The Mary Jacobs Foundation, fighting tooth and nail, maintained it's hold as a small neighborhood-style library presence in the town of Rocky Hill. The building has a 50-year history of public service to the local community, but the rise of a new, progressive library just a mile up the road, threatened to dwarf the long-standing institution that once served both towns. Through an arrangement with the Somerset County Library System (SCLS), Cornerstone Architects and their partners at Engineering Driven Design and the Reynolds Group set out to reimagine this library’s relevance.
Forced to downsize, the Mary Jacobs Foundation focused on engaging their local community by shifting their visibility to the street frontage, increasing the efficiency of public space per square foot, and diversifying their draw of patrons through a flexible environment. The newly renovated facility features a dynamic interior with bright, rich colors and materials, a variety of gathering and private spaces, flexible furniture, free use of technology like gaming and pod cast equipment, and a reservation system with access to the plethora of digital and print publications through a secure after-hours exchange.
The project begs the bigger question, in a time of e-books, all-digital platforms, social media, artificial intelligence, and the exponential evolution of technology, what is the function of a library? The short answer is…it depends. While some libraries maximize stacks of physical books to satisfy a traditional population, others are eliminating books, almost completely, instead emerging with alternative resources that resemble a community center, connecting those without resources to the digital world.
