Former Walmart Transformed into Award-Winning Library

[Occlith]

A Texas town turned an abandoned Walmart into a massive, award-winning public library.

The International Interior Design Association recently selected the McAllen Public Library as the winner of their 2012 Library Interior Design Competition. The city inherited the former Wal-Mart after the retailer closed the store and abandoned it. Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. of Minneapolis were selected to design the interior of the building which the city required to be functional, flexible and affordable to construct. For a library, the existing 124,500 square foot space is huge. That’s the size of about 2 1/2 football fields making the new library the largest single-story location in the US.

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List of articles and interviews.

 

[beer good]

Really nifty. I love the idea of libraries moving in where supermarkets close. I just hope they can afford to keep it.

 

[Hugh]

There's a building in my neighborhood that has had a sign on it that says it is the future branch libarary for out neighborhood. I first noticed it, oh about FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. Anyway, if it were open I would visit it and try to support it. Are laptops permitted in libraries? Would the clacking keyboard be a nuisance?

 

[abecedarian]

There's a building in my neighborhood that has had a sign on it that says it is the future branch libarary for out neighborhood. I first noticed it, oh about FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. Anyway, if it were open I would visit it and try to support it. Are laptops permitted in libraries? Would the clacking keyboard be a nuisance?

I can't imagine the keyboard noises being more distracting than other common library noises, says the mom who used to herd her gaggle of giggling children through her local library often. If they didn't toss us out, surely a laptop user or two should be safe.

My gaggle included as many as ten kids..

 

[beer good]

In the last couple of years, I don't think I've ever been to a library that didn't have a bunch of people working on laptops...

Then again, I've never been to a public library that lived up to the cliché that any noise above soft breathing gets shushed.

 

[abecedarian]

In the last couple of years, I don't think I've ever been to a library that didn't have a bunch of people working on laptops...

Then again, I've never been to a public library that lived up to the cliché that any noise above soft breathing gets shushed.

I don't think I have either, at least not since I was a LOT younger. I remember some soft-spoken, old-school librarians back in the 70s. By the time my kids came along, starting in 1983, I noticed a trend towards much more kiddy-noise-tolerance. As soon as libraries around here became computerized in the 90s, people were on computers in every branch. I think most people think of keyboard noise as a white noise anymore. It's only bothersome if somebody's husband is trying to sleep just a few feet from the desktop pc. A larger space like the average library would tend to swallow the sound, I'd think.

 

[Occlith]

Are laptops permitted in libraries? Would the clacking keyboard be a nuisance?

Many libraries allow laptop computers. Some offer wifi and e-book downloads.

 

[Occlith]

The outside views are pretty cool.



At night.

 

[Janet H]

I can't think of a better use for an old walmart! It seems fitting somehow... have you ever looked at the book isle at walmart? Almost non-existent.

My local library was renovated a couple of years ago and they added a wifi cafe complete with a barista and rocket-hot, free wifi for anyone with a library card. There is some separation between the cafe and the stacks - noise is kept to a minimum and it works well.

 

[abecedarian]

I can't think of a better use for an old walmart! It seems fitting somehow... have you ever looked at the book isle at walmart? Almost non-existent.

My local library was renovated a couple of years ago and they added a wifi cafe complete with a barista and rocket-hot, free wifi for anyone with a library card. There is some separation between the cafe and the stacks - noise is kept to a minimum and it works well.

Which answers the question, "What could be better than a coffee-scented bookstore!" Coffee and free books has a wonderful appeal..