade, the Netherlands, 2014, featuring a holographic touch shopping window, many interactive display and signage elements, media walls and so on. It is only a matter of time, before e-paper will be used for signage solutions, enabling the library to communicate in real time with its customers throughout the library. In many ways, the next stage of interior architecture has become more digital than ever, offering great opportunities for libraries to take the next steps towards client participation and co-creation when refurbishing the library. But how can we cope with all these new functionalities? How can all of this be brought together in a refurbishment project?

Why We Buy

When planning a contemporary refurbishment it is useful to start by considering the library layout and floor plan. As we noted earlier, it is important to distinguish the type of library one has to deal with. Is it the classic “structure layer” library or a more flexible “stuff layer” library? In both cases, similar challenges have to be faced. As the traditional library layout is no longer suitable for the job, a more intellectual approach is needed to get people to use the library. Paco Underhill[4] has described four simple stages every customer needs to go through in order to be able to purchase a good, or – in terms of a library – borrow a book. At first, one has to be attracted in order to enter the library. Secondly, once inside, a landing strip or decompression zone enables one to reduce speed and to open oneself for library content. This is facilitated by display furniture positioned in the lower part of the visual field; an overview across the library environment is simultaneously possible at the upper part of the visual field. The third stage consists of distinguishing library departments, the above-mentioned so-called “worlds”. Display and graphic tools are needed to communicate a world’s identity. And the last stage is the actual interaction with the product itself, in this case the library book. Note: it is only after traversing these four stages that the customer selects the book. A difficult part of a library as such is its content: books all look alike. In a way, an attractive and varied display is easier to achieve in a department store than in a library because of the greater product variety: a wheelbarrow has a completely different aesthetic than a lipstick, for instance. Libraries need to be able to draw attention to one specific book or a collection of books by employing non-book elements, such as visual communication.

Visual Identity

The traditional library interior usually has a consistently designed atmosphere, with one type of floor covering, a balanced color scheme and a lighting design throughout the entire space. When a library is to be refurbished, one might consider refitting this palette with just the latest materials and fresh colors. However, one might seize the opportunity to adapt to the new developments mentioned earlier, resulting in a more differentiated library interior design.

One of the main prerequisites is communication. The above-mentioned four stages every customer goes through imply that communication proceeds according to a sequence of different messages that all need to be designed for a specific task. For instance, the entrance communication has to be readable from a distance of 50 to 30 m, the names of the different departments from as far as 30 to 15 m, and one specific book promotion from approximately 3 m. This means that font size, word count and the dimensions of visuals vary due to their task within the library.

When a refurbishment is also used to change the way the collection is segmented, and various departments are introduced, the need for a distinguished look and feel might emerge. It is clear that a differentiation by color, texture or lighting helps to communicate different departments. And of course, colors themselves are able to communicate a message too, so that for example red is an obvious color for books on crime and passion.

Also, when new functionalities are added, the typology of the library interior changes too. While the traditional library interior includes shelving, seating elements and counters, new functionalities might introduce new elements to the library interior, changing its visual identity. The quality as a third place for instance brings lounge furniture, armchairs and espresso bars to the library, while the experience library brings along display furniture, exhibitions, shopping windows and props. Other options might be a television studio, music rehearsal rooms, meeting rooms, new digital functionalities or stages for performing arts.

The Next Refurbishment

One might gain the impression that, due to these complexities generated by the refurbishment, the library becomes inert to future changes, thus making the next refurbishment a complicated and expensive undertaking. That is not necessarily the case. If the design is carried out in a smart way, it consists of different layers. One can think of a layer of “necessities” that are usually expensive, like shelving systems, tables and chairs, and a second layer of visual identity that contains all visuals, graphics, color, textures and so on. These elements are usually cheap and easily changeable, so a next library makeover can be done at this level only and hence at minimal cost. For example, one might consider easy-to-replace carpets or wall visuals. By designing a refurbishment this way, library design becomes durable, and enables the library to adapt to future changes that, as we have seen, will occur with an increasing speed.

It is the interior designer’s job to ensure that all of these different elements and different layers work together consistently. When this is accomplished, a refurbished library not only has updated looks, but – far more important – has been equipped with enhanced and increased functionality that will prepare the library for the next successful episode of its lifespan.

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Originally published in: Nolan Lushington, Wolfgang Rudorf, Liliane Wong, Libraries: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2016.