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The Downtown Library Is a Full-On Monet

Seattle Public LibraryIt's like a painting, see? From far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big old mess.

That's kind of what Lawrence Cheek says in the PI today, where he dares to say what a lot of Seattleites are thinking: our new central library building isn't all that.

This library, incredibly, is an uncomfortable place to read. The third-level "Living Room," which has the feel of a vast indoor park, is not conducive to intimacy with a book. It harvests and energizes routine noise; conversations from hundreds of feet away coalesce as ambient babble. The vast overhead space, a thrill to library visitors, works against readers -- most of us instinctively crave small, private spaces when curling up with a book. And "curling up" here is no fun. The foam seats are decidedly unpleasant and are looking shabby -- cracked, torn, stained -- after three years.
It's true: hanging out in the Central Library feels like working in the world's fanciest Ikea. Hubbubish, airy, hard to navigate, and full of cheap furniture.

But Cheek is more articulate than the friends we've spoken with and blog commenters we've read who merely bag on the new building, hating it from the get-go and, more importantly, not conceding its great elements.

A building can be great and still have glaring functional flaws -- in fact, great buildings always do. An inspirational space usually works at cross purposes to efficient function, but when it's overwhelmingly good, its art trumps the shortfall of craft. There's something missing from the art in this building, and it's so basic and simple that it can be captured in one word: warmth.
There's a reason the library is Americans' favorite Seattle building: it's iconic, and awe-inspiring, and gorgeous. Those assessments aren't wrong, says Cheek -- but they don't tell the whole story. We love the library, but Cheek articulates why we don't love it more, or love it unreservedly. (Regardless, it's an improvement over the previous building on the spot -- and we know there are plenty of people willing to challenge that assertion.)

The issue makes us wonder what it's like to have an office in the Empire State Building -- America's favorite building draws the crowds (it drew us), but is it a great place to do business?

Seattlest Michael asked "Given that the critique is valid, what should the library do about it?" Good question. Maybe farm out the research stacks to some of the warmer, friendlier neighborhood libraries?

Thanks to inzenity for the photo, which we found in the Seattlest Flickr Group.

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By James in on March 27, 2007 12:26 PM

Comments [rss]

  • Scott

    I once had an office on the 82nd floor of the Empire State Building and the views were to die for. But that was it. The building was worn down, the services antiquated and the staff unpleasant as only New Yorkers forced to deal with an endless stream of tourists from places like Seattle can be.

  • Mark

    The exterior structure of the building is what makes it gorgeous, for the most part. It's the interior that sucks, but there's a lot that can be done there to improve the situation. The most intimate spaces in the library are the window-facing desks along the stacks; make those more inviting by increasing the number of seats and finding some way to increase the number of outlets for laptop users like me. The chairs are terribly uncomfortable; add a few (at least) that are intended to pamper a person who intends to stay for a while. Cut down on noise pollution by being more considerate with the tours -- I can't tell you how often I ran into librarians who should know better shout their spiel at the grannies in the tour rather than respecting the space and the people doing serious work there. Reorganize the stacks on the first floor so that it's easier to get to where you're going without running into a dead-end. And see if you can do something with the elevators to make the wait less frustrating; maybe one or more could be an express to the top floor?

    And get rid of the green restrooms. I believe that it was intended to scare away the homeless; it did a great job of scaring me away.

  • matthew e

    When the building opened I read that they chose the displeasing shade of institutional green in the restrooms deliberately to discourage transients from bathing there.

    And for the record, the reading room at SPL Central is precisely what I was thinking of when I said people need to shut up at the library. I haven't found it to be "quiet as a mouse" at all.

  • Just to clarify: I'm pro-derelicts in libraries. I just don't think you can hold up "there's homeless people in the library" as a strike against the new building, since the same homeless visited the earlier building.

    And the noise is not something that bothers me about the new building, though others obviously disagree. I think its biggest failings are unintuitive navigation and a poor sense of "flow" within and between sections.

  • Kate

    The beauty of public libraries is the fact that they are open to everyone who wants to use them. Of course, that's also the dirty part of public libraries. I love SPL Central - just as I love all libraries - and as someone who has used and worked in many different libraries, I can tell you that it's no dirtier than anywhere else (and actually, usually quite cleaner. There are directional issues, for sure, and the space may not be warm, but the noise? Noise is an integral part of the library! There is no more "shushing" involved in public libraries - at least not in general and not in a good library. There are spaces in most libraries that are designated as "quiet study" areas, but most main areas of most public libraries are now public spaces, much like markets or parks. It's all about the social atmosphere. Of course, acoustics that generate more noise than may be desirable aren't the best thing, but we need to get over the whole "public libraries are always silent places" thing.

    If you want a tomb to curl up with a good book in, go to the academic library (or go up to the Reading Room on level 10 of SPL Central, where it's quiet as a mouse).

    And since when is it a librarian's job to enforce "proper manners"? (and really, proper manners according to whom?)

  • matthew e

    I've always been surprised by how casual people are about carrying on full-volume conversations in Seattle libraries. I felt that way at the temporary main library when it was at the convention center as well. I don't generally find that to be the case at UW's libraries, Suzzallo/Allen in particular. Maybe the design and the furniture are so casual at SPL that people feel right at home being obnoxiously noisy with their inane personal conversations...

  • I think "second home for derelicts" is part of any public library's mission statement.

  • Billy

    I agree, it not only lacks warmth, but it literally lacks warmth.

    The library is cold, the computers on the fifth floor are chronically dirty, the desks are frequently dirty, and it is impossible to find free space.

    Also, there's too much slouching, eating, sleeping, and other bad manners going on without proper enforcement. Let's be honest. It's a second home for derilects.

  • Matt the Engineer

    //what should the library do about it?//

    1. Bean-bag chairs. Lots and lots of bean-bag chairs. They're cheap, comfortable, easy to clean, and can easily be made in bright colors.

    2. I'm not sure the best way to deal with noise. Active noise cancellation combined with perhaps a soft recording of ocean waves might work. Or set up soft and sound absorbing objects all over the place (see #1).

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