In May 2007 I spent a couple of days in Barcelona. On the way back down from Güell Park designed by the famed architect Antoni Gaudí, I happened to come across this library going to the Metro. It was around midday and already pretty hot, a good excuse to investigate this modern library.
Barcelona, like many great European cities and towns, is known for its open air cafés. I know of the trend in American libraries to offer coffee shops (to compete with bookstores) but never realized the trend went overseas. This peaked my interest to take a photograph and obviously to go in.
To the right of the doors when entering was the café bar and to the left a nice sized circulation desk.
A little further in from the entrance along a wall were many pamphlets. I helped myself to several of them. The majority of the documents were not in Spanish, but in Catalan. The Catalan word for library is “biblioteque.” Catalan is a Romance language and reflects its proximity to both French and Spanish speaking regions. Most who live in Barcelona are bilingual (Catalan and Spanish).
Right after the professional, colorful pamphlets, I decided to head up the stairs (there were three floors that I explored). I could see a bank of Internet computers, all in use. There was also a substantial, square reference desk area. I decided not to bother the librarian (she seemed engrossed in her work).
When I got back home I did some further research on the Internet. This branch library of the City of Barcelona is over 5,000 square meters or over 54,000 square feet. The architect who designed the building won the FAD award in 2006 for the best new building on the Iberian Peninsula. This impromptu stop on vacation left a lasting impression.
Barcelona, like many great European cities and towns, is known for its open air cafés. I know of the trend in American libraries to offer coffee shops (to compete with bookstores) but never realized the trend went overseas. This peaked my interest to take a photograph and obviously to go in.
To the right of the doors when entering was the café bar and to the left a nice sized circulation desk.
A little further in from the entrance along a wall were many pamphlets. I helped myself to several of them. The majority of the documents were not in Spanish, but in Catalan. The Catalan word for library is “biblioteque.” Catalan is a Romance language and reflects its proximity to both French and Spanish speaking regions. Most who live in Barcelona are bilingual (Catalan and Spanish).
Right after the professional, colorful pamphlets, I decided to head up the stairs (there were three floors that I explored). I could see a bank of Internet computers, all in use. There was also a substantial, square reference desk area. I decided not to bother the librarian (she seemed engrossed in her work).
When I got back home I did some further research on the Internet. This branch library of the City of Barcelona is over 5,000 square meters or over 54,000 square feet. The architect who designed the building won the FAD award in 2006 for the best new building on the Iberian Peninsula. This impromptu stop on vacation left a lasting impression.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment