Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya, Indore

SHRI VAISHNAV INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE

AR 401 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO

MINOR TIME PROBLEM: SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Library in 21st Century

In today’s time with the emergence of the internet and digitalization of the books and information, this
has enormously influenced the manner in which we consume information. With the developments of
new methods and types of media, the traditional role of a library is to question. The significance of the
physical collection within a certain environment versus a quick internet search at any given point of time
within any environment, questions the sustainability of a library and the resources it offers. Library is a
cluster of information and we as the users should be able to manoeuvre freely to access any segment of it. If the
library was to be a labyrinth of knowledge, despite of it mystical attractiveness, it must contribute to a pleasant
experience. A human space, user friendly and barrier free environment is to be achieved.

What are the best practices for planning and designing learning-centered libraries that function well
today and readaptable to future needs as technology opens new avenues for learning, researching,
teaching, and working?

NEED FOR THE LIBRARY:

Traditional libraries have quickly redefined themselves as hybrid libraries which are a combination of a
conventional library and a new electronic network library. Libraries are civic spaces where knowledge is
circulated in all media. The systematic arrangement of the data, the reading spaces and the interaction with the
librarian, derived from a user pattern enhance the user experience. There will be spaces where these functions
overlap like the reception spaces, the large atriums and the reading halls where there is visual and physical
connection with the other spaces providing a multi-generational experience. The play of natural light and the
expansive reading hall, the connection of the inside to the outside, formal and informal reading spaces, data
collection (physical entities such as books, newspapers, magazines, is to computer rooms), provide a sense of
volume to which the user relate, giving a dual experience to all kinds of people entering the library. Libraries also
play a major role in providing literacy to the homeless, giving rise to knowledge societies.
AIM: CREATING A SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Sustainability in the context of ensuring the long-term success of a public library involves more green initiatives
and conserving resources.

Library is a repository of collective knowledge and memory. Inherited from its nature of service, a library is also a
building that grows parallel to its acquisition of new collections. This structure will continue to exist as long as
paperback publication is still the main stream.