Libraries through the lens Stadtbücherei Sandleiten, Vienna
IT IS important to remember that libraries are part of our community – they do not sit in isolation. In the latest Library through the lens Thomas Guignard takes us to Vienna and a library that has grown up with its com- munity, developing alongside the people who live there. This image is a reminder too that the impact of libraries does not stop at the door, but has a lasting effect on the people who use them. Thomas says: “For this fall issue of Information Professional, I am reminisc- ing about a stroll through Vienna on a sunny October day, when I encountered
October-November 2024
this eager – though definitely under- dressed – young reader. Standing in front of the local branch of the city library, this artwork is Putto mit Büchern by Florian Josephu-Drouot, dedicated in 1928 shortly after the completion of the Sandleiten housing block that surrounds it. Sandleiten is one of several public housing devel- opments built by the ‘Red Vienna’ Social Democratic government, which came to power after the fall of the Austro-Hungar- ian Empire following the First World War. “Designed by architect Franz Matus- chek, the first section of the Sandleiten development was built in 1924-25 and
included various facilities, such as com- munal laundry and bathing areas, shops and workshops, a theatre, a kindergar- ten, and a library. The library, whose entrance can be seen behind the fountain in my photograph, featured a wood-pan- elled reading room and a long service desk, behind which rows of books awaited the block’s inhabitants. Today, the library is part of the Vienna city library network. The dark wood panelling and service desk that once guarded access to the bookshelves are gone, but the generous double-height windows still bring in the lovely fall sunlight.”
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
