Abstract
This study analyzes mediatheques in terms of spatial organization, and examines the historical processes through which they have been systematized. It examines the physical effects of social and cultural programs on mediatheques to deduce the values underlying their spatial characteristics. By investigating and verifying these values, this study examines and interprets the spatial characteristics of mediatheques. The scope of this study is limited to mediatheques in France, operating most effectively in the form of libraries and local community facilities. To describe the spatial evolution of public libraries as social mega facilities and to establish the reasons behind these changes, the authors examine changes in information systems, fashion, and society. By examining these changes, they describe various phenomena that characterize the transition of conventional libraries into mediatheques. They then topologically classify public libraries in France and quantitatively verify their spatial organizations by examining the structure of their spaces. A historical examination of the topological relations of major library functions, specifically, public library-bookstack-guides and reference-reading areas, shows that 33% of all mediatheques have a topologically mixed space system in contrast to the spatial organization of conventional libraries with stack-guides and reference-reading areas. Embodying generational changes through the visible ranges of space, and despite the use of open-frames, mediatheques have a lower level of visibility than traditional libraries. This spatial characteristic suggests that mediatheques are centered on information access, reflecting the 21st century ethos of social pluralism. It also reflects a social tendency in the age of pluralism that suggests that libraries are composed of various reading spaces meant to accommodate various readers' demands, even as the visibility within libraries is lowered overall.
