Chinatown Branch
Boston Public Library
Presented by:
Jason D. Nosek, Joaquin Falcon, & John Brdecka
LIS 779 - Planning & Equipping Libraries
Professor Christopher Stewart
Boston Public Library
System
• Founded in 1848, BPL was the first large free
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municipal public library in the United States
McKim (Central Library) on Copley Square
and 25 neighborhood branches
3+ million visitors per year
2012 operating budget:
$39.7 million
Source: www.bpl.org/general
Project Architects
Miller Dyer Spears,
Boston, MA
Specializing in
learning space and
campus design for
secondary and
higher education,
the healthcare
industry, and more
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Source: www.mds-bos.com/
Client list includes:
M.I.T.
Northeastern
University
Mount Holyoke
College
Brandeis University
City of Boston
Harvard University
UMass Amherst
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Project Architects, cont'd
Source: www.mds-bos.com/?mdsact=projects
Branch History
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First Chinatown branch established in 1896
Offered multilingual collections, ESL classes,
citizenship information, and employment assistance
o Closed in 1938
o Reopened as a reading room from 1951-1956
o Building demolished in 1956 for the Boston Central
Artery (now the Rose Kennedy Greenway)
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One of the few neighborhoods w/o a branch
Advocacy since 2001; 2006 feasibility study
Site Selection
Four sites chosen for
the from eleven
listed in feasibility
study:
Parcel A, 17,362sf
Parcel P12, 17,362sf
Tufts Lot, 14,305sf
Hudson Street,
19,187sf
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*all sf represents gross area
User Segmentation
Service Area:
User Segmentation, cont'd
Demographics in service area*:
Asian population: 51.7%
English (only) speakers: 40.2%
Asian language speakers: 51.5%
Median household income: $22,213
9th grade education: 32.1%
Unemployment rate: 10.8%
Age 0-16: 12.4%
Age 65+: 19.4%
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*from 2005 study
Community Considerations
Residents voices were heard by way of:
Two well attended public meetings
An advisory council composed of "key
members of the Chinatown community"
Six public advisory council presentations
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Cultural accommodations:
Tea service accounted for in adjacencies
415 sf devoted to cultural artifact displays
Eight computers dedicated to language ed
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Key Specifications
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Collection size: approx. 55,000 items
Shelving: approx. 5,500 linear feet
Gross building area: 20,830 sf
Interior building area: 19,485 sf
Cost per sf (Hudson St.): $554.91
Seating for 372 (w/rooms)
Estimated cost by location:
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Parcel A: $5,157,650
Parcel P12: $5,157,650
Tufts Lot: $4,248,352
Assignable Space: Public
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Entry/Circulation
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Prominent, multi-lingual signage
Self-serve checkout kiosks
Laptop borrowing
Community bulletin board
Meeting/Multi Purpose
o Large meeting space for 120 people
o Near entry for after hour community use
o Large meeting must be adjacent to public
washrooms
Assignable Space: Public
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Adult Services
o Must include an Asian Language, ESL, and Asian
Language Instruction collection
o Stacks should be of differing heights to reduce visual
barriers and incorporate seating
o Both study carrels and casual seating are required
Assignable Space: Public
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Children’s Services
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Secure area
Near entrance, near garden/courtyard
Fun flexible furniture
Separate crafts room
Storytelling area
Display area for artwork
Assignable Space: Public
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Young Adult
o Adequate space for group/collaborative study
o Flexible modular furniture to allow for
reconfiguration of furniture
o Separate College Resource Center
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Cultural Display
o A Central larger display area with smaller satellite
displays disbursed throughout the library
o All display areas and cases should be located for
good visual coverage by staff and patrons
Assignable Space: Staff
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Staff
o Main area must be adjacent to the main entry and
the loading access for the library
o A small workroom on each level is required if the
library is on more than one floor
Non-Assignable Space
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Building Support
o Adequate support space and infrastructure for LEED
rating is required
o Systems must be flexible to the greatest extent
possible to allow for program and technological
change
Adjacencies: The Matrix
Interiors
Library must be perceived as part of the
community; entrance has to be highly visible
and on 1st floor
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Welcome, open feeling specified
Entrance vestibule leads to lobby, adjacent
to Circulation
Prominent sight lines specified for entry
areas
Interiors, cont.
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Shelving
o Specified and designed for different service areas of
building
o Stacks specified to be a varying heights, with carrels
intermixed
o Lower stacks must have a durable top
o Reference collection shelving, “12 shelves, 5 shelves
high”
o Children’s collection: 48 shelves, 5 shelves high
o Separate, utilitarian shelving designated for staff
areas (e.g. metal shelving)
Interiors, cont.
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Lighting
o All reading rooms and areas must have access to
natural light
o Natural light and views to be maximized throughout
the building
o Light fixtures specified for each section of building
o Ambient and spot lighting designated for main
public areas
o Spotlighting specified for artwork
o Conference rooms equipped with dimmable fixtures
Interiors, cont.
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Lighting
o Group study + meeting rooms equipped with low
glare task lighting
o Lighting between stacks required; not specified as
“top up” or “down”
o Low glare lighting accounted for in computer areas
o “Playful” accent lighting for children’s areas
Interiors, cont.
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Décor
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General furnishings established for each area in
building
Flexible modular furniture used throughout YA and
Children’s areas, with size adaptations made for
respective areas
Décor to be influenced by Asian perspective,
especially in the Central Cultural Display area
Walls in Lobby/Circulation areas to have high level
of finish, complemented with wood and stone
wainscoting
Interiors, cont.
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Décor
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Outdoor space furnished with 4 Chinese chess tables
+ chairs, with additional seating throughout
Artwork within public spaces to be maximized,
assumed that some will be temporary displays
Way finding
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Overall design is thoughtful, and laid-out in
a welcoming, easy to navigate design
Plentiful signage accounted for; multilingual
usage throughout the facility, all signs to be
ADA + MAAB compliant
Design utilizes minimal directional signage,
with the building relying on adequate
sightlines to direct flow through building
Service Points
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Circulation Desk, located adjacent to
entrance/lobby is main service + circ station
Design specifies 2 self-checkout stations,
located adjacent to circulation desk
Book drop room separate from Circulation
desk, vestibule area includes off-hours book
drop as well
Design accounts for Adult Services Librarian
Desk
Service Points
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Children’s area a large space; separate
Children's Librarian desk central within the
room
All points in Children’s area within direct
sight of central Librarian’s desk is required
YA Services room "controlled" by Librarian
Desk at room entrance, group study room in
corner could become an issue for staff due to
its isolation
Outdoor Space
Essential for library to include this exterior
program element
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Envisioned as a garden, courtyard or terrace
Should be “restful retreat” for reading,
conversation, and contemplation
Sheltered and defined by surrounding library
architecture
Outdoor Space, cont.
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Should be places to play chess, sit and read,
and converse
Needs sense of connection between interior
and exterior library spaces
Sheltered and defined by surrounding library
architecture
Views into exterior space should be accessed
by as many program areas as possible
Safety and Security
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Security emphasized throughout building plan
Multiple panic buttons accounted for, at main
desk, in the unisex Children’s restroom, and in
adult restrooms
Coat room a “non-secure” area
No panic alarm in loading dock area; access is
limited to library staff
After-hours community room use could be
problematic
Acoustics
Acoustic separation considered critical for the
building’s design and use
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Through-wall and through-slab sound
transmission is minimal
Mechanical systems are isolated
Sound absorptive flooring to be used
throughout the building, either carpeting or
cork floors
Design accounts for embellished acoustic
separation of YA section from rest of facility
Technology + Electrical
Access to technology considered critical, as
crucial for its main constituents; young adults,
new immigrants, and those in a lower-income
bracket
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Design accounts for both hardwired and WiFi Internet access
Teleconferencing and other communication
technology accounted for in building plan
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Technology + Electrical,
cont.
Translation equipment and multilingual
technology requested in plan
Tables throughout the building are to be
wired for power/data
System designed to be flexible for future
change in technology
Comfort
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Design accounts for “noisy” and “quiet” areas
Flexible seating used throughout; would like to
see more soft seating specified
Outdoor garden to be a traditional Chinese
garden, with emphasis on contemplation
“Coffee shop” vibe replaced with “teahouse” feel
Use of healthy indoor materials, including
overall air quality
Extensive accommodation for natural daylight
Flexibility and Use
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Building plan allocates space for large (120
person) Community Meeting room
Community/Cultural displays a feature of the
design
Kitchenette required, mainly “a place to serve
tea from”
At least one additional 20 person conference
room is required by the plan as well
Plan allocates for separate “Recycling Room”,
adjacent to Loading Dock
Flexibility and Use
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Building plan specifies LEED Silver building
practices
Restroom facilities minimal; one each for Men
+ Women, one Unisex Children, and one Unisex
Staff restroom included in plan
Staff area adjacent to Children’s/YA area, may
not be the most practical placement; space
concerns may hinder future expansion
Overall
Positives
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Community involvement
Library planned around
community needs
Very thorough plan:
from branch history to
room adjacencies to area
mock-ups
Program transparent
and made available
Very culturally aware
Negatives
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Too many sites
Too difficult to secure
prefered site (3 parcels)
Perhaps unrealistic in
space needs; garden?
Meeting room in center?
Loading dock?
Perhaps too much
emphasis on local
culture; are other
branches similar?
Epilogue
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BPL's Chinatown Branch was never built--at
least not yet. Building plan finished in 2008
Community still rallied around having a
library & cultural center
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"Chinatown Storefront Library" created
independently from BPL, though it used this BPL
building program. October 2009 - January 2010.
Chinatown Lantern & Cultural Educational Center, a
800sf reading room and gathering place opened in
April of 2012. It is located on the ground floor of the
Oak Terrace apartment complex and partnered with
both BPL and the Chinatown Storefront Library.
Epilogue, cont'd.
Sources: http://www.storefrontlibrary.org/ &
http://www.chinatownlantern.org/gallery/
Thank you for your attention!
References
About Us. (n.d.).Chinatown Lantern and Cultural
Educational Center. Retrieved November 14, 2012,
from http://www.chinatownlantern.org/about/
Boston Public Library. (2008). Chinatown Library, Boston
Massachusetts: Program & Sitting Study. Boston:
MDS, Inc.
Boston Street Lab, Inc. (n.d.). About the project. Storefront
library: A temporary library in a vacant storefront.
Retrieved November 14, 2012, from
http://www.storefrontlibrary.org/about
*All images have been sourced from the building program unless otherwise noted
References, cont'd
General and Contact Information. (n.d.). Boston
Public Library. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from
http://www.bpl.org/general/
Miller Dyer Spears. (n.d.). Firm Overview. MDS / Miller
Dyer Spears. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from
http://www.mds-bos.com/philosophy/firmoverview/
Miller Dyer Spears. (n.d.). Projects. MDS / Miller Dyer
Spears. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from
http://www.mds-bos.com/?mdsact=projects