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While digital technology is redefining access to knowledge, the space that houses physical collections is under threat, sparking debate about the importance of having books readily on hand rather than stored offsite.

The Fleeting Library reimagines the branch as an active public utility, a component of the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) digitization process, allowing the public to engage with and interject in this transformation.

The project’s framework is an expansive lattice that grows upward, floating over pedestrians below. A system of conveyor belts circulates books through the stages of digitization – sorting, metadata, imaging, and storage – bringing this transformation into the public eye.

An assortment of reconfigurable catwalks and storage pods infill the remainder of the lattice, allowing patrons to monitor the process and occupy the spaces formed by it.

Before being sent into storage, processed books are held for public viewing, at which point anyone can appeal against their removal. As more books are held, the lattice densifies, and the building’s porosity serves as a an outward guage, fluctuating as the public protests book removal.

By raising awareness and slowing the removal of books from Manhattan, The Fleeting Library is a more responsible model for the NYPL to continue its relocation process while also improving its outdated branches.