A Renovation Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Library programming is an essential function of public libraries. On any given day, public libraries across the country are hosting a variety of programs for users of all ages and abilities. Programming connects users with public library staff, spaces, and materials. Historically, however, academic libraries have focused on the strength of their collections for connecting with users. Presently, though, academic libraries are proving their relevance to campus communities beyond being warehouses of knowledge. Ray Oldenburg’s concept of “third place”1 inspired some to reframe the academic library to become their campus constituents’ third place. Envisioning the library as a campus meeting place where everyone could come, listen, share and discuss ideas, current events, and one’s research occurred simultaneously with library renovations that fostered group collaboration and study, casual spaces, and coffee shops. Bringing people into the building for more than the collections became a goal of many academic libraries, particularly those striving to maintain relevance in an ever-increasing digital knowledgebase.

College Research Libraries News, 2009

2007

The article focuses on the renovations made in the East Commons mixed-used space at the Georgia Tech Library in Atlanta. The area consists of collaborative computer stations, study tables and modular lighting systems. The rearrangements were made to encourage students to use the library more often and to refresh their minds and bodies. The remodeled area features group-study tables where students can turn it into a small theater or presentation space that can seat a maximum of 100 people.

Library Hi Tech, 2011

Several books and articles about learning space design have recently been published, giving much needed attention to new types of informal learning spaces such as the library commons. This article describes the redesign of a formal learning space: the general assignment classroom. In 2010, one of the University of Iowa's Main Library classrooms was converted to an "active learning" space. The library location was selected as home for this prototype TILE classroom -Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage.

Designing Libraries for the 21st Century, 2022

When planning a new library space, there are many components to consider. Whether it is a renovation, an addition, or an entirely new building, countless variables compete for your time and attention. Architects imagining the flow of people and the functionality of the environment. Vendors showcasing a wide range of technologies and furniture possibilities. Designers presenting endless options of colors, patterns, and textures that weave together a spatial narrative. Facilities managers focusing on electrical capacity, heating and cooling, asbestos, and cleaning schedules. Building officials referencing state codes on egress and seating capacity. It’s a lot to take in. I’ve worked on over 30 construction projects and have experienced a certain joy in the act of shaping an initial concept into a physical reality. But honestly, the grand opening is just the beginning. How we infuse that space with an inspiring spirit and sustain that over time is the real challenge. As much as I enjoy selecting furniture and dabbling with new technologies, stewarding that environment is the real work. This chapter will outline a set of components that I recommend for nurturing a high-performing culture for your high-purpose learning space. Link to the full book: https://bit.ly/DesigningLibraries

Research Strategies, 2000

Planners for the David Adamany Undergraduate Library at Wayne State University designed creative learning spaces in the building to further and enhance concepts critical to information literacy efforts, such as collaborative learning, integrating information resources into the curriculum, and resource-based learning. D

2015

The main thrust of the Durban University of Technology Strategic Plan 2012-2014 was to establish a conducive learning environment by repurposing the physical learning environments in the main library. The aim was to create a space that was flexible and customizable, safe and secure, and enhanced and supported different learning approaches. Over the past decade or more, academic libraries have undergone dramatic changes in both the physical and virtual environments. Most of these changes have been driven in part by the changing landscape of higher education and to some extent due to the impact of the rapid development of information and communication technology. Not only have these changes altered the traditional shape of academic libraries but has also lead to increased expectations of library services and facilities from library users. The Durban University of Technology Library has grappled for some time with attempts to modernize the library and make the space inviting. The original library has morphed over the years from a single floor to a four storey building with too many stacks and not enough spaces that are conducive for learning. The footprint of the library stacks have shrunk due to the reduction in print books and periodicals and most of the seating arrangements were archaic and uncomfortable at best. Costs was a major factor that had to be considered in our attempts to repurpose the library into a student centered space and place. An opportunity to apply for the Teaching and Development Grant proved to be the catalyst that would set the library on the path to develop a blueprint to revitalize our space as a learning hub. This paper will track the journey the Library embarked on and how the Teaching and Development Grant opened the way for effective partnerships both in and outside the university that ultimately contributed to our aim of creating a modern and appropriate Library space.

Effat University is a private non-profit university for women founded in 1999 in Saudi Arabia. Maximum enrollment should reach 3,300 fulltime students within a few years. The Effat University Library holds 25,000 physical items, provides access to extensive digital content, and library staff members participate actively in campus-wide information literacy efforts. A new Cultural Center, housing the library and a new museum, is expected to open by fall of 2014. The design of the new Center was subject to the tension between the traditional idea of library as print book storage versus the ideal future world of the virtual, non-embodied digital library. The Center is to house and feature collections of lasting value in addition to learning resources that support active programs of study. The design team strove to find a balance between the desire for openness toward the community and accepted local social norms. This paper describes the process followed to design the new Center. It's not clear whether the library as a centralized entity will survive on campus, but the design team believes that this Center will serve the immediate needs of the institution and expand the impact of the library in non-traditional ways.

abstract: This study explores the relationship between architecture and interior space on student engagement at a newly constructed academic library. Using an action, mixed-methods approach with a convenience sample, researchers evaluated 744 photographs, 125 behavioral observations, and six group interviews. Analysis revealed four key attributes of engaging library design: engagement culture, core connectedness, environmental messages, and transformational challenges, thus affirming that spatial designs can influence behaviors. 1

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 2021

Academic library spaces are a crucial element in library management that should be taken zealously because it serves as the frontispiece of the entire educational institution. It is more than sketching a floor plan; it transcends beyond the physical layout of the library. It must be able to provide new opportunities for collaboration, focus highly on diversity and personal adaptability, and customization (Neal, 2010). Gone are the days where libraries are considered as a "single-purpose building," completely stacked up with shelves of voluminous collections (Choy & Go, 2016). Contemporary libraries must be "multifunctional, flexible, user-centered, and supportive of an array of scholarly activities" (O'Kelly et al., 2017, p. 843). Cunningham and Tabur (2012) asserted that libraries have always been more than a "warehouse for recorded knowledge" because they can provide a venue for introspection, assimilation, and construction of novel ideas. Koen and Lesneski (2019) quoted Holmgren and Spencer's (2014) conclusion that by 2024, a multitude of libraries will be transformed into academic commons whose paramount purpose is to hold academic support services while sustaining a space for the library's physical collections. This means that academic libraries are striving to achieve more in the upcoming years. The trend in library space design for the past decades up to the present exhibited a global transformational shift activated by academic librarians in collaboration with various building 2 This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by the Asia-Pacific Social Science Review on June 14, 2021, available online: http://apssr.com/volume-21-no-2/libraryspace-design-framework-a-conceptual-analysis/ professionals, that is, architects, engineers, and interior designers. An explicit example is the rising trend of the creation of a one-stop facility by integrating non-traditional units in the library such as cafés, galleries, and museums (Cunningham & Tabur, 2012). These trends provide prospects for intentional learning, and the design may possibly be propelled by various learner-centered concerns (Bennett, 2009). The change is triggered primarily by the present pedagogy with emphasis on collaborative work (Cunningham & Tabur, 2012), today's students' learning preference styles (Oliveira, 2018), fluctuating user preferences and behaviors, diversity of personal and professional needs of the academic community, and the changing roles of libraries due to technological advancements. The academic community members are the central reason why libraries exist. Without them, the library will cease to exist. After all, the prime goal of effective library space and design is to respond to the needs of its service people (Lin et al., 2010; Whole Building Design Guide, 2017). Woodward (2010) also pointed out that libraries must reflect what their clientele wants them to be. The varying needs of the library clientele posed a great challenge in designing library spaces because the library must be able to respond to those needs to maintain equilibrium in the academic ecosystem. Adjusting to the changing conditions and the capability to offer various services right away to users is indisputably needed to stay in demand (Zverevich, 2012). Designing a library space is a crucial process that needs deliberate planning before construction and implementation could be done to prevent the possible misuse of available resources, that is, budget. Library space and design arrangement, whether it is a renovation or new construction, is not an easy thing (Zverevich, 2012). It is also one of the costly managerial activities that library managers may deal with (Nitecki, 2011). In planning for library space, there are many factors to be considered-time investment, financial resources, political capital (Nitecki, 2011), workforce, existential standards and guidelines, local and international directives, policies, among others.