In view of developments in the field of information technology, public libraries are undergoing a process of change. The institution as such will not lose its meaning and become ­redundant, but the working methods and ­processes – and thus the workplace itself – will change decisively in the foreseeable ­future. The built form of libraries reflects ­developments in the storage of books, their processing and the ways they are used. As with any institution, there are also administrative and management functions and a business process that, in this case, extends from the acquisition of books, to cataloguing, bookbinding and ordering the stocks on shelves. All these aspects have to be considered in the design. (Rolf Ramcke)