Seattle's 21st Century Library

I finally got around to Paul Goldberger's review of Seattle's new library (The New Yorker, May 21, 2004). The glass and steel abstraction, designed by Rem Koolhass(!) and Joshua Ramus, "celebrates the culture of the book," says Goldberger. He goes on to allude to the modern role of libraries as information centers. While his examples are not always explicit, he conveys a strong sense that libraries are and will continue to be needed.

The architects arrived at this understanding by doing their homework (research, environmental scan -- call it what you will). They "investigate[ed] how libraries actually work and how they are likely to change." Yet in describing reference services, Goldberger writes that librarians point people to "the books they need" -- missing an opportunity to talk about the ability of librarians to help users search the Internet or find information on online databases to which the library subscribes. He glances this way when describing the financial commitment to the eleven-story building as "a powerful testament to architecture as a container for the delivery of information." Delivery of information -- and in some settings, packing of information -- is the business of 21st century librarians.

I agree with Goldberger that the Seattle's library "emphasizes the value a culture places on literacy" -- too bad he didn't explore just a little further into all that modern literacy includes: knowing how to read, knowing how to search for print and electronic sources to meet one's need, know when to seek help, and knowing how to evaluate the unearthed data.