BRIEF BACKGROUND:

COMMUNITY LIBRARY
A Community or Public Library was defined as a building or room containing
collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for people
to read, borrow, or refer to, according to the Oxford dictionary. The word Library was
derived from the Latin liber, meaning “book”.
In the ancient times, there was no distinction between a record room (or
archive) and a library, which points that libraries may have existed for almost as long
as records have been kept. An example was a temple in the Babylonian town of
Nippur, dating from the first half of the 3rd millennium BC, where a number of rooms
were found that were filled with a collection of clay tablets which suggests that it was
a well-stocked archive or library. In addition, similar collections of Assyrian clay tablets
from the 2nd millennium BC were discovered at the Tell el-Amarna in Egypt.

In other parts of the world, particularly China, the emperor, Shih Huang-ti of the
Ch’in Dynasty, ordered that historical records other than those of Ch’in to be
destroyed. This was done with the goal of letting people assume that history began
with his dynasty. Repression of history was lifted under the Han Dynasty where works
of antiquity were recovered, the writing of literature as well as record keeping were
encouraged, and classification schemes were developed.
In the West, most of the larger Greek temples seem to have libraries. It was
discovered that even in quite early times, many had archive repositories. Collecting
writings, in relation to history, poems, and etc., continued in the following years, and
to other countries.
Antonio Panizzi, a political refugee from Italy and was a principal librarian from
1856 to 1866, revolutionized library administration. During his years of work, he saw
the potential of libraries in a modern community as instruments of study and research,
available to all. By the middle of the 19th Century, the idea had been accepted that
community libraries might be provided by local authorities at public expense. Panizzi
stated that he wanted the facilities of a great library to be available to poor students.

Nowadays, public or community libraries are acknowledged to be an

The New York Public Library is a public library system located in Manhattan,
New York. This library is known as the second largest public library in United States,
and the third largest in the world in which they house 55 million books and other items.
The origins of this extraordinary institution date back to the time when New York was
evolving as one of the most important cities in the world. As the city began to flourish
and becoming one of the world’s great centers of urban culture, it must also have a
great library. Former governor Samuel J. Tilden envisioned to establish and maintain
a free library and reading room in the city of New York. Upon his untimely death, a
fund trust was named after him, the Tilden Trust, to pursue his vision for New York to
have a public library. By this time, Astor Library and Lenox library are named as
principal libraries in New York, but none of the were financially capable to be named
as the sole public library. At this juncture, John Bigelow - a New York attorney and
Tilden trustee, conceived a plan whereby the resources of both libraries along with the
Tilden trust to be combined to form a new entity, The New York Public Library, Astor,
Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. The plan was signed and agreed upon on May 2,
1895, was hailed as an unprecedented example of private philanthropy for the public
good.
The architectural firm Carrère and Hastings constructed the structure in the
Beaux-Arts style — was the academic architectural style taught at the École des
Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew
upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporated Gothic and
Renaissance elements, and used modern materials, such as iron and glass — and the
structured opened on May 23, 1911. One of the features or characteristics the
structure exhibits is the marble facade which contains ornate detailing. The entrance
in the Fifth Avenue is flanked by a pair of stone lions that serve as the library’s icon.
The interior of the building consists of the Main Reading Room, a space measuring
24m by 91m with a 16m ceiling which is appropriate for a library that contains that
much amount of books and items; a Public Catalog Room; and various reading rooms,
offices, and art exhibitions. The way the used architectural style was manifested in the
structure is subjected for an efficient access for natural light, an essential characteristic
a library should have.
British Libray
Euston Road London, NW1

The British Library came into life on the year 1973 because of a parliamentary act that
aids to provide a national library on the heart of the country’s information network. This
provides the British people with networks that facilitates learning in scientific areas,
technological, research, businesses, arts, humanities, etc. With its first proper opening
in 1997 together with receiving an official inauguration from the Queen Elizabeth II the
following months in June. The library had been declared as the largest building for the
last 100 years in Britain.
Over the years, the British Library had been names as one of the greatest libraries in
the world owning physical and digital collections while is home to digitized
manuscripts, UK Web Archive, and 1 million free rights to images present on the
website Flickr.
The library currently welcomes 1.6 million visitors every year. The library also recently
opened a new annex building - the British Library Centre for Conservation. The centre
houses state-of-the-art book conservation and studios. The library also displays
numbers of book and manuscripts which are displayed and procured weekly but also
displays thematic exhibits which shows the rich history of not only the British but also
displays histories around the world.
While the library had been established years ago, its architecture of its exterior is
characterized by its modern look blending both traditional and modern architecture of
the Brits thanks to its architect, Colin St. John Wilson. The space was designed to
engender different ways of working and the very process of developing the project was
used to develop people by working in different ways. This is a modernization and
‘cultural change’ project, whereby the challenge has been to keep the best of the old
(the artisanship, hand craft skills and technical expertise) and create the best of the
new (updating conservation techniques, developing new skills commensurate with the
needs of the collections, evolving organizational changes).
Moreover, the library offers different services and departments such as the Business
and IP centre, Document Supply Service, Sound Archive, and Moving Images Service.
The Library offers free behind-the-scenes tours of the conservation studios for the
public and also live demonstrations, workshops, and talks.
Ortigas Foundation Library
2/F Ortigas Building, Ortigas Avenue Corner Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Center,
Pasig City

The Ortigas Foundation Library that was founded on 1966, homes almost
21.000 documents, books, pictures, and images on the Philippine history which
includes personal library reference of Dr. Gregorio F. Zaide — a renowned historian
in the country and also includes 8,000 titles form the Rafael Ortigas family. The library
also possesses the 1767 edition of Voyage Round the World by Geroge Anson. There
are no admission fee to the library which makes the visit worthwhile.
Moreover, as a general thought. The Ortigas Foundation Library is
characterized by its brutalist element. Such as its exterior which uses the concrete
element of a brutalist style and is also characterized by its massing as a huge mass
of block. The interior is spacious which is ideal for a library. No divisions are provided
but furnitures such as bookshelves serves as it is. The interior design is clean and
simple that uses a blue carpeting which seems fitting as the color blue facilitates
learning and knowledge. Adequate amount of lighting is installed for the
appropriateness of reading.
The library composes of Conservation where old and antique books must first
be passed through for testings before displayed into the shelves of the library.
Seminar/Conference rooms which are 50, 100, and 150 square meters. The room
includes a sound system, LCD projector, whiteboards, flipcharts, etc. The room can
be rented. Research area is also part of the library which includes desktops and Wi-Fi
connections for those who opted to study in the library. Finally, it composes of a shop
which is created to raise funds. The library shop sells Filipiniana books and other
products.
The Ortigas Foundation Library is part of the Ortigas Building, located on its
second floor. This is likely the trend among local libraries. Libraries in the Philippines
have always been a part of a bigger structure. We have yet to see a library that is its
own independent structure rather than a part of a whole — sharing a space with others.
Even within schools, libraries are rather just part of a building.
As technology arises and the development of online documentation and
eBooks, physical libraries have been neglected as a result.
REFERENCES:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/library/Public-libraries
https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/history
https://jag.journalagent.com/itujfa/pdfs/ITUJFA_12_3_23_39.pdf
https://www.bl.uk/about-us/our-story/explore-the-building/architecture-and-design-of-
the-british-library
https://www.bl.uk/about-us/our-story/history-of-the-british-library
https://www.liberquarterly.eu/articles/10.18352/lq.7891/
http://ortigasfoundationlibrary.com.ph/oldofi/