A new building for the National Library of Israel (NLI), scheduled for completion in 2021, is the culmination of a two-decade process of institutional transformation. Formerly known as the Jewish National and University Library, the NLI has historically served simultaneously as Israel's official state repository, as the Hebrew University's central library, and as a “library of the Jewish people.” Like other national libraries around the world, including elsewhere in the Middle East, the National Library of Israel has had to grapple with accelerated changes in management of library collections due to the proliferation of digital media. More fundamental, however, have been changes in the cultural expectations about how libraries should function. Since 1998, the NLI has sought to expand its mission to promote not only scholarship but also cultural “discourse” among Israel's diverse constituencies. The architectural design of NLI's new edifice was intended, therefore, to do more than house the functional requirements of a modern library. It was commissioned to express through its design the significance of the transformed institution for the Israeli public. Towards that goal, a highly publicized competition for the NLI's design was held in 2012. The original two-stage competition ended in controversy after the architect endorsed by the jurors was dismissed. Yet a review of designs submitted by four Israeli architects in that first competition shows how public spaces, affiliated with public institutions, are expected to foster public discourse in Israel. Whether that discourse is cultural or political, contentious or contradictory, these alternative designs for the NLI illustrate common themes based upon specific environmental tropes, familiar across a broad spectrum of Israeli society.

中文翻译：

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建设中：以色列国家图书馆的另类话语空间（批判性论文）

以色列国家图书馆 (NLI) 的新建筑计划于 2021 年完工，是历时两个十年的体制转型进程的高潮。NLI 以前称为犹太国家和大学图书馆，在历史上曾同时作为以色列的官方国家资料库、希伯来大学的中央图书馆和“犹太人的图书馆”。与包括中东其他地区在内的世界其他国家图书馆一样，以色列国家图书馆不得不应对由于数字媒体的激增而导致的图书馆馆藏管理加速变化。然而，更根本的是关于图书馆应该如何运作的文化期望的变化。自 1998 年以来，NLI 试图扩大其使命，不仅在以色列的不同选民中促进学术研究，而且促进文化“话语”。因此，NLI 新大楼的建筑设计旨在满足现代图书馆的功能需求。它被委托通过其设计来表达改造后的机构对以色列公众的重要性。为实现这一目标，2012 年举办了一场备受瞩目的 NLI 设计竞赛。最初的两阶段竞赛在评委认可的建筑师被解散后以争议告终。然而，对四位以色列建筑师在第一次竞赛中提交的设计的审查表明，附属于公共机构的公共空间如何有望促进以色列的公共话语。