What's Next for Libraries?
An interior rendering from Hacker’s conceptual design for the new Woodland Community Library, part of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library system in Washington. Our design study was completed mid-pandemic in 2020.
What’s Next for Libraries?
Laura Klinger
July 28, 2020
Emerging and mainstay library design trends are a centerpiece of Hacker’s research focus every year, taking on an exciting, extra urgency each time we have the opportunity to work with a new library client. Community libraries small and grand share a desire for more space to gather and interact, and as we head into month five of sheltering-in-place and looking ahead to a future radically changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re reflecting on the importance of libraries and how they can adapt to this new reality.
A quote from Robert Putnum, a professor of public policy at Harvard University, comes to mind: “People may go to the library mainly for information, but they find each other there.” No longer are libraries the hushed repositories of books and materials many of us grew up with; they’re vibrant centers of community offering an array of programs. And with this expanding mission comes a new intent—connecting people with each other as well as to information, services, and knowledge.
As architects we’ve taken great care in creating spaces that foster connections: Spaces that teens can rearrange and call their own; interactive play and learning settings for children; computer stations with internet access; rooms for collaborative and hands on learning, and places for gatherings and events. The months-long closures have made the importance of libraries’ social dimensions clear. As we plan for the future of libraries, how will we hold this priority while addressing a new set of concerns? It’s an evolving situation, but here are some initial questions we are considering:
Where will we backtrack?
In recent years, changing service models for libraries have brought more librarians out from behind their heavy desks to work directly with patrons. The plexiglass “sneeze guards” now appearing in stores will likely turn-up in libraries as they re-open; but will we see a permanent return to the physically separated mode of interaction?
One of the drivers for more meeting space was an expansion of programs, classes, and workshops for all ages. As libraries come to terms with the pros and cons of online classes, will the future be more about webcast studios and solitary “phone booth” type study rooms, and less about collaborative meeting space?
Where can we double-down?
Adaptability already is essential to community-based libraries that must accommodate changing needs with modest means. Could libraries become even more agile, for example, through the use of even moveable components, to respond more dynamically as safety protocols change.
“The best libraries don’t stop at the front door,” observed library design specialist Emily Puckett Rodgers in her 2017 article. The success of courtyards and other outdoor “rooms” that we’ve incorporated into recent libraries underscores this point—as do anecdotes of drivers parking near libraries to access the internet during the COVID-19 closures. Whether adapting libraries to reduce the spread of COVID-19 or designing an entirely new facility, the potential for hybrid library-open space deserves our most creative thinking.
Inside the library, fresh air flows—already an important factor contributing to improved indoor air quality and energy conservation. Post COVID-19, this may bear even greater attention. Demands for more robust systems designed to limit the spread of airborne pathogens could have positive holistic impact on the overall health and environmental benefits of the library’s interior spaces.
Silver linings?
Many public libraries have amazing online collections of everything from books and archival documents to movies, audiobooks, and music. When sheltering-in-place orders went into effect across the country, virtual visits to the library skyrocketed as established and new patrons logged on, many for the first time. The pandemic forced those who had put off going online to finally figure out how to do it, and they realized just how easy it is. Once libraries reopen will more people continue to borrow materials digitally than before the pandemic? Online collections and programs have the potential to reach more people, but they also raise serious concerns about the digital divide. How can libraries leverage digital technology to equitably build community connections?
The coronavirus pandemic has taught us that our communities and our institutions are much more nimble than we ever believed, and not only can we pivot as challenges arise, we can do so creatively and effectively. For one library facing a temporary relocation to a smaller space while constructing a new building, the rapid changes prompted by the pandemic have bolstered confidence that their team can adapt to an interim space. Will a new openness to responsive, iterative design inform how we design libraries in future?
