University officials have postponed closure of the Architecture Library after receiving backlash from graduate students and alumni.

The library was set to close before the fall semester because of budget and safety issues and lack of use, Libraries Dean Patricia Steele said last week. [...]

To save the library, graduate student Adam Chamy started a petition, which has received more than 500 signatures. — diamondbackonline.com

The challenge requires sophisticated understanding of the resources — human, physical, digital, spatial, and civic — that libraries offer to their users. In the conversation below, Shannon Mattern, a scholar who works on libraries, archives, and media infrastructures, and Nate Hill, Deputy Director of the Chattanooga Public Library, talk about what these resources are, how they are evolving, and what design can contribute to how they are deployed. — urbanomnibus.net

The New York Public Library’s revised renovation plan — to upgrade the Mid-Manhattan Library and create more public space in its flagship Fifth Avenue building — is expected to cost about $300 million, according to library officials who outlined new details of the project in interviews. [...]

But officials, for the first time, revealed that the original plan, mostly scrapped last month in large part because of questions about the price tag, would actually have cost more than $500 million [...]. — nytimes.com

The foundation established to lead the development of President Obama’s library and museum opened the door Thursday for institutions and groups to begin making a pitch to host the site.

The Barack Obama Foundation issued its long-awaited Request for Qualifications on its newly named website, inviting applicants to provide information about how their proposal would impact the community and how it would reflect the president’s vision. — chicagotribune.com

The Boston Public Library, which was founded in 1848 and is the oldest public urban library in the country, is moving rapidly in that direction. With a major renovation underway, this Copley Square institution is breaking out of its granite shell to show an airier, more welcoming side to the passing multitudes. Interior plans include new retail space, a souped-up section for teenagers, and a high-stool bar where patrons can bring their laptops and look out over Boylston Street. — nytimes.com

Alas! The winning team to renovate the historic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library has been selected. That team would be Mecanoo and Martinez + Johnson, who won over notable finalists Patkau + Ayers Saint Gross and STUDIOS + Freelon.

Upon contract approval, Mecanoo and Martinez + Johnson will begin working with library staff and consultants to finalize the new library's design scheme. — bustler.net

The historic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington D.C. is one step closer to finding the architectural team for its major renovation project -- and competition is stiff [...] After submitting their proposals, the top three teams will have one final presentation to persuade the review panel and the public this Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. in the MLK Library's Great Hall. — bustler.net

A debate has raged over the future of Tempelhof Airport in the south of the city since its closure in 2008. Its open space is currently used for concerts and city gardening. [...]

Architect Jens Oberst, whose library was among two winning designs selected by Berlin's Senate for the site in December, told The Local that the referendum would not influence his plans.

He said: "We’re of the opinion that it is precisely our project which fits with a desire to have an open public space [...]" — thelocal.de

Texas has seen the future of the public library, and it looks a lot like an Apple Store [...].

Even the librarians imitate Apple’s dress code, wearing matching shirts and that standard-bearer of geek-chic, the hoodie. But this $2.3 million library might be most notable for what it does not have — any actual books.

That makes Bexar County’s BiblioTech the nation’s only bookless public library. — washingtonpost.com

Three finalist teams have advanced into the last round of the search for an architect to renovate — or possibly redesign — Washington D.C.'s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Back in October, the competition had already narrowed down the list of applicants to 10 teams with the invitation to create technical proposals on how they would approach renovating the Mies van der Rohe-designed library. — bustler.net

schmidt hammer lassen has been chosen to design the new 30,000 m2 Ningbo Central Library in the coastal city of Ningbo, China. shl's winning design will display the library's collection of more than 2 million books — including the largest number of historic and ancient books in Ningbo, one of China's oldest cities. — bustler.net

The search to find the architect team to help redesign the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library continues as the competition narrowed down from 26 firms to 10 last month. These 10 teams were invited to create technical proposals on how they would approach renovating the Mies van der Rohe-designed library in Washington D.C. Firms are not expected to submit design concepts in this round. Proposals will be judged by a team of library, urban planning, architecture and preservation experts. — bustler.net

The highly popular Taichung City Cultural Center International Competition in Taiwan just announced its much anticipated list of winners, and it's the Pritzker Prize-winning team of Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA with local partner Ricky Liu & Associates to snatch the top honors. — bustler.net

Designs for a new Baghdad library boasting the largest single-space reading room in the world have taken a step closer to being realised after the architects got the green light to put the project out to tender in September.

The Iraq National Library was devastated by fire and looting when allied troops entered the city in 2003. An estimated 60% of archival materials [...] and 25% of books, newspapers, rare books, historical photographs and maps were destroyed. — theguardian.com