Building Literacy: Public Library Construction

When recording recent episodes with former library building specialist Patience Jackson, she called our attention to a speech from 1915 that exists in our files. The writer and speaker was Alice Chandler, who made advisory visits to libraries across the Commonwealth, critiquing everything from their buildings to their cataloging systems. In her speech, which our colleague Liz Babbitt reads in its entirety at the end of this episode, Ms. Chandler relays the numerous faults of recently constructed library buildings throughout Massachusetts. As library building specialists, we were taken aback by how relevant and true her statements remain. Therefore, we decided to discuss the similarities between our common comments today and those made 105 years ago by Ms. Chandler. We don't cover every aspect of planning, design, and construction, but we hope you find some useful information for your own project.

The tome to which Lauren alludes, The Practical Handbook of Library Architecture by Fred Schlipf and John A. Moorman, can be found in the ALA store.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, please email me at [email protected].

On this episode of Building Literacy: Public Library Construction, we delve into the history of the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program, which has been in existence since 1987. Founding Library Building Specialist, Patience Jackson, and former Library Building Specialist, Rosemary Waltos, join Lauren and me to discuss both the impetus and evolution of our unique and robust program.

On this episode of Building Literacy: Public Library Construction, two former Library Building Specialists with our program, Patience Jackson and Rosemary Waltos, offer their words of wisdom from a collective 50 years of experience working on library building projects through both the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program and independent consulting services. From their top three, or twelve, pieces of advice for library directors and designers to their favorite design mistakes, Patience and Roe share what they wish everyone knew before embarking on a building project.

Continuing our series on sustainability in public library construction, we interview Finegold Alexander Architects’ Ellen Anselone, Rebecca Berry, Josephine Penta, and Beth Pearcy in this episode. Learn how architects approach the integration of sustainable, energy reducing measures in public projects, even when project budgets may be limited or historic structures may be involved. We encourage anyone thinking of undertaking any building project of any scale to take a listen, as sustainability goals must be identified early and remain a priority throughout the process.

In this podcast, companies and firms are and will be featured, sharing their expertise and knowledge with library building project stakeholders in an effort to create a better, more informed experience. In no way does the featuring of these companies or firms on this podcast constitute an endorsement or a promotion of those companies or firms by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. These interviews are meant to serve as an educational resource only.

Whether undertaking a renovation, renovation/expansion, new construction, or capital upgrade project, library administration, trustees, and the municipalities they serve are increasingly approaching these projects with sustainability in mind, especially as more municipalities enter into compacts for energy reductions in public buildings by a targeted year. On this episode, we talk with Building Evolution Corporation's (BEC) Wesley Stanhope, BEC's Founder and CEO, and Ken Neuhauser, BEC's President, about practical steps you can take to plan for and implement partial and whole-building projects that achieve energy goals while not compromising on other aspects of building performance.

In this podcast, various companies and firms are featured, sharing their expertise and knowledge with library building project stakeholders in an effort to create a better, more informed experience. In no way does the featuring of these companies or firms on this podcast constitute an endorsement or a promotion of those companies or firms by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. These interviews are meant to serve as an educational resource only.