The Barbican Library

The Barbican Library is located inside the Barbican Centre, which is a center for arts and culture. The Barbican was a gift from the City of London to the people of London after WWII. Nearby is St. Giles, the only building left intact after WWII. The Barbican is located in a modern, concrete building with retro furnishings to reflect its purpose.

The library serves a population of about 11,700 people, but with all the commuters coming in to London, there is the potential to reack 350k. It recently went under renovation to condense its 14 desks into 8. The library relies heavily on self-service (check-out AND check-in), but the majority of workers are scheduled during lunch time to accomodate the large crowds. The Barbican Library also features customized checkout stands to enable access for disabled users. The library is open MW 9:30-5:30, TR 9:30-7:30, F 9:30-2, and Sa 9:30-4.

Arts
The Barbican features a strong arts section which includes books, audiobooks, periodicals, DVDs, and Blu-Ray. DVD's and Blu-Ray are £2.75 for a one-week rental. Audiobooks are (interestingly) free of charge because the library considers them another format of a book (AHEM-KINDLE). Other libraries in Britain may charge for the rental of audiobooks but make a concession for the disabled. Other materials such as language courses and MP3's are free with the use of a library card.

Music
The music section of the Barbican is large. There are music databases, music reference, sheet music, periodicals, collector quides, and even pianos on which to practice music! There are quiet stalls for patrons to listen to music while they work or to check a cd before they borrow it. Their vast CD collection is organized and displayed like in music and bookstores, and CD rental costs 50p per week. There is no charge for music tutorial dvds or cds because they are also considered just another format of book. The music department has special displays. The current display is on picture records. It was interesting to see that modern artists, such as Lady Gaga, still publish records though the format is no longer popular. Another display is Unsigned London, which features local musicians work, available for check-out.

Childrens'
The childrens' department is very important to the Barbican. It physically mirrors its audience, featuring bright colors, crates of books on the floor, large pillows for seating, and even a little green bandstand for the kids to sit on. The childrens' department has weekly Rhyme Times for the children and annually offers a Children's Book Week celebration (sponsored by Starbucks!). They also offer a Summer Reading scheme (in which children get prizes for reading books) and a HomeEd club (for homeschooled kids to socialize with other homeschoolers).

The London Collection
The London collection is located in the computer room. The Barbican has 8,000 books about this history of London. Most are kept underground and the collection uses its own classifications scheme. The Barbican is working towards digitization, but the London collection is available for loan. The oldest book for loan is from 1742.

Outreach
The Barbican focuses heavily on outreach programs. They have a home delivery service for 30 patrons. They host a War Hammer club for their young adults to gather and play the video game. The Childrens' Department frequently has guest speakers and events. There are mobile libraries to compensate for renovations of other branches and to reach out to nursery schools.

Conclusion
The Barbican has made some smart choices with its design decisions and outreach offerings. They are very good at reaching their current audience and gaining new patrons. In all, the Barbican is a modern public library that is definitely for the people.