• Synopsis
  
• Questions
  
• Themes
  
  • IMAGE
    
  • ACCESS
    
  • RELATIVE IMPORTANCE
    
  • SURROUNDINGS
    
  • PURPOSE
    
  • HISTORY
    
  • PATRONS
    
  • SERVICES OFFERED
    
  • FEEDBACK
    
• Notes
  

QUESTIONS
___________________________________________________________________________
  The subjects i hope to cover are in the two paragraphs above. The following are some questions I hope to (ask and) answer:

• How does the image we are presented affect our perception of the library?
• What is being implied or encouraged through the use of this image of the library?
• What does the accessibility, both physically and in regards to the dates and times various sections are accessible, say about the importance of various library departments?
• Have they unconsciously internalized their own value system as to the importance (or lack thereof) of various library departments, and permitted the presented image of the Library to reflect these value judgements?
• How does the Library stand in relation to its surroundings?
• How is it influenced by/how does it influence the surrounding locale?
• Have we lost sight of the purpose of the library?
• Who is responsible for the library's goals today?
• How did these goals arise? Have they been successfully attained?
• What is the purpose of the library?
• What services are offered by the library?
• Who are the library's patrons? Whom is the library targeting?
• Has the library staff put themselves or the patrons first in terms of service? If themselves, how? If the patrons, how?
• What is the attitude of the staff? Towards the patrons? Towards the building?
• How has the renovation of the building and the third floor in particular changed its function in relation to its surrounding environment (internally and externally)?

THEMES
__________________________________________________________________________
(FLoP = free library of philly)
(RBD = Rare Book Department)
(TD = theater dept.)

IMAGE
__________________________________________________________________________

• stairwell chimes: a staff member hit the chimes in a closet on the staircase which sounded like a grandfather clock. Seeing him watch the sheet figuring out which metal cylinders to hit is very different than the grand sound of hearing the notes echo through the library.
• RBD: - grandfather clocks-- when i asked about them, Bill Lang said that they were often donated to the library: this is the only place they "fit"/look good. - B. Lang said people (other depts?) always think the RBD is rich because of how they look (image they present?). - Rich surroundings, carefully preserved Elkins library
• Pepper's statue on stairway landing
• Grand-looking entrance hall, marble floor, usw. (etc.)
• elevators: green marble interior elevators, iron filigree exterior on 2nd, 3rd floor (by RBD)... 4th floor, in comparison, old and ugly, like a 1970's cafeteria.
• rear of the building vs the front of the building: lack of a scene depicted in the portico (?). See "surroundings" Section.
• staircase from 1st to 2nd floor versus back stairway from 4th to 3rd. grand and beautiful and powerful versus old and crumbling.

ACCESS
__________________________________________________________________________

• back staircase, for staff use only (why?) this staircase leads to the hallway now taken over as office space. so patrons have to go up to the 4th floor, down to third to get to TD, so staff can have easier (fancier?)access to their "offices."
• 2nd to 4th to 3rd floor, backwards 3rd to 4th to 2nd floor to get out.
• TD being so out-of-the-way, whereas RBD is comparatively accessible
• 3rd floor (and up) in general only accessible M-F 9-5pm, now also sundays as well (Oct. 18th on..)
• RBD books can't really be used. have to ring a bell to get into the D in the first place. supervised usage if at all. Elkins room has to be specifically unlocked. books in glass cases. more for conferences, less reading. See Purpose" section.

RELATIVE IMPORTANCE
__________________________________________________________________________

• RBD vs. TD: what does the physical setup/maintenance/atmosphere say about which is more valued? RBD is beautiful, TD looks like i walked into someone's claustrophobic office.
• 1st and 2nd (and ground?) and half of 3rd flr vs other half of 3rd & 4th.
• Importance of building being presentable: front is way better than back, although we see the back too. "Image."

SURROUNDINGS
__________________________________________________________________________

• conformity to "image."
• front by logan square, nice facade, all sides generally nice, but south/front face the best.
• relation to city *blocks*-- not-so-nice to the rear, logan square/nice to the front.
• relation to city as a destination/thing: by museum, franklin institute: culture, education, high art, usw.

HISTORY
__________________________________________________________________________

• started in 3 rooms in city hall, grand from william pepper to start.
• now in this building
  -gabriel, architect, place de la concorde, france.
  -twin next door.
  
• renovation of 3rd flr.

PURPOSE
__________________________________________________________________________

• mission statement of the library.
• serving philadelphias
• patrons v. staff:
  - staircase issue.
  
• good/large library, lots of books, CDs, usw.
• auditorium-- provides other types of education/knowledge
• exhibitions (seen in RBD, change every 3 months)
• resume writing workshops, etc.

PATRONS
__________________________________________________________________________

• philadelphians
• international/national patrons
  - english visitors in RBD
  - 1,200 per yr.
  

SERVICES OFFERED
__________________________________________________________________________

• web site
• general library (books etc.)
• auditorium
• other exhibits
• workshops
• computers/ (text-based) internet access

FEEDBACK
__________________________________________________________________________

• friendly staff-- both security and librarians/usw.
• john kahn, security guard (interested in photography)
• bill lang
• RBD woman..name...

NOTES
__________________________________________________________________________

• I visited the library five times: a Friday around 5pm, a Sunday in the mid-late afternoon for a couple of hours, and then three consecutive days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, at various times between early-mid afternoon to 5 to 7pm.
• Rare book department: the guest book contains the names of visitors (within a couple of days of my visit) from international locales: England, for example. A tourist attraction, but not often frequented or well-known, it seems.
• The FLoP fronts Vine St., which means it marks one of the original boundaries of Philadelphia.
• As a boundary, however, it sits close to the Ben Franklin Parkway along Logan Square, a well-known and better kept section of town.
• Wood Street (and subsequently Callowhill St.) directly behind the FLoP
• Place de la Concorde, Paris, France. Modeled after one of the two buildings along the Rue Royale. * Its identical twin stands beside the FLoP.
• "And yet, in spite of its deficiencies, the Library means something very important, something very tangible to the citizens of Philadelphia. Pages might be written about the intellectual opportunities it offers to those unable to get an education through orthodox channels, about its value to students, about its service as a community center.
    But the best as well as the briefest proof of its necessity lies in the attendance statistics for 1938. During a year when even the movies complained of lack of audiences, the Library and its 34 sub-stations attracted 3,744,592 men, women, and children.
    Certainly, when over three million people find a thing good, there must be adequate reason as to why it should be continued." -- "Parkway Paradox." Arts in Philadelphia, Vol 2, Jan 1940.
• Library Web site: http://www.library.phila.gov
• Library Mission Statement (found at http://www.library.phila.gov/mission.htm): "The mission of The Free Library of Philadelphia is to provide to all segments of the population of Philadelphia a comprehensive collection of recorded knowledge, ideas, artistic expression and information; to assure ease of access to these materials; and to provide programs to stimulate the awareness and use of these resources.
  The Free Library will provide current materials of high interest in a variety of formats for persons of all ages.
  The Free Library will provide timely, accurate information and reference services employing a highly qualified staff who provide the link between library materials and users in a congenial and professional manner.
  The Free Library will support the educational goals of all Philadelphians by providing the resources which correspond to their diverse needs.
  The Free Library will encourage young children to develop a love of reading, learning and libraries by providing materials and programs for children and for children and parents together.
  In pursuing this mission The Free Library of Philadelphia will uphold the public's freedom of access to knowledge. It will recognize its responsibility as a Regional Resource Center for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as a District Library Center for Philadelphia County, and as Philadelphia's Public Library, and will continue to provide the full range of public library services.
  The Free Library will strive to meet the needs of its diverse communities through its Central, branch, and regional libraries. Furthermore, the Free Library will stimulate the awareness and use of libraries to promote individual enlightenment, community enrichment and economicvitality throughout the region.
  Adopted at a combined meeting of the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees on January 19, 1989. "
  -- Cornelia S. King, RBD, FLoP. email: kingc@flpsys.library.phila.gov