[Untitled]

Mobilia, Nicholas

Philadelphia, PA, USA

2014

005-LF-P038

Professional

To remain relevant in a new era dominated by digital media and a public accustom to immediate access to services, future libraries must re-evaluate how to effectively and efficiently store, archive and distribute information. The library of the future will align more closely with today’s distribution and e-commerce centers than they will of the libraries of the past. Their focus will be on providing services and resources to a national market, and will be designed around the need to move information quickly and in a variety of different media.

The design approaches traditional library functions from an industrial and e-commerce point of view where efficient storage and distribution of goods is essential. An automated storage and retrieval system allows for the maximum amount of materials to be held in the Athenæum’s collections and distributed throughout the building and to member organizations with the click of a button. The design features gallery space for the library’s museum items and visiting exhibitions, office areas for the Athenæum’s growing research staff, and visualization labs where members can work directly with digital files and records.

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