Course Description

The public library as a building type continues to serve as a vital, urban community resource. Newly constructed downtown public libraries have reaffirmed the centrality of the public library in the life of every city and growing town. Often located on prominent sites, in established city centers or in areas targeted for redevelopment, new public libraries have become a conscious physical expression of cultural values and traditions in an increasingly virtual world.

In the United States, Canada and across Europe, the emergence of easily-accessible, digital information technologies has, perhaps ironically, restated and expanded the traditional role of the community library. That so much information is available online has made the demand for new physical, place-based libraries even more necessary. The "digital divide" between those who own personal computers, printers, cell phones, ipods, treos, and blackberries and those who do not is not easily spanned. Computer terminals in new public libraries, both in the children's and adult areas, are in heavy demand throughout the day, and their use is often managed with sign-in and waiting lists.

The public library remains a place for individual learning, discovery, reference and refuge, while at the same time promoting a broader social and intellectual exchange. New public libraries, all constructed within the past ten years, in places as diverse as Seattle, Phoenix, Denver, Vancouver, Madrid, Basel, and Kansai, contain a significant number of special-purpose spaces to accommodate new, community-oriented programming, including films, musical performances, exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and community meetings. The new public library expands the traditional notion of public space and creates an important vehicle for civic engagement and exchange.

Travel

This studio will design a new public library in Blanco, Texas. The Blanco County Library Board of Trustees, the Blanco County Library Women's Club and the District Library boards have agreed to serve as advisers and collaborators on the project. The Blanco Library has provided funding for this studio, which will enable the studio to visit the Seattle and Phoenix public libraries as part of the research and design process.

Exhibit

Student designs will be presented for review and comment to both the architectural community and the Blanco County Library representatives throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, student projects will be presented to the wider community and exhibited at the Blanco Library.