New Central Library | Construction - Page 43

Bigtime · #**841** Posted **Apr 28, 2016, 1:10 PM**

Yeah, I'd think most of us on here would at least check it out once (being urban development geeks and all).

craner · #**842** Posted **Apr 28, 2016, 6:37 PM**

Who is the general contractor on the library ?

lubicon · #**843** Posted **Apr 28, 2016, 7:41 PM**

I doubt I will ever step foot in it either, I just don't have much reason to go to that part of the City, especially at the times that the library would be open. Doesn't mean I don't like it though. I do, but it is a place that I probably won't get to.

People.talking · #**844** Posted **Apr 28, 2016, 9:15 PM**

isn't the current central library sinking or something?

red_179 · #**845** Posted **Apr 28, 2016, 9:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by suburbia

Curious why you think you'd never set foot in the building?

I'll go to check it out design-wise, but in it's function as a library I doubt I'll ever use it. I haven't been in a library since I graduated university in 2009. With books available electronically, I have no use for a library. The only time I would anticipate going to the NCL would be for special events, fundraisers, speakers, etc.

mwalker_mw · #**846** Posted **Apr 30, 2016, 3:37 PM**

It is worth contemplating: If all the money spent by various cities (world wide) on 'new' libraries over the last 10 years had instead been spent on digitizing, organizing and making available every known book in a universally accessible digital format, would we be further ahead so far as a libraries core purpose of making information accessible to the masses?

Aside from architectural interest I too will likely have little reason to step foot inside. I live 2 blocks away.

RWin · #**847** Posted **Apr 30, 2016, 4:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwalker_mw

It is worth contemplating: If all the money spent by various cities (world wide) on 'new' libraries over the last 10 years had instead been spent on digitizing, organizing and making available every known book in a universally accessible digital format, would we be further ahead so far as a libraries core purpose of making information accessible to the masses?

It's worth contemplating. Ultimately though, I think the good old pencil and paper (or chisel and stone or whatever) is the way to go. You can still read books on paper that are very old. Will PDF or Word or JPEG or whatever still be a standard electronic format in 1000 years? If not, what will our descendants read those books on then?

red_179 · #**848** Posted **May 2, 2016, 1:18 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwalker_mw

It is worth contemplating: If all the money spent by various cities (world wide) on 'new' libraries over the last 10 years had instead been spent on digitizing, organizing and making available every known book in a universally accessible digital format, would we be further ahead so far as a libraries core purpose of making information accessible to the masses?

Aside from architectural interest I too will likely have little reason to step foot inside. I live 2 blocks away.

It probably won't be long till this is reality. Something similar to Netflix, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. but for books. Pay a monthly fee and have unlimited access to books.

speedog · #**849** Posted **May 2, 2016, 3:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by red_179

It probably won't be long till this is reality. Something similar to Netflix, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. but for books. Pay a monthly fee and have unlimited access to books.

But the reality is that not all music or video is being digitized - there are movies that you can not find on line that I used to be able to rent at a video rental place. Sadly, there is going to be much more video and music lost than people realize and the same will happen to written media because no one will take the time to digitize everything that is out there.

On a side note, I used to be quite a fairly regular library user but in the last 10 years, I have rarely used the libraries and mostly because my kids have grown and my life just seems busier than it used to be. But thinking about it all, maybe I should take the time to start going to the library again - there is something about perusing the stuff that is there and discovering little gems to read/ponder and a lot of that would be very difficult to find on the internet if at all. I also found that a library's organization made it much easier to find that unique item amongst a lot of regular stuff, a unique item that might not exist in a digital form and if it did, might be very difficult to locate.

Now please note that I'm not dissing the on-line or digital world at all, it is a different beast and somewhat disorganized as well. Yeah, I can use my Google-fu just like I can utilize the library's search features but at the library I can go to a certain section and have right in front of me a myriad of options - it's different and good at the same time. Magazines, I don't really bother with them in the on-line world but at the library, I was always sure to come home with half a dozen or so - not sure why it's different but it just is.

DizzyEdge · #**850** Posted **May 2, 2016, 4:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWin

It's worth contemplating. Ultimately though, I think the good old pencil and paper (or chisel and stone or whatever) is the way to go. You can still read books on paper that are very old. Will PDF or Word or JPEG or whatever still be a standard electronic format in 1000 years? If not, what will our descendants read those books on then?

No, but you bring up a key task that comes with digitization which doesn't exist with physical formats - you must have scheduled migration from obsolescent file formats to whatever the new standard is. If you do an audit like that even every 25 years you should be fine.

The Fisher Account · #**851** Posted **May 2, 2016, 5:14 PM**

The 'inevitable demise' of physical books has been greatly exaggerated

CCF · #**852** Posted **May 2, 2016, 6:56 PM**

Yep.

http://business.time.com/2013/10/31/the-pen-is-mightier-e-book-growth-stagnating/

Ramsayfarian · #**853** Posted **May 2, 2016, 9:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

The 'inevitable demise' of physical books has been greatly exaggerated

I'm still waiting for the paperless office.

Design-mind · #**854** Posted **May 12, 2016, 1:50 AM**

Mine from yesterday.

H.E.Pennypacker · #**855** Posted **Jun 3, 2016, 2:15 AM**

http://setup2.photosentinel.com.au/PhotoSummary.aspx?homeID=590&hideTitle=1

The webcam setup has been altered. It's a split screen adding a new view of the south portion of the site. Kind of neat.

kap384 · #**856** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:55 PM**

Lots of steel up at the Library yesterday. No pic, I was driving.

Design-mind · #**857** Posted **Jul 15, 2016, 2:59 AM**

Lots of progress on this one.

Design-mind · #**858** Posted **Aug 15, 2016, 2:01 AM**

Southern end of the library...

Innersoul1 · #**859** Posted **Aug 17, 2016, 3:39 PM**

It's pretty amazing to see this going up in person! It's an absolutely massive structure!

Design-mind · #**860** Posted **Aug 17, 2016, 4:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

It's pretty amazing to see this going up in person! It's an absolutely massive structure!

Agree it is amazing, but I am surprised by the size of the I-beams, given that this will be holding up a copious amount of books. I remember seeing the Seattle library go up and there was a lot more structural elements to their building. With this being above the c-train I hope they have over engineered this. We don't want the sinking peacock like the U of T library.