ABSTRACT
In this third part, the theories established by librarians and architects in part one are tested against detailed studies of the design strategies for specific libraries in practice whose physical and social contexts have been set out in Part 2. Since the ultimate users of public libraries were neither their designers nor their clients, this chapter separates design responsibility for environmental and operational concerns in an attempt to identify the application of certain emerging standards for design practice. Initially it demonstrates how the contribution from both architects and librarians influenced the generic shaping of specific library designs. The chain of communication between theory and practice is revealed through examples that illustrate how specific library briefs were composed and architectural competitions were assessed. It raises examples of common practices advocated by librarians and promoted by architects for the environmental control of public buildings and attempts to identify the force of specific social and physical sanitary agendas that affected library design in practice.
