Building precepts and library programs.

Abstract

The quality of a library's design can often be determined by the amount of preplanning done before it was built. The paper discusses three components of a library: the users, staff, and materials. Before any design is contemplated for new or additional space, a philosophy or purpose of the library must be determined. Some questions that need to be asked about users are used as an illustration to show the kinds of information that is needed before a librarian can begin to write a program. Only after such information has been gathered can textbook formulas be applied. The librarian will have to synthesize general purposes and facts into a functional program which the architect can use as a basis for design. A common way to demonstrate how space should be utilized is through diagrams. The determination of why one building is better than another for a specific environment is not a matter of guess work or applying formulas, but a matter of intellectual work.