Alternative Library Spaces is a project by Ksenia Cheinman documenting special libraries or, as she defines them more specifically, libraries in the domains of arts and humanities, in order to create a database of these spaces.
This project has evolved out of a personal observation on the nature of artist-run spaces and other art organizations. Every art institution by its nature is bound to accumulate print materials (be that exhibition catalogues, brochures, event invitations, artist books and publications, zines, various periodicals or other ephemera). As these resources are constantly obtained, the questions regarding their use and storage quickly arise. Many such organizations have very limited space and yet they manage to hold on to these valuable materials. Unfortunately, however, these resources are rarely known about or made use of by the greater community.
The main focus of this project is to highlight the importance and unique character of such spaces (as opposed to public, academic and more specific art/design libraries that are part of universities and colleges) and to establish how they can be further used and developed by the institutions they belong to and by the broader public.
She is currently seeking suggestions for library spaces to include in the database and contact details are available on the project’s website if you would like to contribute.
I have been a fan of Kickstarter for a while and was delighted to see The Uni, a light-weight, portable, open-air reading room.
The Uni starts with a custom-designed infrastructure that can be adapted to almost any kind of urban space. It consists of 144 open-faced cubes, which can be stacked and locked together in different configurations or heights, depending on site conditions. Together these cubes provide a modular system for programming public space and creating a venue for books, workshops, arts-and-crafts, demonstrations, classes, lectures, public meetings, and small film screenings….
In short, the Uni is a new type of small-scale, portable institution that puts books and learning experiences such as readings, classes, and screenings where we don’t regularly see them in the city. It can be installed in various configurations at different scales, and it can thrive in a variety of locations, efficiently transforming areas within parks, plazas, or empty lots into places of community use, learning, and public engagement.
I think every librarian should take out their wallets and contribute a few dollars to make this project a success.
What will our library spaces look like post-print? Dutch designers Roelof Mulder and Ira Koers have created an example at the University of Amsterdam as an entry for the Dutch Design Awards, where it won the prize for best private interior.
[They] converted an existing 27,000-square-foot library into a massive study hall — without any visible books — to accommodate the 1,500 to 2,000 students who visit daily.
Instead of stacks, the place is littered with workspaces. And instead of lending bureaus, it’s got a so-called red room: a space filled with more than 100 plastic red crates, where students can pick up books they requested online. (The university’s physical collection is stored in various closed repositories and book depots.) (Which is all well and good for collaboration, but what about making out in the stacks? Sigh.)
Tapworthy apps cope with small screens and fleeting user attention to make every pixel count, every tap rewarding. Learn to: capture the elusive ingredients of irresistible mobile interfaces; craft comfortable ergonomics for fingers and thumbs; dodge the usability gotchas of handheld devices; and turn tiny-touchscreen constraints to your advantage.
Includes plenty of ideas and UX advice for anyone thinking of designing an app for their library.
