Pacific Beach/Taylor

Only a three minute walk from Mission Bay and a five minute walk from the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Beach/Taylor library is surrounded by the cool, soft, slightly salty breeze that beachfront residents know so well. Although I've yet to visit the La Jolla or Ocean Beach libraries, I suspect that the Pacific Beach/Taylor branch is likely the closest in distance to the shore. It is flanked on the west and south by coastline, both shores located within a quarter mile of the library.

Also, a general note: I'm going to start taking more photographs at the libraries, because my short descriptions don't really do them justice. In general, I've been avoiding taking pictures because I don't want to invade people's privacy, even if it's in a public place, but I can get by taking pictures of exterior areas, meeting rooms, or secluded stacks of books. If nothing else, at least those pictures will give a feel for the interior design of a branch, if not help the viewer to picture its layout.

Main Entrance

It is clear that the architecture and design of the library was planned with the beach at the forefront. The 12,500 square foot structure is designed in a the shape of a nautilus shell, and the shell pattern permeates through the layout of the building through arrangements of the interior design and artwork. Surrounded by various outdoor seating areas, library has numerous windows and no shortage of natural light, including a large skylight that stands over the main circulation desk.

Multipurpose Room/Gallery

The library block also has a small park with grassy hills and sand pit.

Grassy Area

Sand Pit

Pacific Beach is one of the older neighborhoods in San Diego, but holds a youthful vivacity due to its young population and vibrant nightlife. It is home to many college students and young professionals, in addition to families and older folks. This beach itself has a beautiful boardwalk and is a favored area for surfers and other beach-goers, and many popular bars, restaurants, and shops line Garnet Avenue just steps from the shore.

Special Visit: UC San Diego Geisel Library

Although not affiliated with the San Diego Public Library System, the Geisel Library is one of the most iconic structures on the University of California San Diego campus, as well as in the city of San Diego as a whole. It is one of the two buildings that compose the UC San Diego Library (the other being the Biomedical Library, located about a 5 minute walk away in the med school), and was constructed in the early 1970s. Originally known on campus as Central Library, in 1995 the structure was named after Audrey and Theodore Geisel (the latter more commonly known under his pen name, Dr. Seuss), who were generous benefactors to the library.

The building consists of eight floors, though the main entrance to the library is on the second level and the third level consists only of an outdoor patio and much of the concrete frame that holds the structure. The first floor is actually underground, and is home to much of the staff only areas, computers and media viewing areas, and specialty material storage such as journals and music score. The second floor is the main entrance to the library and home to different information and assistance desks. The floor contains two large wings, east and west, which each have computers and printers. The west commons on the second floor also holds the special collections and library archives. The fourth through eight floors hold the majority of the library's collection, and also have tables and study rooms around the perimeter of the floors.

Overall, it was an interesting comparison for me to explore the Geisel library after visiting seven SDPL branches thus far. Even without observing the general demographic of the patrons in the building, there is a clear distinction between an academic library at a research university, a library built to enable past knowledge to be studied and shaped into ideas of the future, in comparison to a public library, designed to provide resources to the local community that extend beyond the cover of a book or the dimensions of a screen. Both kinds of libraries have their unique strengths and goals, and visiting them both gives me an appreciation for how broad the role of libraries in our society really extends. 

For more information on the Geisel Library, visit them online:

http://libraries.ucsd.edu/about/us/geisel-building.html