All of us in libraries are aware of the current emphasis on the role of the library as a spot in “virtual space,” a node in the electronic universe. But while libraries’ presence in the virtual world is important, most libraries also continue to exist as physical places in their communities—places where library clients can gather, read, browse, study, search the Internet, ask questions, see a program, or just sit and think. In a world that is increasingly “virtual,” is the library’s role as a special physical place still important?
This issue, “The Library as Place,” provides a variety of affirmative answers to that question. Some articles describe the development of new library facilities to reflect a community’s distinctive character and serve its distinctive needs. Some articles discuss the development of the library as a community project, in which the library becomes a community center. Other articles consider the library’s place as a commons, as a refuge—as a site for ritual, abundance, and discovery.
Alki Editor: Carolynne Myall
Alki Editorial Committee: Sue Anderson; Kathleen Ardrey; Karen Diller; Nancy Huling; Cameron Johnson; Eva-Maria Lusk; Carla McLean; Nancy Schutz, intern; V. Louise Saylor, chair; Ginny Rabago, LINK editor
by Judy Pitchford, Washington Corrections Center Branch Library
The Library as Magic Place
by Vick Myers-Canfield, Spokane County Library District
Bainbridge Island Library: A Community Project
by Eleanor Wheeler and Cynthia Harrison, Bainbridge Island Library
The Library as Place: The Mid-Columbia Library’s New Buildings
by Brian Soneda, West Richland Branch Library
To House the Books and the Readers: LSCA Title II Grants in Washington
by Linda Frederiksen, Washington State University, Vancouver
New (Old?) Place in an Urban Space
by Joan Norton, Brenda Philip, and Suzanne Klinger, University of Washington, Tacoma, Campus Library
Children and Teens Need Libraries
by Eva-Maria Lusk, Spokane County Library District
The Library as Place for Children
by Cecilia P. McGowan, Spokane Public Library
The Libraries of Spokane County: The Extraordinary Building Boom of the Past Decade
by Charles H. Baumann
Libraries as Ritual Space
by Tony Wilson, Highline Community College
Bridget Clone’s Library
by Angelynn King, Armacost Library, University of Redlands
Columns
Upfront: Library as Physical Place
by Cindy Cunningham, Amazon.com
From the Editor
by Carolynne Myall, Eastern Washington University Libraries
Who’s On First? A Place to Explore, Think, and Grow: Will Libraries Meet the Intellectual Freedom Needs of Students and Young Adults in the 21st Century?
by Tom Reynolds, Edmonds Library
WLA Communiqué
Ray Bradbury, MIT Futurist, ALA Leadership Headline WLA 2000 Conference
RIG Conference 2000 Programs
How to Stay Employable: WALE Pre-Conference
CAYAS Award for Visionary Library Service to Youth
WLA Nominations Committee Seeks Candidates
Goals for Grassroots
I’d Rather Be Reading: Acknowledgments: Thanks For a Reading Life!
