Library Design

by Karen M. Smith

This well illustrated volume showcases some of the most interesting library design trends and developments from around the world.

Genres: Architecture

136 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2007

Reviews

[B Schrodinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This small volume is more coffee table book than anything of substance. The "library design" is more like "here's heaps of photos of cool looking libraries", which is fine if that's what you want. It is full to the brim with glossy pictures of all types of libraries, personal and public, ultra-modern, traditional, opulent and functional.

Some of my favourites are the Seattle Central Library:



The Stud Skeleton Library, Virginia:



Scholar's Library, Olivebridge, New York:

[Philippe · Rating 1 out of 5]

A rather untidy visual inventory of spaces with books. This slim volume features a mix of private and public libraries, 'literary hotels', and bookshops and also devotes a few pages to the offering of producers of bespoke library furniture. There's a heavy bias towards contemporary North American libraries. Otherwise I can't see much of a logic behind the selection.

The personal libraries featured lack the vibe of genuine bibliophile retreats. There are a few examples of very staid libraries devoted to showpiece antique books (the tasteful library of the late Steve Fossett is one of the more attractive cases). The more contemporary home libraries often display a rather flaccid mood, with lots of empty shelves or groomed display patterns that betray the hand of an interior designer rather than the unbridled curiosity of an intellectual omnivore. A little side note about the Manhattan-based Library Hotel, which, according to this book, houses a 6,000 volumes "carefully selected at the Strand Bookstore". Well, I was there and found out that the collection is anything but handpicked. It's a hodgepodge of musty and outdated volumes, obviously purchased in bulk, that are on display for decorative purposes only. Afficionados will be disappointed.

The accompanying texts in this book are perfunctory. The photography is mediocre at best. It also looks a bit dated by now. I really wonder whether this book is worth the ultra-scarce shelf space in my own library ... 1 1/2 stars.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the first book that I've been the first person on Goodreads to rate and review. Ok. A. My tastes aren't that far from the mainstream, I mean I haven't read Kiterunner but still, it's not like I read anything too crazy. I'm just an architect who likes books. That's not too weird. B. That's kind of a lot of pressure. I mean, anyone who's checking out this book to possibly read it, all they've got is me.

Anyways, this book was alright. The subject matter was obviously what drew me too it. It's TeNeues so it's more of a coffee table book than anything else. They only offer a paragraph for each project, they just repeat each paragraph five times in five different languages. This book was definitely lacking in content. I would've really appreciated a little more substance to illustrate design issues faced in each project or creative features. A focus on the books was somewhat lacking. Some of the pictures were interesting and it'll be a nice resource to flip through for inspiration when I need to redesign my book shelves, but for the most part, it appears that the media were volunteered by the architects as it was different for each project. (My personal favorite was the site map with numbers designating different areas, lacking the necessary key to say which numbers designated which areas.) All in all, it's an great idea for a book that would probably be welcomed on most book fanatics' shelves, especially those interested in design.

[Pedro Martins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some great pictures, which are really why one would want to take a look at this book, but the details about each library are very brief and their being in 5 languages takes up a lot of text that could have been used to include more in depth descriptions in a single language.

[Muhammad Ikhsan]

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