Design

HVAC systems may be an important tool for reducing COVID risk in library buildings; the details make all the difference.

How will COVID-19 change how libraries offer their collections and services in the long term? How will it change the nature of our work? This article provides a vision of the future in which libraries become true connectors of people and catalysts for discovery.

In today's day and age of the COVID pandemic, job loss, increased violence, and weather-related incidences, the Community Library has become more important than ever. People flock to libraries as a lifeline in times of need.

Spaces for distinct activities in pavilions, wings, or adjacent areas are smartly configured for cross-pollination without disruption in new and renovated libraries.

Advances in technology and creative use allow libraries to define spaces, add color, and control noise without any walls.

Reading nooks, custom millwork, and generous use of graphic design pull together aesthetic across library interiors.

Enclosed glass spaces allow insight into what’s going on at the library as well as offering a visual connection to the surrounding community, while moveable walls that literally open onto the outside go a step further.  

Features inspired by residential designs continue to offer comfort and informal areas to relax and connect.

Cues from the natural landscape come inside, seating and programming go out, as libraries continue to connect indoors and out.