The Library Test Kitchen

I decided to design for the Robbins Library of Philosophy. The elements that I’ve decided to explore was the use of space and the presence of clutter in Robbins Library of Philosophy.

There is ample space to study/research/lounge however the objects in the room are not given any real space. Lounge chairs and work desks are just put into spaces where they will fit. One element will be compartmentalizing the space of the library.

In this re-design spaces have become compartmentalized. There is a lounge space in the front that allows for people to read quietly. In the next midsection there is the librarian’s space and the research space that allows for students/faculty to work from their research space and be near the librarian. The last midsection is the workspace, where the long tables are set up so one can sit down with their books and write their papers. It also allows for interaction between visitors of the library if they choose to.

The other element to this project was to play with the clutter that was present in Robbins Library.

According to the librarian these books will no longer be needed in the library nor will they be circulated around. Many of these copies happen to be double and triple copies of things that the Harvard Library system already owns. They may have lost their use as books but in this instance the clutter was used as a wall to create a small office space for the librarian.

By creating a “bookwall” and setting it around the room to act as dividers, these bookwalls can add to the library as space makers who help create a more quiet and solitary environment that most students who come into Robbins look for.

The Robbins Library of Philosophy is one of the gems of Harvard’s Philosophy department. Only three of the top ten schools of philosophy can say that they have their own departmental library.

Although it is very small in size (this picture encapsulates the entirety of the library) its been visited and inhabited by the likes of T.S Eliot and David Foster Wallace. It still has an archaic and vintage aesthetic that reminds many of the old Harvard. Being established as a library since 1906 on this very location it has only gone through a few changes.In many ways the Robbins Library serves not only as a library but as an artifact for people to discover. In the course of the day on its busiest 20-30 students/faculty will stop by. Many are those who have discovered this to be a quiet space to read, research and write papers. Those who take advantage of this library are almost exclusively students of philosophy, because of the limited space and its location.

John G. Wolbach Library for Astrophysics is one of Harvard’s most unique libraries. Not completely Harvard’s own, it’s a library shared with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Although the size and the rate of use of the library is not as big or frequent as Harvard’s most popular libraries it boasts some very specs:

2 microsoft surface tables

1 50 inch HDtv

1 Xbox 360 with Kinect

1 Nintendo Wii

1 Conference table

12-15 Movable Shelves

24 Globes (most are of other planets)

Although it may not look the type, this library is widely used and well known in the Astrophysics community. Libraries only committed to Astrophysics are very far and few in between. This space not only acts as a library space but a community space for those working in the observatory to enjoy.

In the year 2032 information has become even more digitized and integrated into physical space. In order to imagine an environment for books 20 years from now, one must imagine where the course of the book will lead. What is a book to someone in the year 2032? Is it a paperback novel of everyone’s favorite detective novel Sherlock Holmes, or is it a think grey slab that we now know to be a Kindle?  Perhaps even our farthest conventions of what a book can be is not far enough to predict what the book will look like in 2032.

However one can understand why people read and why people have been attracted to books for such a long time- no matter what the format. Books tell us stories and experiences that we can share and explore. They let our mind wander and allow us to get a glimpse of life that is familiar but unfamiliar at the same time.

Some examples of how books can change are shown by IDEO:

The Future of Books

 Perhaps in 2032 the magic and thrill of reading a book is all that will be left of books, as we know it. Texts may lose it’s importance much like how the physical packaging is being lost today.

   In 2032 books will be read through developing technologies such as Google glasses. Book covers may no longer serve the purpose of covering books, but they may still serve the purpose of finding books. Imagine instead of having a bookshelf you have a poster of book covers. By staring at the book cover of choice one can choose which book to read.