Browse : re-forming the urban library

The urban library has persisted as a cultural entity, largely because its interiorized form functions as a vault, creating a clear, although often intimidating, boundary between library program and the public realm. While preserved in its laudable functions, the library has met significant challenges with the emergence of new forms of media and technology. The introduction of the television, and more importantly the internet, as popular means of gathering information translates into a complete transformation of the acquisition process into mere fleeting engagements with mass media. The viewpoints and opinions of those few who shape the media are imparted upon the masses. In comparison, the library presents information not only with the benefit of multiple perspectives, but also with the necessary context provided through related subject matters. The challenge therefore becomes one of making available to the general public the great wealth of intellectual resources that the library provides. While some recent library designs have experimented with using the library's very competition to save it from extinction and have essentially contaminated the library with programs from outside the "vault," these attempts have for the most part been unsuccessful.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Baron, Sandra Ann

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ann Pendleton-Jullian.

• Architecture.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38605

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/38605