the library was a clear word that gives a clear vision when u listen to it, it meant a quit place full with bookshelves with some chairs and tables, and an old Mr. or lady that knows every corner of the library and every word inside the books. But today with the beginning of the modern library every that vision is changing to become more sufficient with the developed needs and demands of the client (reader),books are no longer just printed papers put on shelves. New libraries is designed with more and better facilities and better architectural solutions for storage, location, and service ,,,, etc .
This new method of design is submitted by studies of humans and their built environment, and investigation of the often subtle and complex relation- ships that exist between people and buildings ...those environments where we spend the great majority of our lives.
the most common modern methods of design that we hear about are, universal design, environmental design, sustainable design and green design. It will all be mentioned at this research.
Architect who will design buildings must have at least a moderate knowledge of human sciences , with even a limited background, a designer at least acquires the capability of questioning some of his easy assumptions about the purpose his design is intended to serve.
Libraries exist to provide free access to information and to support lifelong learning. The fulfillment of these purposes rests primarily upon usage which provides that interface between materials and people, and the usage of libraries depends on its design and the facilities it provides to its users.
So we can define library as: "an organized collection of resources made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both.[1] A library's collection can include books , periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films , maps , prints , documents , microform, CDs,cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, e-books, audiobooks, databases, and other formats. Libraries range in size from a few shelves of books to several million items".
2.1 Libraries History
The concept of the ‘public library’ evolved from the Guildhall Library in 15th century London. In the 17th and 18th centuries, most libraries were created by gift or endowment, but by the beginning of the 19th century, these had generally been superseded by either institutional (e.g. those attached to mechanics’ institutes or literary and philosophical societies) or
subscription libraries. The Public Libraries Act of 1850 was one of several social reforms of the mid- 19th century, and was generally intended to create ‘free libraries’, available to all classes of society throughout the country. The first two purpose designed public libraries were Norwich and Warrington, in 1857.
The Public Libraries Act of 1919 further extended library provision. Besides the lending library and the reading room, most libraries now had a reference department, and many had separate children’s departments. After 191 8 there was a considerable increase in technical and commercial libraries (over 115 by 1924). By the 1 9 3 0 most libraries had adopted open access (as opposed to books being available over a counter via the library staff), which
required more sophisticated classification and cataloguing systems - the Dewey system was
generally adopted.
After World War 11, the creation of the welfare state had a great influence on library provision, and this led particularly to an increase in reference and study facilities. Libraries for the first time extensively began to offer material other than books - for instance, gramophone records, then music cassettes, videos and CD ROMs. Invariably, however, these
were regarded as complementary to books, rather than as a replacement for them.
In the early 1960s, over 300 new library buildings were built in the UK. The buildings tended to reflect ‘modern movement’ ideals (the last of the typical old-style neoclassical
designs probably being Kensington Central Library, London, 1960). The use of modern materials , particularly glass, was seen as complementary to changing organizational patterns and a blurring of distinctions between different departments; open planning was seen to have many advantages. The problems of storage were alleviated with the
development of microfilm, and then computers.
Increasing literacy and leisure time plus the ‘information explosion’ make it important to plan for maximum flexibility and for future expansion.
· Academic and Research Libraries
· Art Libraries
· Health and Biosciences Libraries
· Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities
· Library and Research Services for Parliaments
· School Libraries and Resource Centers
· Science and Technology Libraries
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Reference libraries
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Children's Libraries
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Special Libraries
1.4.1 Definition
it's a library that provides services to the general public and usually makes at least some of its books available for borrowing. Typically, libraries issue library to community members wishing to borrow books. Many public libraries also serve as community organizations that provide free services and events to the public, such as reading groups and toddler story time.
2.4.1 library's role
1) encourage society members to read and educate to raise their academic and cultural levels.
2) form social relationships between individuals.
3) participate in solving some community problems like Illiteracy.
4) Using free time in an advantageous way.