Children's Library Designs

A Children's library should be a place that you find yourself running towards as soon as you see it.  The promise of adventure, new friends (literary and flesh) and the soul-deep comfort of a favorite story should call out to everyone who nears it.   No longer stark rooms with rows of shelves, modern children's sections need to  welcome, inspire and invigorate the imagination!


The entrance to the Children’s Section of the Cerritos Millenium Library in Cerritos, California is wonderful.  You just know that magic awaits beyond these giant tomes!

(photo:Victor Rocha).

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Bringing nature indoors.  I like the spaciousness and feeling of height here.  Very often the children;'s section comes with a feeling of close quarters and clutter.  This is a proposed design for the children;s section of the State Library Complex at Kotturpuram  in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

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I love the use of colour and the simple lines and subtle ocean theme of this design.  What a fun way to inject some whimsy in the library when the budget, and possibly the mindset of admin, won't allow for a revamp of the floor design.

photo found at http://www.behance.net/gallery/I-cue/2731857

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Lots of colour and inviting - and movable- seating here.  Also, I adore that the shelves are on wheels...perfect for those special events when you need to move things around.  Or have a need to rearrange the library for a fresh look. I would like to see more creative looking lighting or something complementary to view on the ceiling.

The Children's Library, Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library

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I like that this one has created a mini world to cater to the intended patrons.  A town to play in, complete with it's own library.  And after sitting and reading, sometimes you just need to go and play for a while.  Luckily, there is a construction zone to make use of all that wonderful creativity.

photo found at http://anuaim.com/?p=308

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While this is actually a children's book store, I would like to adopt it for a library!   What is more fun than being told to sit on the shelves??  Wonderful use of nooks & crannies to find that private reading spot. I like the flow of the lines, the creative incorporation of natural light and use of the colour wheel on both the shelves and carpet.  Those higher shelves may be a bit problematic for younger users though.  I wasn't able to find the exact location of this store, but the website I found it on stated it was in China.

http://testtest451.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/designer-childrens-book-store/