Hub and Spoke Library Network
Design Project for a new library network in Chicago, 2012
Team: Clare Lyster with Patrick Finn and Joanna Nika
The hub and spoke model used by large airline carriers to transport passengers is deployed as a planning model for a library network. Rather than have multiple branch libraries all carrying the same books a super book hub is designed to host all the books in a municipal library system. This is supported by a series of transportation mechanisms from train to water taxis to book robots that transfer books form the hub to small scale book receptor stations for pick up by users who order books online. By bundling itself with other municipal systems, the network attempts to propose a more efficient and resilient service that enhances rather than limits public access.