The well-secured library building is essential for providing a better community service for various kinds of public information use and needs. It is a highly respected and commonly used place of one's culture from the far back of the evolution of the civilization. Society development in every means such as economically and culturally depends on the knowledge possessed by its own people. Therefore, the place where the knowledge is stored considered as a monumental place. The term "library building" referred in this book has a very wide and peculiar meaning. This book does not merely consider the construction aspect of the building but discusses the needs to be considered in construction from users and librarians point of view. It must be noted that the term "library building" will readily be judged that it cannot interpret to be an architectural aspect of the building as well. This book is intended to provide some useful information for library personals, students who are learning library designing as well as architects who don't have basic knowledge of library needs and requirements. These three parties, as a team, need to know how important it is to have practical information on library buildings in a book. Each chapter of this book will provide materials as well as practical applications in organizing a library building or converting an existing building to a library.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THOUGHTFUL IDEAS
3. SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CONCEPT
4. OBSERVATIONS
5. BUILDING CONSIDERATIONS
6. CONCLUSION
Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this book is to provide practical guidance and thoughtful insights for library planners, architects, and students involved in the design, renovation, or expansion of small-scale library buildings. The work aims to bridge the gap between professional library requirements and construction practices by emphasizing the critical importance of long-term flexibility and sustainability in modern library design.
- Integration of the green building concept and sustainability into small-scale library architecture.
- Comprehensive analysis of site selection, space allocation, and future user growth estimation.
- Strategic planning for physical facilities, including lighting, ventilation, noise control, and security measures.
- Evaluation of building characteristics through observational studies of academic, public, and special libraries.
Excerpt from the Book
1.2 Consideration in a Nutshell
A good library service cannot be provided without a properly designed building. The building should be designed to meet three perspectives: Material perspective, environmental perspective, and community perspective. The combination of these three perspectives produces the utmost user satisfaction.
1.2.1 Building and Material Perspective
Material perspective consists of two aspects: resources (forms and formats of documents) and equipment (official & user accommodation). It is apparent that libraries are holding different types of resources depending on the community needs and wants. Among them, many libraries house formal sources (primary) such as books, periodicals/journals, abstracts, reviews, bulletins, maps/atlases, guides, dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, and reports as the main resources of the collections. Some libraries hold chronicles, artifacts/realia, epigraphy, graffiti, and inscriptions, archaeological monuments or remaining, paintings and raw materials (instruments/tools/samples/models). In addition, some collections may include semi-formal (secondary/gray literature) such as pamphlets, letters, leaflets, plays, conference papers, photographs, dissertations/thesis, newspapers, diaries, magazines, manuscripts, musical scores, gazettes, and minutes. Some collections may contain with informal or unrecorded materials: public speeches, debates, dialogs, discussions, folklores, and interviews, tales/myths and handwritten/unpublished documents. In the modern day collection, electronic sources come in both multimedia and hypermedia forms: e-books, databases, e-journals, open web resources, CD-ROM and much more forms are added. Therefore, well-secured library building preserves those different types of collections safely and houses them for the daily use of present and future user generations. This utmost expectation could be entirely met depending on the proper building arrangement of the library.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the challenges of planning library buildings and establishes the need for careful consideration of material, environmental, and community perspectives.
2. THOUGHTFUL IDEAS: This chapter reviews historical and contemporary literature regarding library planning, site selection, and the ideological concept of monumentality in library design.
3. SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CONCEPT: This chapter explores the integration of sustainability and green building practices, examining international standards and rating systems relevant to library construction.
4. OBSERVATIONS: This chapter presents findings from on-site observations of various libraries in the Asian region to evaluate current building practices and identify common issues.
5. BUILDING CONSIDERATIONS: This chapter details essential planning factors, including flexibility, noise reduction, ventilation, lighting, security measures, and space allocation for future growth.
6. CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the book’s core findings and reaffirms the necessity of thoughtful, user-oriented, and sustainable planning for small-scale libraries.
Keywords
Library Building, Flexibility, Sustainability, Green Building, Site Selection, Space Planning, User Growth, Natural Lighting, Ventilation, Noise Control, Security Measures, Library Design, Environmental Perspective, Community Needs, Infrastructure
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this book?
The book focuses on the planning and construction of small-scale library buildings, emphasizing the need for flexibility and sustainability to meet the evolving needs of library users.
What are the central thematic fields addressed in the text?
The central themes include site selection, space management, environmental sustainability (the "green" concept), and the practical implementation of physical facilities like lighting and ventilation.
What is the main research question of this study?
The work seeks to determine how library planners can better design small-scale buildings to maintain operational effectiveness over long-term periods, specifically by overcoming professional negligence and standard-related dilemmas.
Which scientific methods were utilized in this work?
The author utilized a combination of literature review, analysis of international building standards, and on-site observational studies of academic, public, and special libraries in the Asian region.
What topics are covered in the main body of the book?
The main body covers architectural design considerations, green building determinants, strategies for noise and light control, and specific requirements for different library zones like reading and reference areas.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Library Building, Sustainability, Green Building, Flexibility, Space Planning, and User Accommodation.
How does the author define the "monumentality" of a library?
The author describes monumentality as the historical and cultural significance of the library as a sacred space for storing knowledge, which influences its architectural prominence.
Why is site selection considered a critical factor for sustainability?
Site selection is crucial because it directly impacts environmental factors like external noise, access to natural energy sources, and the potential for future expansion.
What role does the "Noise Reduction Coefficient" (NRC) play in library design?
The NRC is used to quantify the sound-absorbing properties of construction materials, which is vital for maintaining the quiet environment necessary for reading and research.
- Quote paper
- Anura Karunanayake (Author), 2017, Planning a Small Scale Library Building. Flexibility and Sustainability, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/373896
