Louisville Waterfront Public Library

The concentration of this thesis will challenge the concept of an archetypal public library in hopes of reinterpreting the functional programming and design of the facility. Thisproposed interpretation is a reaction to the theory that standard libraries have become obsolete in our current technological and cultural context. To disprove this position, I hope to address questions pertaining to the community value of a public library and the validity of aphysical library in the digital age.The premise of this project is not to simply streamline a traditional institution for the technology of the 21st century, but to determine what we, as a society, will carry with us in our constant societal redefinition and evolution. Andrew Carnegie stated that "the very best gift thatcould be given to a community" was a public library. I hope to extend this statement to be true today."The electronic revolution makes human encounters, which are the real basis of community, even more valuable and necessary, not less so." -Craig Hartman, Architecture.