Photo: Suzan Globus
I was asked to design a special area to attract young adults in a public library by library board members who lamented, "Kids don't read books anymore," while wondering what effect this assumption will have on public libraries in the future. Coincidentally, one of my Design for Sustainability students submitted a paper on the effects of e-readers on libraries and I was interested to read his view regarding the need for libraries.
Typical of many library users, he said that the library was the coolest place he had ever visited as a child because it was, "crammed with anything and everything you wanted to know about." To him, the fact that Amazon made library e-books available on Kindle was a signal of the need for libraries in the digital age. He also felt that the continual use of the millions of library buildings around the world allows for optimization of our built environment in relationship to sustainability. Contrary to the opinion of the my library board clients, this college student stated that he is partial of physical books and will continue to use the library for that purpose only. Libraries have a wonderful opportunity to build on that sense of discovery that engages people of all ages by offering "anything and everything" people want to know about in both physical and digital formats in an environment that is designed to both stimulate them and support them in their quest.
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