Romanian Public Libraries Architecture between Tradition and Modernity

Claudia Lungu

Moto: ”If we should choose a subject that has to be on the

architect’s will and, in the same time, to excite his genius,

this is the project of a public library.”1

Étienne-Louis Boullée

Abstract

The architecture is the most comprehensive way of organizing the space and its purpose is to settle, in a

balanced and congruous way, the complex and versatile functions of space. Many of the Romanian public

libraries do not have a suited architecture because they operate in improper spaces, which were built for

other purposes. The buildings, with different architectonic styles, were formerly used as seats for different

administrative institutions, cultural foundations, local bank branches and even hotels or private residences.

Usually, these buildings are located in or near the centre and represent important cultural, architectural

and historical landmarks for the community.

Having different architectonic styles, from classic to modern and contemporary, in most of the cases the

buildings are not able to assure adequate conditions for a good library activity.

The study carried out by the National Library of Romania pointed the main reasons which influenced, in

the last 15 years, the speeding up for the construction of new library buildings, with modern and

multifunctional architecture: legal status of the buildings, preservation condition of the buildings, collection

growth rate, the need for storage spaces, the need to diversify and modernize library’s services, the need

to incorporate the libraries into a dynamic community environment with multiple changes on every level,

especially the one regarding information.

National Library of Romania; Architecture; Public Libraries

Introduction

A library construction is complied with the political will, libraries missions and collections

development politics, limits for the emplacement as well as the talent and the personality of the architect.

Thus, a library project must answer to three essential missions: that of documents preservation, that of

durability and that of offering to the users an easily and quickly spaces identification.

There should be existing a tight connection between cultural and city/urban development politics.

The building of a library represent a tool within the politic of a collectivity; it is a democratization tool and a

urban structure tool, being, in the same time, and a tool of image’s politic. The library, by its self, and the

library building constitute the image of the community. The community identity must be retrieved in library

1 Étienne-Louis Boullée (1728-1799), L’Architecte visionnaire et néo-classique, éd. par Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos, Hermann, 1993, p. 129 apud Ouvrages et volumes : Architecture et bibliothèques. ed. Anne-Marie Bertrand et Anne Kupiec ; avec la collaboration de Joseph Belmont, Michel Melot,.... Paris : Éditions du Cercle de la Librairie, 1997, p. 33

architecture representation, as well as in its functions as libraries are developing depending on community

exigencies.

Nowadays the traditional role of a library – that of valuating the cultural heritage – is enriched

through permanent learning concept, as well as by new valences of its information functions at social,

economic, legislative level.

Context

Public libraries in Romania are going over a period of transition from the traditional concept of a

library with a close, rigid, dominating, limited destination and functionality architecture and space

organization, towards the modern concept, more familiar, more opened, more dynamic, with a destination

that aims to malleable inclusion of all categories of users.

These aspects are emphasized by the following study results.

The National Library of Romania carried out, together with the Romanian Committee for the

History and Philosophy of the Science and Technics – The History of Constructions’ Group – a

questionnaire directed to 40 Romanian municipal and county public libraries, plus NLR. The

questionnaire pointed out the relevant aspects connected with the construction of new library buildings –

the current destination (usage), initial destination, the year of the construction, the authors of the building

projects, the space organization, the cultural value, etc.

Typology

Taking into account two main criteria from the architecture point of view, institutional and

functional, there are noticed more types of public libraries buildings:

The initial destination:

- buildings designed with the specific library destination: “Ioan N Roman” Constanţa County

Library, “Petre Dulfu” Maramureş CL, “Antim Ivireanu” Vâlcea CL, “Panait Cerna” Tulcea CL,

“Radu Rosetti” Oneşti ML, “GT Kirileanu” Neamţ CL, Mureş CL, “Dinicu Golescu” Argeş CL,

“Octavian Goga” Cluj CL.

- buildings designed with other initial destinations:

commercial space: “Ion Minulescu” Olt CL, “Ştefan Bănulescu” Ialomiţa CL,

administrative, justice, prefecture palace: “Gheorghe Asachi” Iaşi CL, “Vasile Voiculescu” Buzău CL

hotel: “V.A. Urechia” Galaţi CL

the state archives: “Nicolae Milescu Spătaru” Vaslui CL

museum, theater: “I.H. Rădulescu” Dimboviţa CL, “Theodor Costescu” Library, Mehedinţi

more destinations – party committee, agricultural direction, design institute, young communists (UTC)

headquarter, etc.: “A.D. Xenopol” Arad CL, “I.G. Sbiera” Suceava CL

Affiliation to the national cultural heritage:

- buildings that belong to the national cultural heritage: CL Botoşani – 1926, CL Buzău – 1914, CL

Călăraşi – 1888, CL Covasna - 1830-1832, CL Galaţi – 1883, CL Giurgiu – 1885, CL Deva – 1890, CL Iaşi

– 1906, CL Drobeta Turnu Severin - 1921-1924, CL Târgu Mureş - 1911-1913, CL Focşani – the end of

XIX, CL Craiova - 1850-1855, CL Târgu Jiu - 1928

- buildings that do not belong to the national cultural heritage, but are important on the local level:

CL Arad - 1900-1910, CL Bistriţa – 1903, CL Braşov - 1928-1930, CL Suceava - 1925-1929, CL Timişoara

- 1727-1812.

- new buildings : “Ioan N Roman” Constanţa CL, “Petre Dulfu” Maramureş CL, “Antim Ivireanu” Vâlcea CL,

“Panait Cerna” Tulcea CL, “Radu Rosetti” Oneşti ML, “GT Kirileanu” Neamţ CL, Mureş CL, “Dinicu

Golescu” Argeş CL, “Octavian Goga” Cluj CL.

It can be easily noticed that most buildings, initially, were not designed to house libraries and that

in proportion of 85% these buildings have housed other types of institutions.

Consequences

- the difficulty to adjust the space to the functionality

- the difficulty of library modern services implementation (Internet, WI-FI)

- limited free access to the collections and resources

- the burden of working flow

- adoption and development of public libraries specific services that aim to

incorporate the library into a dynamic community and fulfilling their information

requirements (The Community Information Centers have been developed, with

priority, in libraries that have had new buildings, therefore new adequate spaces:

Cluj, Constan’a, etc.)

- the need to reorganize the inside space, thus making it more attractive and

satisfying the requirements of all users categories (for example: lack of recreation

spaces, lack of spaces dedicated to children that are coming to the library to

develop various types of activities).

Conclusions

Most of the libraries need new buildings. Patrimonial buildings must be supported further on in

respect of maintaining and restoration.

There are some positive examples in the meaning of taking the necessary steps for a “restoration”

not only of the public libraries buildings, but also of the “public library”. Between years 2002 – 2008 the

Metropolitan Library has been given funds for restoration and redesigning inside spaces of the central

headquarter as well as new headquarters for the branches afferent to each city district.

National Library of Romania

The National Library of Romania is the institution that represent one of the most relevant cases

concerning the development of public libraries from traditional to modernity.

The building that, beginning with year 1957, houses the central headquarter of the Library has

been constructed in 1907 as the central headquarter of the Chamber of Commerce. As one of the

important monuments for the Bucharest’s architecture in modern age, the building reveres French

architecture tradition. For this project the designer STEFAN BURCUS has been awarded with the French

Academy award.

The new building of the National Library, a main objective for the Romanian culture, will answer to

some older wishes and needs, which could not be accomplished up to the present, according to the

requirements imposed and similar to the European achievements of high reputation. The areas meant for

the Library will assure multiple functions in order to achieve a generous interesting and attractive cultural

center, in accordance with the significance of the institution.

Conceived in the style of classical architecture but adulterated by decorations, the building

contains, from the architectural point of view, symbolic elements for the city ensemble and period of

Socialism Victory, making up a living history of the end of communist dictatorship age and of the return to

the democratic society.

Thus, beginning with 1986 the construction was started following an obsolete technological and

conceptual project; in 1989 the façades were “frozen”, and between 1991 – 2003 some inside works were

sporadically done following the initial project; in the year 2004 the project (drawn up in 1986) was partly

revised in order that in 2006 the Ministry of Culture to decide the change of the construction into an

ensemble set up by a cultural center and the National Library. Nowadays the library building is

accomplished in proportion of 40%, partly being given to usage for storage spaces while the body of the

Aula has an undetermined structure.

The new concept of national library and cultural centre includes:

areas meant for the national library:

• specialized lecture halls ca. 14000 sqm

• storage spaces 35000 sqm

• employees’ offices 8000 sqm

• technical spaces

areas meant to cultural center:

• the aula 400 seats

• halls for conferences

• polyvalent areas for meetings, events and cultural relations

• multimedia halls

• areas for international contacts

• culture for children

• recreation spaces.

The new glass façade is a volumetric division, like a second “skin”, that, critically, allows the old

“gold age” façade to be seen. Digital age language elements are overlapped on this surface (serigraphs

on the glass with texts extracted from books and images of the demolished buildings).

The history of the National Library new headquarter construction is an living example of the fact

that the decision of raising a library is an intricate act that implies a lot of factors – decision, funding, users,

- as well as heterogeneous elements, like: cultural, town-planning, economic, politic. However, any of

these elements do not hold the entire control on the specific field.

For the time being “Architects and librarians are not in a perfect harmony, but at least they do not

ignore each others”2. Both librarians and architects should be aware of the fact that, beyond times, trends

and functionalities, the LIBRARY is a symbol of a nation’s culture, and in respects of this, a library building

must, always, put together the aesthetic aspect with the utilitarian one, without giving up one in front of

other.

Bibliography

Ouvrages et volumes : Architecture et bibliothèques. ed. Anne-Marie Bertrand et Anne Kupiec ; avec la collaboration de Joseph Belmont, Michel Melot,.... Paris : Éditions du Cercle de la Librairie, 1997

Le Saux, Annie. Architecture et bibliothèques. În: Bulletin des Bibliotheques de France, vol. 45, nr. 3, 2000. URL: http://bbf.enssib.fr/sdx/BBF/frontoffice/2000/03/document.xsp?id=bbf-2000-03-0107-001/2000/03/fam-tourhorizon/tourhorizon&nDoc=7&statutMaitre=non&statutFils=non&tri=. Accesat 10.06.2008

Dempsey, Beth. Library buildings 2005: Power Users. Designing buildings and services from the end user’s viewpoint transforms access for everyone. În: Library Journal, 15.12.2005. URL http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6289901.html. Accesat 10.06.2008

Academia Romana, Comitetul Roman pentru Istoria si Filosofia Stiintei si Tehnicii, Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei. Fisa pentru constructii representative.

2 Le Saux, Annie. Architecture et bibliothèques. În: BBF, , vol. 45, nr. 3, 2000. URL: http://bbf.enssib.fr/sdx/BBF/frontoffice/2000/03/document.xsp?id=bbf-2000-03-0107-001/2000/03/fam-tourhorizon/tourhorizon&nDoc=7&statutMaitre=non&statutFils=non&tri=. Accesat 10.06.2008