Library Buildings around the World

Introduction
„Library Buildings around the World” is a survey based on researches of several years. The objective was to
gather library buildings on an international level starting with 1990. Completeness was neither possible nor
intended, but nevertheless a comprehensive compendium has been accomplished.
The countries included are listed in alphabetical order as well as the architects’ offices within each country. The
index is arranged according to countries, places, libraries and architects’ offices.
The buildings of each office are listed according to the date of completion. Included are individual buildings as
well as libraries integrated into bigger sites serving different purposes.
All kinds of libraries are considered.
The year 1990 has not been selected by chance. The German reunification, the collapse of the so-called Eastern
Bloc and the rapid development of electronic communication channels have changed the world effectiveley since
then.
One can say that library buildings were booming starting with 1990, above all in the Anglo-American countries.
In Western Europe especially France and the Netherlands are to distinguish. The survey reveals the outstanding
role of these countries as far as library buildings are concerned.
It is my pleasure to thank Berndt Dugall, Director of the University Library J.C. Senckenberg, Frankfurt a.M.
and Ursula Kleefisch-Jobst, Executiv Curator, M:AI (Museum für Architektur and Ingenieurkunst NRW),
Gelsenkirchen.
Andreas J. Werner
Preface
Computers and the Internet have revolutionized the flow of information in a similar way to Gutenberg’s printing
press in days of old. Today, e-books, digitally available periodicals and networked databases for rapid research
are just as valid as books and printed periodicals. The latter have forfeited neither their importance nor their
significance, despite the fact that claims to this effect have been made repeatedly from time to time. However,
the reverse is true. Every year the Frankfurt Book Fair reports increased publication figures. Accordingly, the
age-old task of building libraries is not yet obsolete. Quite to the contrary: Dr. Andreas Werner’s impressive
survey of new library buildings throughout the world erected over only the last 20 years demonstrates that the
construction of libraries is currently experiencing a boom the likes of which has not been seen in the preceding
centuries.
The task of building libraries has become more varied. From the scholars’ “hortus conclusus” to the place where
documents were stored, libraries have become educational and cultural establishments, meeting points and
leisure-time amusements for all kinds of social strata. Today, new library buildings are seen as driving forces
behind the development of districts and towns and, with their sometimes extravagant architecture, a number of
these new edifices are considered “signature buildings”, on an equal footing with other cultural buildings such as
museums and theaters. Nevertheless, looking at the situation internationally, the social standing of libraries,
particularly that of public libraries, does vary greatly from country to country. This is visible not only in the
number of libraries per capita but also, and especially, in the amounts of money spent on individual new
buildings, and I am not talking about prestigious national libraries, funded by monies raised from sponsors or
even financed by a specific tax levied for the library project in question. On this count the English-speaking
countries and in particular the United States are world leaders.
Basically, we can distinguish between two kinds of libraries. On the one hand there are academic libraries for
universities, central or specialist libraries, as well as the libraries belonging to research institutions, schools and
educational establishments and on the other the wide range of public libraries. Private libraries represent a class
of their own; most of these are specialist libraries, since the documents they contain reflect their owners’ tastes.
Since the 1980s, scientific libraries have experienced a major upswing as the ever-growing number of students
has required a rapid growth in university establishments. This has been accompanied by the change in the way