| Summary: | The city comprises of various public elements and civic characteristics that create the collective
image of the city. Contemporary British architect David Adjaye labels public spaces as a valueadded
quality to an already existing social structure. Through this theory, he calls a ’third space’
as an area of maximum interaction and social interaction and social cohesion between public,
individual,community ,experts and nonexpert(Adjaye,2006:9). Adjaye also states that we do not
make public spaces, but instead it is a silent but obvious amenities (visible by users as a symbols
of public space) that should be made apparent to acquire content in public architecture.
In reference to the above theories, this study intends to discover and uncover the way in which
the Gaborone public library can be adjusted and some elements adopted in relation to context
and how information and knowledge is shared. The existing public library was established in the
1970s and currently clustered between the city council and town hall. Since democracy in 1966
when Gaborone was one large empty site ,it is evident that when the city expanded, the architectural
landscape changed as well as various city functions (Mosha,2002:1), and this creates an
opportunity to examine the current public library.
I have selected the area around the Gaborone public library as a study area, to examine the
public library functions, uses and form. The public library has a traditional role of being a centre
for civic and public space usage of the cities way of life. It is a space were the community gathers
looking for various types of understanding and sharing of knowledge and activity. Additionally
the forms and uses of the public library and its evolution in the 21st century also raise questions
in terms of the functions and position in public space. The public library becomes a integral element
to absorb and disperse local and external knowledge for people to use in the city, traditional
through books. With the development of technology the public library lies in a space of base
functions and plethora of information available through digital forms. Architecture as the art and
science of space and place making and a public library as a type of architecture that is a reservoir
of knowledge and freely shared information.
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