21st Century Spaces in 20th Century Buildings

21st Century Spaces in 20th

Century Buildings

IFLA Satellite Meeting

Rome, Italy

21 August 2019

Philadelphia, PA

• 1.58 million residents

• 6th largest US city

– (by population)

• It’s an old city

• It’s a politically interesting city

• It’s a city of promise

• It’s a city of entrepreneurs

• It’s a city of many neighborhoods and churches

• It’s a civically engaged city

• It’s a poor city– 25% poverty rate

– 50% low literate adults

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A bit about the Free Library of Philadelphia

• Nearly 1600 full and part-time employees plus 2, 000 volunteers

• 60 locations

• Organized into geographic clusters

• Over 25,000 programs annually

• the benefit of a Foundation

• aligned forces with the Rosenbach Museum and Library

• an organization that invites risk and innovation… but are sometimes afraid of our own success

Parkway Central Library

Parkway Central Library

Issues we are trying to solve

• Inadequate Children’s Room

• Inadequate space for Teens

• Inadequate Auditorium

• Inadequate space for staff

• A space for small businesses and entrepreneurs to start, grow or enhance their businesses

• A space for people to be civically engaged

Children’s Room

Montgomery Auditorium

Subject Departments

Proposed Addition #1$240 Million +

Current Proposed Addition$100 Million

Scope of Stacks Project

Pepper Hall Level 2

Mezz Level - Staff +

Common Level 1Connection to main lobby

Business, ResearchAnd Innovation CenterGround Level

Elevators toPepper Hall

Teen SpaceGround LevelWith separateEntrance/exitto 20th street

Compact ShelvingBasement Level

ScopeCURRENT

BOOKSTACKSTRUCTURE

PROPOSED

FIRST FLOOR

GROUND FLOOR

BASEMENT

STACKLEVEL 1

7’2” H

COMPACT SHELVING(UP TO 47% OFEXISTING CAPACITY)

STAFF SPACE +

COMMON

BUSINESS, RESEARCH& INNOVATION

CENTERSTACKLEVEL 2

7’2” H

STACKLEVEL 3

7’2” H

STACKLEVEL 4

7’2” H

STACKLEVEL 5

7’2” H

STACKLEVEL 6

6’8” H

MEZZANINE

4’6” “CRAWL SPACE”WITH DUCT FROM AHU1NEEDS ABATEMENT

2,166 bookcases (6 shelf); 12,996 shelves (25 volumes per shelf); 324,900 volumesestimated capacity (approx 41% of the capacity of 6 older stack levels; 7 shelve 47%)

MEZZANINE

FIRST FLOOR

NEW PUBLIC

RESTROOMS

ENTRANCE FROM LOBBY

NEW PUBLIC

RESTROOMS

NEW WINDOWS (9)

COMMON

GROUND LEVEL

NEW PUBLICRESTROOMS

Light well tofirst floor

COMMERCE

TEEN

Stacks pre-1927 before Completion

Central Library Lobby

Staff Mezz

Common

BRIC

DIGITAL LAB & STACKS

MAIN LOBBY

MONTGOMERY AUDITORIUM

PEPPER HALL

SKYLINE ROOM

Re-Use of the Stack System

Staff Level

Common

BRIC

Compact Shelving

MainLobby

Pepper Hall

Modification of the Grand Stairs

Architect’s Rendering

Actual Result

Business Resource and Innovation Center

Field Teen Center

Issues We Solved

• Inadequate Children’s Room

• Inadequate space for Teens √

• Inadequate Auditorium

• Inadequate space for staff √

• A space for small businesses and entrepreneurs to start, grow or enhance their businesses √

• A space for people to be civically engaged √

….and Finally

Many Thanks

Siobhan A. Reardon President and Director

Free Library of Philadelphia www.freelibrary.org

reardons@freelibrary.orgTwitter: @flpdirector

andJames E. Pecora

Vice President for Property ManagementFree Library of Philadelphia

pecoraj@freelibrary.org

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