Long Overdue: Uninterrupted Cycles
Long Overdue: Uninterrupted Cycles
Instructor: Christian Unverzagt Location: Elmwood Park Public Library Detroit, Michigan
Phase: Analysis and concept Area: 7,000 sqm Year: 2021
introduction
This project navigates around different institutional practices related to general public buildings and libraries. It tries to understand why we are urged to transition to non-institutional approaches, considering the changes we need to make in library architecture and management. Pushing through this project, I try to re-imagine libraries as inclusive public spaces that help to empower communities and enable them to construct their narrative.
Non-institutional cycles
Generally, Institutional practices over the years were meant to keep on something, to particular an image, promote an official narrative, or sustain selected social values that will act as a safety net for the community.
In libraries specifically, institutional practices were meant to keep on knowledge transfer cycles and accessibility. Libraries used to produce and preserve knowledge like the Alexandria library. In recent public libraries, we had practices like “overdue fee” done so we could find books when we needed them or “stay quiet” cause libraries were the go-to place for scholars. Still, the main scope of libraries is constantly changing, so we need to keep those cycles uninterrupted. We need to keep them systematic sometimes and organic on others. We need to keep them uncensored but simultaneously available for constant reassessment on a community level.
But as much as we need to change things like spaces and practices to meet our needs, We need to keep on the cycles uninterrupted. So preserving or keeping those cycles does not mean having them in the same form, but it is more like making sure that they still function and produce the same state, but it is more like making sure that still work and grow
