Library Buildings around the World

dedicated computer stations. The building also provides spaces useful for the surrounding community such as a computer classroom,
tutoring room, a 75-seat public meeting room, wireless internet access, and general computer areas (a total of more than 60
computers).
Extending the usability of exterior space for readers to enjoy during the summer, at the north end of the building, a large covered
patio is tempered with recycled HVAC exhaust air and protected from the sound emanating from the busy street by an earthen
berm. Along the west, 5,000 sf of private staff offices and workrooms are separate and secure. (Line)
University of Arizona, Poetry Center, Tuscon, AZ – USA 2007
Poetry is the food of the spirit, and spirit is the instigator and flow of all revolutions.” Since its inception, the Poetry Center has
strived to live up to these words from founder Ruth Stephan. With nearly 70,000 items related to poetry in its collection, the Poetry
Center is a living archive, a place where the spirit of poetry has served members of the community just like you for over 50 years.
Within this single space you will find opportunities to enjoy readings and lectures, classes and workshops, library exhibitions, field
trips, K–12 educational resources, discussion groups, or just a quiet place to sit and read a book. It is, as beloved teacher and friend
Steve Orlen said, “The best living room in America for reading poetry.” Welcome; we hope you stay awhile and return often.
Mission
• The Poetry Center is a living archive, founded in 1960 to maintain and cherish the spirit of poetry.
• The Poetry Center promotes poetic literacy and sustains, enriches, and advances a diverse literary culture.
Activities
An internationally renowned poetry library, the Poetry Center sponsors numerous University and community programs, including
readings and lectures, classes and workshops, discussion groups, symposia, writing residencies, poets-in-the-schools, poets-in-theprisons,
contests, exhibitions, and online resources, including standards-based poetry curricula. An area of special emphasis within
the College of Humanities, the Poetry Center is open and fully accessible to the public.
(http://poetry.arizona.edu/about)
The University of Arizona's Helen S. Schaefer Poetry Center was opened to the public as well as writers, faculty and students in
October 2007. The building creates a landmark facility where the mission of providing an outstanding research collection, quite
possibly the most outstanding collection of contemporary poetry in America, and meeting place for writers and readers of poetry can
be fulfilled.
Founder Ruth Stephan's concepts of accessibility and the connection between reader and poetry are overarching and drove the
design for the building. Outdoor gathering and comfortable places of solitude and contemplation are an integral part of this project.
The program includes stacks, controlled rare book collection, archives, administration, space for the Humanities Seminar Program
and areas for discourse in both small and large groups. Integrated housing, one of the truly unique aspects of the center, is provided
to honor and support the tradition of interaction among established poets and students as well as total immersion for those just
emerging. (Line)
Peggy J. Slusser Memorial Philatelic Library (Western Philatelic Museum) Tuscon, AZ – USA 1996
The Slusser Memorial Philatelic Library contains a collection of over 30,000 books, journals, catalogs, photos, maps, and other
reference items related to philately and postal history. Our archival collections focus on the postal history of Arizona and the
Southwestern United States. The library also houses a collection of Civil War literature and material.
Dedicated in October 1996, the library is adjacent to the Postal History Foundation in the unique West University Historic
Neighborhood District. Its aesthetic appeal and architectural features have received national distinction. It features a spacious
reading room, exhibit area, book, and catalog sections. Most importantly, it has become one of the most recognized repositories of
philatelic literature in the United States. Its material is an excellent resource for students, educators, historians and researchers. A
trip to the Slusser Library is guaranteed to be worthwhile. We look forward to your visit!
(http://www.postalhistoryfoundation.org/slusser-library.html)
Located in an historic Tucson neighborhood and designed as an addition to the Western Philatelic Museum, the Slusser Memorial
Library houses one of the most important collection of philatelic research materials in America.
Adjacent to but separate from the Museum's existing building, the Library provides a forum in which postal history is organized,
preserved and provided, placing a premium on flexibility and maintaining special areas for users and collections. The expansion
includes a circulation desk, work/storage area, card catalog, collections (stack/flat file), multi purpose reading/meeting, bathroom,
technical services, vault and service spaces.
The Library's scale and material palette evokes a strong reference to its historical context; its construction places value on quality.
Establishing a sense of unity with the surrounding neighborhood, and providing a low maintenance and cost-effective structure were
important. Concrete block is clad with stucco to help the building blend into its residential context. Natural stone veneer for the
angled entry wall evokes a strong reference to the historic use of this material, enticing patrons from the existing postal facility to the
interior of the new Library. Openings and concrete projections provide an exciting visual dynamic, reinforcing the desired
connection with the historical. (Line)
LiRo Architects + Planners, New York, NY – USA
http://www.liro.com
Libraries:
Bronx High Bridge Library, New York, NY – USA 2010
2.100 sqm. Addition, $ 7.400.000
Thanks to the inspired work of LiRo Architects + Planners, the dark and oppressive building that once housed the High Bridge
branch of the New York Public Library in the Bronx has been transformed into a welcoming space permeated by daylight.
The New York Public Library specified that the renovated library become a neighbourhood landmark and gathering place. In
response to this charge, LiRo Architects, who provided both Architecture and Interior Design services for the renovation, literally
raised the roof of the building to allow natural light to flood in creating a luminous and expansive space that inspires gathering and
learning. In homage to the neighbourhood’s defining landmarks, LiRo’s in-house talent created watercolour murals of the High
Bridge Aqueduct and Water Tower for the library’s main entrance, lobby and Children’s Reading Room. A whimsical threedimensional
illustration of a tree emerges from the mural to shelter the Children’s story area in which children gather on a circular
amphitheater covered in grass-imaged carpeting. Bright green circles of flooring denote gathering areas in both the Children’s and
Adult Reading Rooms while brightly-coloured modern furniture creates a cheerful atmosphere in a clean, modern space welcoming
to adults and children alike. “I believe that we are standing in the most beautiful urban library in America,” said Paul LeClerc,
president and CEO of the New York Public Library, at the grand opening of the High Bridge branch and also called the Children’s
Reading Room “the single most beautiful space in New York”. LiRo Architects strive to make spaces that support, sustain, and
inspire, and the High Bridge Library redesign meets, and exceeds all of those goals. (LiRo)
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