100 Libraries in 30 Years

I've always loved working on library projects because they're one of those buildings in a town that really makes a difference in the way the community sees itself. It's one of the buildings that helps form a community's self-image. It's a facility that really makes a difference. So working on a library project, you know you're working on something that's going to be a contribution to the community for decades and decades to come. One of my favorites has to be the Concord Public Library. Concord is one of the most historic public libraries in the Commonwealth. It was one of the first public libraries. It was dedicated by Ralph Waldo Emerson. They bought a historic house that was next to the main library and we did a renovation that linked that house to the existing library. We did preservation to the historic part of that house and then did a major addition to the back with a brand new children's department and a garden in the back. And it was also a library that was one that I personally liked to go to and use because it was near my home at the time. So Concord's always had a special place in my heart. After we complete a project, I like to go back and just kind of sneak in and you know not let anybody know that I'm there and just watch people who come in and see their reactions. Watch people the way they use the library. It's one of the most rewarding things you could do as an architect. It's very satisfying to know that the work that you've done has really made a difference for a community. What's important about the children's library is that we're trying to introduce children to a lifetime of learning and creating a children's department that really has that magical quality. One of the important things we need to keep in mind when designing a public library is that it's not just for the public, it's also for the staff that need to work there. And everybody wants to feel safe and secure and enjoy themselves and get things done when they go to the library. That includes the staff. Creating spaces that are easy to maintain, easy to observe, easy to oversee. Just thinking about the ways that the staff need to interact with the public so that they can support the public and support one another when they're trying to do it. Sustainability of course is an important aspect in any new building that we do and that certainly is true of the libraries that we've worked on. When we do a library renovation or addition, accessibility is always a key issue because the library is a facility that serves everybody in the community. Sometimes that's a challenge in older historic buildings but we've ways to make them accessible. Johnson Roberts knows what libraries are and what they can do for a community but it's the community themselves that really needs to come together and decide what they want their library to be. And every library has a lot of the same moving parts and pieces but every community sees what they want in their library is a little bit different. Libraries have been changing in the last 20 or 30 years. Libraries are not just a big repository of books. They're really places where people can come together. I would characterize the public library today as more of a cultural community center. People really come to the library now to get together so that has put more emphasis on meeting spaces. So we've been providing more in terms of meeting spaces with audio-visual equipment that will support that kind of collaborative learning. All about getting everybody in the community into the building and so designing them and working for communities gives us an opportunity to reach out to everybody in the community and design a building that works for them. A lot of our quiet study rooms could be used by folks to have a meeting and we've also done some sound and video labs as part of a maker space where folks can come in and create their own audio and video content to share on social media. Having an opportunity to use high-end equipment that they might not be able to afford at home but they can go in and use it for free at their library. People always ask me what's my favorite library project and the answer I always give them it's the next one because there really is something compelling about the next project.