The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in The Place of Libraries in Changing TimesChanging Times

OLA Super ConferenceToronto, Ontario 28 January 2009

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Research & Outreach

Education& Training

Planning & Design

•Our websites receive more than 30,000 page views per day

•We have produced 18 publications & 6 videos

•We maintain a slide library of 500,000 images of public spaces

PPS has completed over 1000 place-based projects since 1975, consisting of:

• Community Visioning

• Conceptual Designs

• User/Needs Analysis

• Management Programs

• Master Planning &

Urban Design

PPS trains over 20,000 people annually. We offer:

•Place Game workshops

•Context Sensitive Solutions training

•Public Markets as Economic Development

•“How to Turn a Place Around” seminars

•Conferences

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

It’s hard to create a space that will not attract people, what is remarkable, is how often this has been accomplished. ─ William H. Whyte

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

What attracts people most it would appear, is other people ─William H. Whyte

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

We shape our public spaces, and thereafter our public spaces shape us. – adapted from

Winston Churchill

Contrasting 1

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Orlando, FL Public Library

Blank walls are an end in themselves. They declare the supremacy of architecture over humanity, of a building over a person.

William H. Whyte

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times Paris National Library

It’s hard for people to realize that place is more important than design.

─ PPS

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

A Tale of Two Libraries

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Why don’t we have better public spaces today?

Project-driven vs. Place-driven Planning

Discipline-based vs. Community-based Planning

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times © Will McWhinney, Paths of Change

Storied Cultures Clustered Cultures

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Crisis driven, Politically initiated

Relies on professionals and “experts”

ExpensiveCommunity is resistant

Static designs

Results in limited experience of place

Narrow GoalsP

roje

ct /

Dis

cipl

ine

Driv

en A

ppro

ach

Clustered Cultures Approach

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Theatres/Museums

Transit

HospitalCoffeeShop

Library

Schools

Parks

Civic Institutions Today

CommunityCenter

City Hall

Churches

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Storied Cultures Approach

• Empowers Communities• Attracts partners, money

& creative solutions• Professionals become

resources• Design supports uses• Solutions are flexible• Engagement and

commitment grow

Pla

ce /

Com

mun

ity

Dri

ven

App

roac

h

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

ChurchesCity Hall

CommunityCenter

Theatres/Museums

TransitHospital

CoffeeShop

Library

Schools

Civic Centres “The Commons”

Civic Institutions of the Future

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Logan Circle Evaluation Sites

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Logan Square Vision

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Crossroads Plaza, Bellevue, WA

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Shifting Context of Libraries

WHY LIBRARIES? BUT TODAY…

Information is scarce Information is everywhere

Precious resource Taken for granted

Social mandate Social/economic mandate

Communities need Libraries Libraries need

Communities

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The placemaking response

Internal External

Passive Active

Where people need to be Where people want to be

Enhancing the library’s role as a community anchor

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Community Service Center

• Communication and Language Skills Center

• Community Story-Teller/Civic Information Center

• Public Gathering Place

• Business Service & Development Center

• Marketplace

Libraries as Community Anchors

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Day Care• Unemployment offices/

job search programs • Service recruiters• Computer training programs• Job retraining programs/ night schools• Tax consultants and services • Extension services• Homeless/ social service referrals • Video rental

Library as Community Service Center

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Translation services• Literacy programs • Toastmasters--public speaking

training • Television station/ radio station • Video/ educational game arcades • Foreign language classes/ tutors• Immigration information and

guidance

Library as Communication & Language Skills Center

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Special collections• Artifact collections• Community tradition/myth/cultural programs• Maps• Science centers/ exploration centers• Genealogy Centres• Tourist information/ Chamber of Commerce • Community information service

(entertainment, best buys, weather, statistics0• Community city planning information--zoning, etc.

Library as Community Story-Teller/Civic Information Center

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Library as Public Gathering Place

• Public proclamations and celebrations

• Concerts, fairs, and festivals

• Lunchtime / brown bag activities

• Exhibitions—science, history, art

• Public Art displays

• Public forums

• Games/chess tables/ etc

• Playground

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Think Tanks• Business Information Services • Research and Development Centers • Job Training • Better Business Bureau

Library as Business Service & Development Center

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Public markets—farmer’s markets, book markets, art markets

• Museum/ library gift shop• Restaurant/café• Commercial galleries • Bookstore- new, used books• Copy shop/ printer• Movie theaters• International newsstand

Library as Marketplace

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

New York Public Library

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Rotterdam Central Library

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Accessible by Publics They Serve

• Active Edges

• Attractions and Destinations

• Flexible Design

• Amenities

• Seasonal Uses

• Management

Qualities of Great Libraries Qualities of Great Libraries

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Accessible by the Publics They Serve

• Connected to adjacent areas• Range of transportation options

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Active Edges • Active edge uses• Gateways and

entrances• Identifiable from a

distance

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Attractions & Destinations

• Choices of things to do• Triangulation

opportunities• Clustered activity

around destinations• 10+ special places

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Flexible Design• Overlapping and changing uses• Form that supports function• Experiment

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Amenities

• Attracts variety of users

• Source of local/regional civic pride

• Comfortable places to sit

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Seasonal Uses • Draw on & Highlight

Seasons• Rotating Plantings &

Programs• Cultural & civic

celebrations

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Management: Central to the Solution

• Management presence through:– Security &

Maintenance– Ongoing

improvements– Programming

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Mississauga, Ontario Public Library

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Place Evaluation Form

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Summer ProgramMississauga, Ontario Public Library

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

Mississauga Summer 2006Placemaking Initiative

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

12

3

4

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

What Makes a Library a Great Place?

sociability uses & activities

access & linkages comfort & image

Welcoming

evening usevolunteerism

street life

transit usage

parking usage patternspedestrian activity

Walkable Convenient Accessible

Charm Clean Attractive

Historic

Safe

building conditionsenvironmental data

sanitation ratingcrime stats

Cooperative Neighborly

property valuesland-use patterns

retail sales

business ownership

Special Real

FunActive Vital

Connected

Key Attributes

Intangibles

Measurements

PLACE

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

•Convenient•Walkable•Continuity•Proximity•Connected•Enticing

Access & Linkages

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

•Attractive•Inviting•Usable•Historic•“Green”•Friendly

Comfort & Image

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

•Fun/Vital•Active•Indigenous•Sustainable•Affordable•Challenging

Uses & Activities

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

•Welcoming•Interactive•Neighborliness•Pride•Diversity•Stewardship

Sociability

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

When you focus on creating a “place,”

you do everything differently.

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

• Good places breed healthy activity.

• People attract people attract people.

• When you focus on place, you do everything differently.

• It takes many disciplines and skills to create a place.

• It takes a community to create a place.

• Amenities that make a place comfortable are critical.

• You can’t know what you are going to end up with.

• Each place has its own identity.

• You can’t have anything less than excellence.

• You have to have zealous nuts.

• It has to be a campaign.

Some Key Principles…

The Place of Libraries in Changing Times

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