I agree.  All those shiny neo-tech substitute words sound rather brittle
next to "library."  Far from stand-offish, I think "library" evokes warmth
and dignity -- a word that has long meant the repository of human
knowledge, and that only becomes more seasoned as it embraces new and/or
digital information. I think "library" is really much more hip than
something like "information retrieval center," which sounds as if it came
from one of those corny 60s sci-fi movies, or "learning center," which
sounds like something a radio pop-psychologist might invent.

David Haberstich writes:
> Anita, I agree with Erik. There is no better word for a library (in
>English) than "library." Please, oh please don't invent another stupid,
>ambiguous, lengthy euphemism. There is certainly nothing stand-offish
>about an incredibly neutral word like "library." Nearly every town in
>the country has one, and most people have a personal library as well.
>Basically, all it means is "a collection of books." Big deal. I don't
>think you'll find a better existing word, and inventing one would be a
>total waste of time and would only add confusion to discourse (I
>recognize that there are plenty of people out there whose goal in life
>is to create confusion, ambiguity, and complexity), but I advocate
>keeping things simple and relatively stable when possible. Oh, all
>right, if you insist, here's my suggestion: "Building Full of Books,
>Magazines, Newspapers, Etc., Etc."
>     Good grief.
>     --David Haberstich



Stephen Nowlin
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Art Center College of Design
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