State public library, Bhopal

Abstract

A library should be “a living room of the city” where people meet, read, discuss and explore ideas. India being a developing country is moving fast towards modern lifestyle with globalization as the engine, and youth as the fuel. Public library is the place that has immense resources but it is losing its role and glory in the present social structure. In libraries individual domains dwell on achieving the desired knowledge. Due to the changing living style and growing dependence on the technology, somewhere the social interaction and the community celebration is losing its meaning. Therefore libraries need to adapt to this change to revive the readers and its identity. Library should be a part of one’s lifestyle. India is a step behind in achieving the changes, as already in today’s scenario of globalized modern society of world, libraries have transformed. Most of the public libraries in India lacks maintenance and basic requirements such as proper lighting, reading spaces, circulation spaces, accessibility etc. This is also the reason behind the decline in readership. The study is about exploring the ways by which public libraries can be redefined in the modern society and how it can be achieved architecturally.