I loved this article, written by Principal Tricia Kelleher about the future role for libraries in light of the digital age and the increased use of ebooks.
Looking back at the evolution and role of libraries, Tricia Kelleher comments that as information transmission evolved over the centuries, one could see that libraries were ‘not just a repository for books but an iconic crucible for learning.’
Inspiration, she says, is they key function of a library, and in designing the new library space for her school, it is the dominant theme. In the school’s junior library design, the design focused on the power of story, equipped with a story courtyard and a complementing room for children to engage and explore.
In the senior school library, the space continues on this theme but pushes for curiosity amongst the students – ‘learning for its own sake’. In this space, the role of ‘Curator of the Cabinet of Curiosities’ was designed to drive this.