Since it looks like for most of us the idea of a library staying relevant involves technology, I would urge everyone to try to see MIT's New Media Lab. I think it opened in 2010 and was designed by Fumihiko Maki and its a really great example of a media center that has potential to be incorporated into a modern library. Its obviously much more geared toward technology and student-driven innovation, but if you can tour it (I'm not sure its open to the public, I was lucky to know someone who had access), I recommend it. I think its a good example of using technology to further information and there are some awesome things to see- robots and a ping pong table that tracks where the ball lands every time are a few of the less useful but still cool gadgets. Even if you can't see it in person, here's a great article about it, and you can glimpse it from across the river: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/media-lab-0304
I have also been thinking about ways in which information has been changing recently. There has been a few shakeups such as the Huffington Post being bought by AOL, the merger of Newsweek and people like Keith Olbermann going to Current TV that seem to reflect changing ways in which people view news and informative sites. Not only is it becoming more digitized, but also more consumer- and commentator-driven, which allows everyone to be a part of news and its dissemination. I'm wondering if there's a place for our library designs to incorporate personal feedback into the information...
The MIT media lab is definitely an interesting example combining all of the above and for those who might have access to it it's a very interesting place to visit at least once. Regardless of the architecture itself, what is interesting about the new building of the Media Lab is that it is conceived more of a platform of knowledge making rather than a traditional "academic institution", and that can be seen by the flexibility and the variability of the different spaces can be fully re-organized according to specific demands.
ReplyDeleteYou can see some interior photos and diagrams, as well as a very detailed list of more technical information at the end of the page here: http://housevariety.blogspot.com/2011/01/mit-media-lab-by-maki-and-associates.html