Library Stuff

“It can sometimes be difficult to find absolute silence in a library if a noisy student or two decide to be chatty. But that’s not really needed at Japan’s Seikei University thanks to the building’s ingeniously designed isolation spheres (pictured above). Referred to as ‘planets’ these modernly designed elevated rooms can be used for meetings or for group work. Such a futuristic environment certainly looks like an inspiring place for young minds to develop! But why bother to go to such lengths to create these isolation rooms? The sole purpose was to create a new type of library where speaking was not prohibited. In a traditional library, students come in to find books that they’re looking for, and then they proceed to read or work quietly. Seikei University wanted to reinvent their library into a space where students have discussions and exchange opinions about their books.”

via Startup Dating

Mainichi Daily News – “On a Sunday afternoon over half a year after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami devastated towns on March 11, local residents visiting a makeshift bookstore here were picking up books with an eager look. The sight of the tented bookstore would have been something unimaginable before the deadly quake and tsunami hit Kesennuma, which had hosted a burgeoning large-scale bookstore.”

MediaBistro – “Japanese librarians and library patrons have been collecting photographs of earthquake-damaged libraries…”

BBC – “The proposed Tokyo International Manga Library will house two million comic books, animation drawings, video games and other cartoon industry artefacts.”

More here

Japan Times – “Several libraries have suspended access to a book that contains confidential information about a teenager institutionalized for setting his home on fire and killing his stepmother and two siblings.”