President’s Address 2017

The contradictions built into the architectural programs of library buildings result in a deep tension in library design between technical and human requirements, and this tension is often dramatized, not only in the conflict between symbolic and programmatic form, but in the very uses of the librar...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pacific Coast philology 2017-01, Vol.52 (2), p.149-165
Main Author: Ganim, John M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic libraries
Architecture
Buildings
Cities
Libraries
Modernism
Public libraries
Reading rooms
School campuses
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The contradictions built into the architectural programs of library buildings result in a deep tension in library design between technical and human requirements, and this tension is often dramatized, not only in the conflict between symbolic and programmatic form, but in the very uses of the library. The Apollonian image of the library disguises a darker, more esoteric and private desire expressed in the often strange uses and abuses of the library. Architects have occasionally implicitly understood this dichotomy and expressed it in their structures.
ISSN:0078-7469
2326-067X
DOI:10.5325/pacicoasphil.52.2.0149