Designing Libraries: An academic question

Earlier this year I attended the biennial Liber Architecture Group (Lag) seminar, held in the Zaha Hadid-designed library and learning centre building on the impressive campus of the Vienna University of Economics and Business (known locally as WU). The idea in attending was to get an overview of how changes in technology and learning environments are influencing the design of library spaces across Europe.

The design challenges facing the academic library had seemed to me less of a problem than finding solutions to the inherited constraints of public libraries and public library buildings in their transition from traditional book-lending services to community and cultural spaces with a wider remit. After all, the academic library audience is easy to define, its purpose as a support to teaching, learning and research obvious, and its value not in doubt. No one, surely, is going to argue about what and who a library is for?