The New Library, or "Urban Mediaspace"

The public library is being re-imagined as an interactive space with multimedia learning labs, coffee shops and government services.

Jonathan Lerner writes, "A mixed-use, multimedia complex that is meant to foster social interaction and creative ferment as much as reading and research, the library of the future is also intended as an engine of city-center rejuvenation."

New library buildings are being built into shopping malls and downtowns where people can access them more easily.

"These library buildings incorporate a constellation of nontraditional and even non-library uses, like cafes, shops, theaters and auditoriums, galleries, classrooms, conference centers, meeting rooms, recording and broadcast studios, government offices, even housing."

Full Story: New Libraries Revitalize Cities

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