Library Journal is seeking submissions for its annual Year in Architecture issue (November 2026). The issue will feature public and academic library projects completed between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. Let us know about your remodeling projects and new buildings by filling out this online form. Material must be submitted by Friday, July 31 to be considered for the issue.

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8894158/Library-Form-2026-Architecture-Issue

Today, our Solution Design Team and A&D Specialists are pairing 18 common questions we’ve heard over the past 40+ years with their go-to answer for each one. If you’ve been wondering about any of our offerings here at Agati, we hope this list of answers contains the details you need!

Libraries across the country are rethinking their public technology areas. Acoustic separation, clean infrastructure, and warmth are essential. They directly affect how patrons experience and use the library. The Cove Carrel shows that a single piece of library furniture can solve for aesthetics, acoustics, infrastructure, and patron comfort all at once. That’s what 40+ years of library furniture design looks like in practice.

The need for a diverse furniture selection, including computer workstations, has continued to grow as an important trend. Libraries are doing more than just adding furniture. They are tailoring their environments to serve distinct user groups. This shows how thoughtful planning and awareness of the local community needs make each library unique.

Circulation and gate counts grew throughout 2025. Libraries function as essential community hubs that serve far more than books. As demand increases, so does complexity. Public libraries face a unique challenge, serving everyone from toddlers to seniors, job seekers to students and community groups. Each group has distinct needs that can shift throughout the day.

“I’m always imagining how we can better interact with our community in our spaces,” says Danielle Daguerre, who used her artistic eye to redesign the children’s Active Learning Center and the Teen Studio in Broward County Public Library’s Main Library. 

As a burned-out high school English teacher, Andrea Bono-Bunker had an “aha” moment: She could keep fostering a love of reading, empowering by sharing information, and cultivating community as a librarian. Today she does all three, running the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program, which helps libraries renovate and expand, from pre-planning guidance to post-occupancy support.

For nearly a decade, the Normal Public Library and Town of Normal, Illinois, wrestled with a complex civic challenge: replacing a deeply valued community library when a brand-new building was financially out of reach. The solution, ultimately, was not to leave, but to look more closely at what already existed. 

LJ’s 2025 Year in Architecture projects center unique community needs while welcoming all, a balancing act of creativity and practicality.