I was so enthralled by Joshua Prince-Ramus’s explanation (and delivery) of the design process of the Seattle Public Library that I didn’t even have time to go inside for a tour yesterday. But today is a new day and I have a new appreciation and understanding of modern library design. My journey on this blog is to learn, think and grow each day, so mission accomplished.
In we go... the Seattle Public Library opened the doors on its eleven story masterpiece in May, 2004. During the first year they hosted 8,000 visitors a day, I can’t even imagine 8,000 in my town let alone in the library, but it is a considerable space...doubling their numbers from the previous year. There are several amateur tours of the library on youtube which give you the feeling of the atrium area that defines many of the floors. It is particularly powerful upon entering the ‘Living Room’ on the 3rd level and gazing up fifty feet. This space was designed with the knowledge that it was one of the few free public spaces available in the city and there is plenty of room for people to hang out, meet, eat, or just get warm.
From the living room you can go down to the first level and into the children’s room - this space has its own entrance, computers, check-out and restrooms - obviously librarians and parents provide valuable insight to this design. I can just picture my wild child loose in the living room and headed for the escalator - imagine how those little shrieks of joy would echo! The children’s room offers story time in several languages and there is an extensive language lab and auditorium (it can seat up to 450 people).
Going back upstairs, the sixth through ninth floors of the library are an amazing continuous spiral of non-fiction books arranged in Dewey Decimal order, the numbers are painted right on the floor as you walk past each row of shelves (Melville would be proud). The design allows the collection to grow without leading patrons on a wild goose chase between different areas of the library. Ramus calls it a “parking garage for books”, a great way to visualize the space.
My favorite space in most libraries is the reading room and Seattle’s is outstanding. The Betty Jane Narver Reading Room is 12,000 square feet of skylit space on the 10th floor (with views of Elliott Bay) and has space for 400 readers! Betty Jane Narver was a long time advocate of the Seattle library and helped form the library foundation board in 1980. Her death in 2001 prevented her from seeing this finished masterpiece but I can think of no greater memorial than this spectacular spot.
There is also a lovely gift shop, Friendshop, operated by ‘Friends of the Library’ and a coffee cart run by the Seattle based company Chocolati. These are both small and don’t steal the focus from the important thing: the books.
Phew - we are so lucky to have the Seattle Public Library to demonstrate what a library can be for a community, not only a place to read, learn and gather but also a monument to announce to the world who we are and we stand for...when I see this library I see Seattle as an authentic place, dedicated to supporting their community and committed to the advancement of the next generation.
In we go... the Seattle Public Library opened the doors on its eleven story masterpiece in May, 2004. During the first year they hosted 8,000 visitors a day, I can’t even imagine 8,000 in my town let alone in the library, but it is a considerable space...doubling their numbers from the previous year. There are several amateur tours of the library on youtube which give you the feeling of the atrium area that defines many of the floors. It is particularly powerful upon entering the ‘Living Room’ on the 3rd level and gazing up fifty feet. This space was designed with the knowledge that it was one of the few free public spaces available in the city and there is plenty of room for people to hang out, meet, eat, or just get warm.
From the living room you can go down to the first level and into the children’s room - this space has its own entrance, computers, check-out and restrooms - obviously librarians and parents provide valuable insight to this design. I can just picture my wild child loose in the living room and headed for the escalator - imagine how those little shrieks of joy would echo! The children’s room offers story time in several languages and there is an extensive language lab and auditorium (it can seat up to 450 people).
Going back upstairs, the sixth through ninth floors of the library are an amazing continuous spiral of non-fiction books arranged in Dewey Decimal order, the numbers are painted right on the floor as you walk past each row of shelves (Melville would be proud). The design allows the collection to grow without leading patrons on a wild goose chase between different areas of the library. Ramus calls it a “parking garage for books”, a great way to visualize the space.
My favorite space in most libraries is the reading room and Seattle’s is outstanding. The Betty Jane Narver Reading Room is 12,000 square feet of skylit space on the 10th floor (with views of Elliott Bay) and has space for 400 readers! Betty Jane Narver was a long time advocate of the Seattle library and helped form the library foundation board in 1980. Her death in 2001 prevented her from seeing this finished masterpiece but I can think of no greater memorial than this spectacular spot.
There is also a lovely gift shop, Friendshop, operated by ‘Friends of the Library’ and a coffee cart run by the Seattle based company Chocolati. These are both small and don’t steal the focus from the important thing: the books.
Phew - we are so lucky to have the Seattle Public Library to demonstrate what a library can be for a community, not only a place to read, learn and gather but also a monument to announce to the world who we are and we stand for...when I see this library I see Seattle as an authentic place, dedicated to supporting their community and committed to the advancement of the next generation.
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