PROJECT 

Neighborhood Planning 

Adams Street Library

brooklyn | new york | usa

PROJECT AREA: Adams Street
PROJECT SCOPE: Urban Planning | Community Engagement
PROJECT STATUS: Completed
CLIENT: Brooklyn Public Library

2019

Grain’s extensive work in the field of libraries has ranged from the general – developing big-picture visions for institutions, soliciting actionable feedback from the community – to the specific, for instance, assisting individual branches to engage distinct subsets of their users. Often our work entails collaborating with architects to ensure that new branches benefit from a truly participatory design process; our guiding goal is always to ensure that libraries meet the needs of everyone in their communities.

Prior to Adams Street Library’s opening in 2021, Brooklynites in the DUMBO, Vinegar Hill and Farragut communities did not have a local library to call their own. Grain Collective was key to forge relationships and build partnerships with community organizations, civic groups, schools, businesses and residents to ensure that the design, collection and programs of the new library reflects the diversity of the community it will serve. Today, this new library serves and thrives as a connector, hub and community anchor where people with different backgrounds, passions and interests can take part in a living democratic culture.