i don't often agree with rybczynski, but his opinions are usually at least a little ... interesting.
there are much better libraries than the recent ones he cites and there are others that better exemplify what a less heroic contemporary library might be besides spl. too bad this 'critique' (?) was so thin. i would have liked to see his comments on pelli's in mpls and patkau's in quebec, bruder's and some of the other recent ones in the phoenix area.
I enjoyed this slideshow much more than I usually enjoy Rybczynski, possibly because he was taking less of a position and instead was questioning. I tend to agree that libraries will remain viable more as community media centers - meaning lots of computers - than as research/reading book collections.
That said, I and many friends are rabid users of the children's sections of our local libraries, and frequent them constantly. I don't want to keep 20,000 kids books in my house, where would I put them!?
I didn't realize Safdie's SLC library had retail in i;, now I'm even more intrigued by that building. Also: every time I see a picture of Chicago's Washington library, I gag. I hate that thing.
i read a comment on the purposes of a library by a respected scholar, which is very intersting. it is said that some rulers found a value in the commitment of collecting and storing books in itself as the books themselves were valuable. during a certain period, the library was a place to transcribe: books came and departed as though through a transit terminal. then the purpose started to become allowing places for the public to read, but i think the most interesting one is not to encourage reading but to conceal books, to enable people to find them again...
Mar 20, 08 4:00 pm ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
4 Comments
dude, all the homeless people @ OMA's SPL are what make it fun! you never know who you'l find peeing in random places.
i don't often agree with rybczynski, but his opinions are usually at least a little ... interesting.
there are much better libraries than the recent ones he cites and there are others that better exemplify what a less heroic contemporary library might be besides spl. too bad this 'critique' (?) was so thin. i would have liked to see his comments on pelli's in mpls and patkau's in quebec, bruder's and some of the other recent ones in the phoenix area.
I enjoyed this slideshow much more than I usually enjoy Rybczynski, possibly because he was taking less of a position and instead was questioning. I tend to agree that libraries will remain viable more as community media centers - meaning lots of computers - than as research/reading book collections.
That said, I and many friends are rabid users of the children's sections of our local libraries, and frequent them constantly. I don't want to keep 20,000 kids books in my house, where would I put them!?
I didn't realize Safdie's SLC library had retail in i;, now I'm even more intrigued by that building. Also: every time I see a picture of Chicago's Washington library, I gag. I hate that thing.
i read a comment on the purposes of a library by a respected scholar, which is very intersting. it is said that some rulers found a value in the commitment of collecting and storing books in itself as the books themselves were valuable. during a certain period, the library was a place to transcribe: books came and departed as though through a transit terminal. then the purpose started to become allowing places for the public to read, but i think the most interesting one is not to encourage reading but to conceal books, to enable people to find them again...
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.