the seven deadly sins of public library architecture
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THESEVENDEADLYSINSOFPUBLICLIBRARYARCHITECTURE
ThisisanoutlineofaprogrampresentedbyFredSchlipfandJohn
MoormanatthePublicLibraryAssociationnationalconferenceinKansas
CityonMarch12,1998.
Aftertheconference,severallibrariansaskedusforinformationonour
talk.Unfortunately,ourhandoutsincludedonlyalistofthesevendeadly
sinsandournames,addresses,andphonenumbers.
Becauseourhandoutsweretooshorttobeofmuchhelp,weveexpanded
ourlistofsinstoincludeamoredetailedoutlineofourtalk,including
boththesevendeadlysinsandalistofsomeoftheexamplesweprovided
ofeachsin.
Wehopeyouwillfindtheoutlinehelpful.
Itsimportanttoemphasize,however,thatthehandoutcontainsonlyalist
oftopics.Wevementionedsomeofthethingswethinkarethemost
commonmistakesmadeinlibraryarchitecture,butwehaventexplained
whywethinktheyaremistakes,howtheycanbeavoided,andwhatcan
bedoneoncethemistakeshavebeenmade.Unfortunately,manyofthe
problemslistedherearecomplexanddeservedetailedexplanation,soin
somecasestheoutlinemaybeofverylimitedvalue.
Wealsowanttoemphasizethatourlistofsinsisaveryincompletelistof
thethingsthattendtogowronginlibrarybuildingprojects,reflectingthefactthatweneededtofitourpresentationintoabout60minutes.
Ifyouwantmoreinformation,audiotapesofthePLApresentationsare
availablethroughTeach Em,160EastIllinoisSt.,Suite300,Chicago,IL
60611(18002253775)..However,wearenotabletolendourslidesor
-
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TheSevenDeadlySinsofPublicLibraryArchitecture p.2
providecopiesofthem,andsomepartsofthetapemaybehardto
understandwithouttheaccompanyingillustrations.
Weverymuchappreciateyourinterestinourtalk.Ifyouhavequestions,
feelfreetocallus.Wearealsoavailabletomakesimilarpresentationson
otheroccasions.
1.BADLIGHTING
Glare Directglare Indirectglare(veilingreflectance) GlarefromnaturallightGlare
from
artificial
light
Unevenlighting Badlylightedperimetersandcorners
Darksurfaces,particularlywallsandceilings Inefficientlighting Inflexiblelighting Lightingsystemswithslowrestriketimesinareas(likemeetingrooms)wherelightsneedtobeswitched
offandonfrequently
Noisylighting Esoterictechnology Skylights Downlighting(thetrulygreatevil)
2. INFLEXIBILITY
Inadequatefloorloading
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TheSevenDeadlySinsofPublicLibraryArchitecture p.3
Bearingwalls Incorrectcolumnspacinginmodernmodulararchitecture
Permanentobjectsintheway Insufficientdataconduitandelectricaloutlets Accesspointstodataconduitandelectricitythatplacelimitsonspaceusage
Nonexpandiblebuildings,duetolackofadjacentlandortodesignsthatdefyadditions
Architecturalsolutionstofurnitureproblems3. BADLOCATION
Entrancesfarfromparking Locationswithentrancesinareaspeoplehesitatetofrequent,especiallyafterdark
Locationtooclosetoschools Locationsadjacenttoothergovernmentbuildingsratherthanretailshoppingareas.
Badlylightedexteriors Needfortwoentrancesinordertoservebothdriversandpedestrians
Locationsthatwouldbebadforretail4. COMPLEXMAINTENANCE
Examplesinclude:
Badfloorcoverings
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BadHVAC Toomanydifferentlampsorunusuallamps
Unnecessarilyinaccessiblelightfixtures Troublepronerestrooms
5. INSUFFICIENTWORKANDSTORAGESPACE
Noprovisionforstaffgrowth Unrealisticpredictionsofstorageneeds
Useofofficesforstorage6. BADSECURITY
Badsightlines Multipleentrances Aislesthatrunthewrongdirectionforsupervision Adultpathwaysthroughchildrensservicesareas Privaterestrooms Placestospit Frighteningdropoffs Failuretotakeadvantageofoversightpossibilitiesthroughservicedeskandofficeplacement
Noprovisionfortheftcontrolsystems Bookreturnsthatleadinsidethelibrary Deadendbookaisles
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TheSevenDeadlySinsofPublicLibraryArchitecture p.5
7. SIGNATUREARCHITECTURE
Excessceremonialspace Ornamental,freestandingstaircases Awkwardorunusableinteriorspaces,resultingfromcreativebutimpracticalfootprints
Badlymatchedexpansions Unexpectedproblemswithuntestedarchitecturalsystems
Preparedby:
FrederickA.Schlipf,ExecutiveDirector
TheUrbanaFreeLibrary
210WestGreenStreet
UrbanaIL618013283
tel:2173674058
fax:2173674061
email:[email protected]
John
Moorman,
Director
WilliamsburgRegionalLibrarySystem
7770CroakerRoad
Williamsburg,VA23188
phone:7572597777
fax:7572594079
email:[email protected]
Copyright1998. Allrightsreserved.
Lastupdated21March2006
URL:http://urbanafreelibrary.org/