Luton Library: Space to Pause, Focus and Connect

By Joanne Slade, Netloan Account Manager.

As I walked through Luton town centre on my way to a meeting at Central Library, I was struck by just how perfectly the library is located. I was a few minutes early to meet with our Netloan customer there, and found myself pausing and reflecting on what the library represents to the city’s inhabitants.

The town around it was busy – people travelling, shopping, meeting or simply passing through.

Step into the library, however, and the atmosphere changes again. It was quieter, but quietly busy, nonetheless.

The ground floor is now a family support hub, with the library occupying the upper floors. The first floor is the main library level, home to the principal collections and the relocated children’s library, alongside public computers, seating and study areas.

What struck me most was how the space was being used.

Around two sides of the first floor, looking out towards the town, were rows of child-sized desks. Every PC seemed to be busy, with young children happily occupied while mums sat nearby, perhaps managing to grab a little quiet time of their own.

Looking upwards, the second floor and mezzanine create another open library level, connected by a prominent staircase and overlooking the floor below. With more shelving, desks, computers and quieter study areas, the effect is of one tall, open library spread across two connected levels.

Up here I spotted some particularly clever pod-style desks, giving adults a little privacy for studying or working. These PCs were busy too, with people cocooned in their own individual spaces, focused on whatever task they had come to complete.

That was probably my biggest impression of Luton Central Library: it was busy, but in a completely different way from the town centre outside.

People weren’t simply passing through. Children were occupied, parents were finding a little breathing space, and others had carved out somewhere to concentrate and get things done.

Right in the middle of a busy town, the library was providing space for people to stop, spend time, and have a better day.