Bookspace. Collected Essays on Libraries

Inland’s new book focuses on the current development of library spaces as public institutions through the perspective of architects, writers, librarians, and readers. Bookspace: Collected Essays on Libraries addresses the architecture of modern public spaces, and the development of library collections in the age of digital information, in order to discuss the larger social context of libraries as institutions. It provides an insight into their management and how their functions are changing.
A comprehensive look at the social role of libraries is a key part of the book. In the Western World, constant funding cuts – justified with austerity measures and the economic crises – affect the functioning and closing of libraries. While in the Middle East and Northern Africa, the challenges arise from socio-political crises and military regimes. Thus, threatening the preservation and sharing of knowledge, and overshadowing those libraries’ historical roots and social roles.
The speed of technical innovation makes any discussions of future developments uncertain. A well-rounded critical debate of the current state of libraries, which for centuries have been vital sources and distributors of knowledge and information, seems to be an important step to better understand what drives our society. Recognising how patterns of information distribution and consumption are changing, we aim to suggest how they might evolve in the near future.