The Gandhinagar library, redesigned by faculty members of the National Institute of Design, will encourage readers to interact.
The very mention of a library conjures an image of rows of bookshelves stacked with all kinds of books, tables and chairs arranged neatly and pin-drop silence.
But the Gujarat Central Library and Knowledge Centre in Gandhinagar, which has been redesigned by faculty members of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, is set to change this staid image of libraries.
The lounges of the newly designed library will have a piece of furniture that is common in Gujarati homes - the swing. Readers can now relax on them while reading a book.
The library will now also offer facilities where visitors can meet for book readings over a cup of coffee. The coordinator of NID’s exhibition design department, Dimple Soni, is also the project manager for the redesigning of the Gujarat central library. Her aim has been to add a touch of Gujarat’s tradition to the library.
“Its redesigned interiors will make readers feel at home,” she said. “Swings, which are common in Gujarati houses, will now be a striking feature of the library too.”
The library has eight lounges on its premises, and each will have a number of swings. It has been redesigned to function as a place for meeting and connecting rather than just a conventional library.
“Our research revealed that libraries are frequented by people of all ages,” Soni said. “But people living in small houses are more likely to visit a library as there is not enough space at home where they can study.” She further said that libraries across the world were being transformed to facilitate meetings and discussions among people. “We, therefore, decided to go for a new design for the Gujarat central library and introduced lounges, an exhibition hall, a cafeteria and free internet zones,” Soni said.
The library will now also have separate sections for women and children. “We have tried to ensure that women get some privacy,” she said. “Besides, parents can let their children study or read books in the kids’ section without worrying about the kind of books they would pick up.”
Appreciating the work done by the NID faculty, director of libraries, AF Sheikh, said, “The redesigned facility will be thrown open to the public within 45 days.”
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