Open Access
The admission of readers freely to the shelving, both readers who want to select books to borrow for home-reading, and those who wish to select from the shelves books for serious reading in the building, has become a common policy of libraries under the name of “open access.”
For the benefit of borrowers of new books, popular books or late fiction (in children’s rooms, children’s books), open-access rooms are usually provided with wall or floor shelving, or alcoves so widely spaced as to allow free inspection of the books. Where there is not a separate room or suite of rooms, there is a corner of the light-reading room shelved for this use.
See “Carrels”[94] as to open access to the stack.
“Let the shelves be open, and the public admitted to them. Give the people such liberty with their own collection of books as the bookseller gives them with his.”—Dana.[95]
This development of use has changed the problems of planning in our generation more than any other new idea, as will be realized in looking at floor-plans of any of the old libraries.
The decision of the librarian and the trustees as to what policy is to be adopted in all parts of the building in relation to open access will largely govern planning of all the departments. Even after a decision is given, the question will arise, “Ought provision be made for possible changes of method in future?”