12th Annual Library Leadership Institute, Shanghai 16-20 May 2014Presentation Notes from Library Spaces – Planning for the 21st Century

Howard Amos, University Librarian, University of Otago, New Zealand

Slide 4What’s so special about space planning?

Through history the Library has held a central place as the heart of the University, both symbolically as the repository of information and in terms of its physical placement. The library is often presented as the centre for learning and gathering place for scholars.

The library has a unique place in the academic physical environment. The library as place can enhance the academic experience, foster a sense of community, and help define the whole institution’s view of the future. Traditionally and historically the library has been the physical heart of the institution and this will continue.

Now our spaces must have the flexibly to accommodate evolving information technologies and their usage and at the same time act as a “laboratory” for new ways of teaching and learning. While doing this, the library, must continue to reflect the legacy and traditions of the institution of which it is part. So, in the best of all possible worlds, we need flexible spaces as well as traditional reading rooms that inspire scholarship.

The Library as place is often an iconic structure; it can serve as a visual anchor for the surrounding buildings on campus. It is a place where people come together on levels and in ways that they might not in the residence hall, classroom, or off-campus locations.

Investing in new buildings, especially ones that must accommodate the past and provide the capability of supporting future developments in learning is an expensive undertaking. The library as place must also align with the institutional and external political landscape. It must be seen to be contributing to the University’s goals and aspirations. One focus of the design, build and commissioning will be on managing the investment wisely to ensure that you have a building that meets the challenges of being a combination of the past (print collections) and the present (new information technologies and teaching modes) you must plan carefully, develop a clear definable series of outcomes that the building will deliver on….and stick to your design principles.

Slide 5So we can define those outcomes let’s consider some background around how library as place has changed over the course of time.

We can consider four ways of thinking about the role of the library as it moves through a series of evolutionary stages; as a place for the Collection, for Clients, for the educational Experience, and for Connections. The Library is still a central component of the campus– and the physical library building continues to be seen as defining the university as a whole.Library as a place for collection: Historically a library was designed as a place to store, access and preserve print collections, a place for the Librarian to be located for processing collections, answering questions, a place with book sacks, banks of computers, study spaces. We can all agree that a collection centric approach to “library as place” is out of step with the way we are expected to interact with our users today.

Library as a place for clients: Client centric services start to be developed - the Library is designed to be outward looking, where providing service to the client is the main focus - Helping clients to locate and access information resources.

Library as an experience: where the Library design is focused on making a contribution to the educational outcomes of the university. A range of study experiences are catered for, including private seating and group rooms. Students are able to interact with other people and engage with all types of information, printed, digital, online, audio visual

Library as a place for connections: where the Library space is a learning environment with different types of spaces. The Library is part of the connected learning experience and is a collaborative teaching partner. The library and staff are part of the teaching environment.

Slide 6In thinking about who can inform developing the Library as place there are three different views to consider.

The Librarians and other student support staff will have a view on how the library space can support services that are or will be provided to meet the needs of users.

Another view is that of the users themselves as to what kind of services need to be supported. Sometimes we need to cater for different users who are not our direct clients – for example the Library as place for social interaction in support of the University’s outreach programs. Then there is the institutional view, this focuses on what is important to advance the University’s mission. The space builders: the architects and technology experts will also have a view point.These viewpoints will be different and then at times they will be the same and overlap.

What is important at this stage, as we develop a vision of the new library space, is to understand the needs of different stakeholders and the services we need to provide to meet these needs.

Slide 7A further perspective in thinking about what can inform developing the Library as place are these three elements to consider; pedagogy, space and technology. They provide a useful framework for the planning and design process. Let us consider each one.

Pedagogy, the art or science of teaching and learning in a very simplified way this is: Teaching, what the teacher does, the skills the teacher uses and that contribute to learning. Learning, what the student needs to do, what the teacher asks the student to do, how the student studies.

Space, the area being developed, the environment, including colour schemes, as well as the furniture and fittings Function, what does the space need to do, what will it be used for? Form, what lighting, colour, shape and size, what layout is needed? Flexibility, Is the space multipurpose, does it have to meet more than one purpose? What can be changed

or adapted easily to meet changing needs over time.Technology, the equipment, computers, infrastructure, and specialist support. There is of course all the software and technology services that run on this technology, but remember we

are considering how technology impacts library spaces. In the latest designs, we shall see technology is embedded into the design.

Slide 8

If the library remains central to the university and defines the campus experience. And we have an understanding of the services our stakeholders need and the type of space required to deliver these services are there other factors that we need to consider?

If the library is to remain a dynamic part of the university it must support the academic community in new ways. What are the strategic imperatives that are influencing changes to library services and how we support the academic endeavour – learning and teaching and research.

Thinking back to our discussion on scenario planning you will recognise some of these drivers. These trends, and others like them will have an influence of how we consider the development of library spaces.

Slide 9There are other drivers and trends that we discussed yesterday that can have implications on library space planning.

We develop a vision of the new library spaces we need by considering the implications these trends will have on our stakeholders – those who inform us about how they want to use library spaces, and what the role of the physical library has been.

Slide 10Two broad areas of planning are intertwined.

Planning to make it happen:What do we want to achieve? Where are we going? How are we going to get there?What makes it likely to happen – what environmental factors are in play May be years away but need to be able to articulate the vision of a new library space.

Think about how we will demonstrate value and what the critical success factor are that will assist in articulating the vision. Bearing in mind that we need to be able to deliver value and the promises of the vision that we are developing.

So we will have to be able to articulate what our future library will look like when the project is finished. What are the factors that will make the building a success and that will mean that the University will see it as a good investment.

Remember that library facilities are most successful when they are conceived to be an integral part of the institution as a whole. To ensure that you have the support of the University’s senior management a new library project cannot be based on the concept of the library as a standalone facility.

One key concept is that the library as a place must be organic—that is, sufficiently flexible to meet changing space needs. To accomplish this, we must be periodically evaluating the effective use of space and assessing new placements of services and configurations of learning spaces in response to changes in user demand.

Slide 11The library today has to function as an integral and inter dependent part of the university’s total educational experience.

Achieving this goal requires a collaborative planning process. That process must include the library management, senior members of the university, students, and academic staff.

Questions that should be addressed are such things as:

How does the library reflect the vision of the institution of which it is part?

How should the “library,” and its services and its collections, serve the institution?

How is the library presently perceived, and how can it function as an interdependent facility with other learning and teaching functions on a campus of the future?

How does the library add value to the academic experience of the students and faculty?

What programs not in the library at present need to be incorporated in the future?

Once we understand the potential of the library, its role, and the value it adds to the educational experience, we can develop a detailed program to explore alternatives for spatial organization as a means to fulfill an educational vision.

Slide 12In the conceptual development phase, as we turn our vision into something more tangible and real that those outside of the immediate planning group can appreciate, consideration must be given not only to anticipated learning patterns but also to the goals and the culture of the institution. We must consider the type of student and researcher that our institution wants to attract and retain; as a focal part of the University the library plays a critical role in this respect.

Current state fit for purpose? Are there unmet needs that we should highlight?How do we get Senior management support? Demonstrate links to their vision for the development of the university?

Slide 13Perhaps the most important imperative or trend that we must pay attention to, is to ensure we are economically responsible and our concept can be environmentally sustainable – we need to be able to demonstrate that we are a good corporate citizen

This needs to be shown in the vision we develop highlighting the efficiencies we can gain – a new space will be better fit for purpose and will address needs that the library or the university is not currently meeting – this could be linked to other perspectives, like a need for modern learning spaces or a new library will reinforce the modern outlook that the university wants to project.

As we develop our vision into a concept we should make sure we address the financial benefits – maybe this will incorporate a vision of a shared facility, with the library sharing space with other parts of the university – things that bring benefits like the return on investment for the money that will need to be invested.

Knowing the drivers or imperatives of the University and the SMT means we can develop a vision into a concept that shows how we will be able to demonstrate our commitment to environmental sustainability and support for how the SMT wants the University to be seen by the wider community

Slide 14

Imperative/trend: changing ways that researchers work and how teachers teach – this will have a parallel trend seen from the student perspective.

Response – spaces to support modern learning processes adopted by teachers – leading to better student outcomes. Support researchers by providing collaborative work and project space – as part of the library service to support researchers.

Our vision will refer to a more specific example of a new/re-developed space that is fit for purpose with flexible learning spaces to support teachers and collaborative spaces that researchers can use.

Slide 15This is linked to the academic imperative of responding to changes in the way teachers teach

Again our vision of what the new/re-developed space will deliver is a specific example: technology is deeply embedded in how students study and learn. We need to provide them with tools and services so they can work on multimedia projects and assignments, but the need to provide physical computers is decreasing as we move into the world of bring your own device.

We need to be anywhere anytime in our service support, so service points should be student centric – the concept of the untethered library, with self-mediation for basic services and the development of unmediated spaces so we can provide access to spaces 24/7.

And we will need modular spaces so they can be easily re-configured.

Slide 16In developing a compelling case to build a new library or redevelop a library space –the perspective of responding to trends within the library’s own environment is one we want to play down.

It has a role in supporting the impact of trends that respond to other perspectives, but its value in being included is that it reinforces those other perspective, rather than being seen as important in its own right.

With the move to electronic and the de-emphasis of the physical collection we can move to library spaces that provide a place for students and academics in response to changes in learning and study.

This allows the library space to play a stronger role in supporting the academic endeavour and addressing the goals of the university: Library space becomes university space reinforcing the traditional role of the library as a central focus of the university.

This means the library can collaborate more with other parts of the university – back office efficiencies of the library can become benefits for the wider institution. So the vision that can be realised by investing in a new library building is one where the library retains its traditional place as focal point of the university, but trends in how library services are delivered means greater support for the academic endeavour.

Slide 17What will the vision deliver on:The library as learning hub – with a mix of formal and social spaces that is a focal point on campus and gives the university its “student identity”?

Most books are in off-site storage - prime real estate is allocated to student needs and services – this may mean some back room functions may be off site too.

Subject specialist librarians are embedded in academic departments – library spaces are used for teaching and for research projects.

Services become increasingly self mediated. First line of support will be online. Services will primarily become resourced on a just in time basis rather than just in case and will work within the “always connected always online” dynamic.

Space allocated to rows of computers in a “computer lab” is freed up and configured so that it can be used in multiple ways

Slide 18So to summarise: how do we arrive at the decisions on what the end state will be so that we can define our vision of the new library space – that will become the conceptual state to be fed into the design process.

It may be helpful to consider these high level views.

As we develop the vision that will inform the design we need to consider these types of questions. As important is how we think this will be implemented. We don’t what a design that creates a white elephant: A building that does not meet our needs and isn’t fit for purpose.

Slide 19So from blue sky vision with imagined end states that we have captured, in the same way we produce scenario narratives these are the broad steps that we will follow. Anyone in the building industry – engineer, architect, construction company will be familiar with these steps

Once activated we must implement an evaluation programme.

We don’t need to spend too much time on the architectural and engineering/construction stages. Specialist project managers and the University’s facilities management teams will lead these parts of the build.

But remember – a strong, well articulated vision will build a strong concept design to direct the architectural process – compromises may be needed and without a strong concept design these may result in a building that does not meet your vision.

Without a strong, shared understanding of the expected end state, and what the vision must deliver on, any compromise could put this entire project at risk.

Slide 20The design concept is a set of statements or guidelines that state what you are trying to achieve from the vision.

The documented vision, sometimes called an “ambition statement” articulates the desired end state and how it reflects the rationale for the large investment by the University needed for the build.

The design brief is based on the concept. It begins to define specific requirements and outcomes that architects and designers need to consider. It sets the direction the project will take and sets out the criteria that need to be meet by the engineering and construction activities.

Slide 21Let’s explore some specific examples of library spaces that have been developed over the last couple of decades.

Examining these we should be able to see how the vision becomes the concept and brief and what the outcome was. First of all – a building I’m familiar with: the ISB building at the University of Otago.

Slide 22The ISB project was initiated as a University development and as a component of the wider vision for the development of the main campus as part of a campus master plan. So University SMT were on board from the beginning.

The University wanted to emphasis the links between the town and the campus.

The vision was to have a flexible “IT” centric and focussed building that had multiple uses – not just as a library.

A space that had the flexibility to meet changing modes of study. This was captured in the vision statement that the building would reflect a new IT rich image.

Slide 23The ISB sits on the southern edge of campus – strong links to the centre and out to the town

It accommodates various student support services as well as the Central Library.

The large glass box of over 20,000 square metres, also incorporates the use of local sandstone cladding, provides a link to the surrounding buildings

Natural light and a northern aspect (we are in the Southern hemisphere) provides for light filled spaces. An atrium allows light and warmth in, this is reflected into the building by large panels on the upper level.

The foyer area of the Information Services Building, provides a link between the Library and the Student Union building. This is the social centre on campus. The Link includes a variety of social and informal study seating, cafeterias and retail shops.

Slide 24The vision statement for the project drew on information gathered from focus groups and from observing other new libraries. A two page document set out the key statements relating to the building and the services offered from within it and expressed the design parameters.

The design brief was kept very short. This was to make sure that the building was not limited to the thinking of the time. A short design brief allowed for on-going discussion between the Library, the wider university and the design consultants. Flexibility was a key concept and was built in at every stage of planning.

It acts as a function centre and a covered walk way linking parts of the Campus.

The design plan ties the Information Services Building with the adjacent Student Union and lecture theatres together into an indoor outdoor student precinct. It was designed to be a space that collects, connects and disperses people as they move through the campus.

Slide 25The Library includes an information commons on the ground floor, providing access to online resources, including the learning management system Blackboard. This ground floor is a noisy interactive space. I describe this ground floor area as “prime student real estate” and we endeavour to keep staff areas off this floor. This is very much a “work in progress” at the moment too many library staff, myself included occupy space on this floor.

The levels above provide quieter places for both group and individual study and some of the collection -including the special collections, rare books and the printer-in-residence programme, with the 19th century flat bed printing presses on display.

The building helped to inform the development of other spaces across the wider campus with similar furniture, fittings, the use of materials, such as local sand stone, glass exteriors, high ceilings. All these combine into a design signature that connects the formal and informal learning spaces of the University.

Slide 26In the Netherlands the Delft University of Technology Library is the largest technical and scientific library of the country. As such it has a national role for these disciplines.

As a centre of belonging the ambition was for the library to be seen as a vital link between research and teaching.

Slide 27The library is a building of glass and grass that is physically linked to the rest of the campus. You can literally walk across the library roof.

Although the interior de-coupled study spaces from the collections the overall desire was to express strong linkages between digital on line resources and the books.

This was achieved by having the rare books on display and some of the collections stored in towering suspended bookcases which provide a backdrop for the study and social spaces.

Slide 28The building expresses links between library and the academic endeavour with strong links to the traditional access to knowledge that a library embodies.

It encloses a 15,000 sq ft reading room

The design brief called for a building that would be a landmark within the campus.

Slender splayed steel columns support the study hall enclosed in cantered, fully glazed glass walls. The base of the sloping roof on the west side is marked by a broad flight of steps leading up to the recessed entrance. Once inside the entrance you can see the rare books on display.

The dominating central cone houses four levels of traditional study spaces connected by a curved stairway.

Slide 29The cone centre piece is a symbol of technology which pierces the lawn roof acting as a beacon and reinforcing the concept of the library as link to the University and the rest of the world.

The building's design also articulates how the library is a gateway to knowledge and information, as well as referring to important traditions - the rarified atmosphere of study within a splendid environment.

The grass roof of the library is freely accessible for walking and resting, a great place for that student activity we all know, lounging around doing not very much. The grass roof, encouraging this has created a new amenity for the whole of the campus.

Slide 30Most of the collection is kept in temperature and humidity controlled storerooms in the basement.

Staff offices and support facilities are locate on the eastern side of the building. Staff areas have been de emphasized while a book shop and coffee bar activates the library as a social space as well as one for study.

The building provides around 1,000 study spaces. As well as in the cone these are along the glazed northern facade.

The building's design incorporates sophisticated ecological environment management techniques, including the capacity to store cold or heat in ground water.

The grass roof provides excellent insulation and as a result there is a reduced need for energy to heat or cool. The roof also helps the campus control storm water runoff.

With high performance glazed facades the building meets high standards of sustainability in its maintenance.

The building was renovated in 2010 with the emphasis being on the library as a place for study, research and the exchange of knowledge, allowing the library to imagine a life without books.

Slide 31The design of both is now twenty years old.

A strong vision of what a new space will bring, to the library, to students and to the library, coupled with good design will lend an element of "future proofing" to a library building project.

Time and money spent on developing the vision and producing the design will reap the dividend of providing a long term return on investment for the university.

Slide 32The Saltire Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University Scotland.This iconic building opened in 2006.

It is the policy of the Glasgow Caledonian University to activity support a sense of partnership between students and the learning process, with the library as an integral part of that process.The ideas for this building came about from experiments with learning spaces in the old library building. Developed in 2001 the learning cafe was located on the ground floor of the old library building.

The vision of a futuristic people-friendly learning space followed a series of experiments and research in this area. The brief that was developed was about creating a building that offered a non-institutional third space, with a significant role in supporting and encouraging the sociality of learning. The aim was to create a building that added value to the students experience of life as part of a University.

Slide 33We could consider the Saltire Centre with its cutting edge design as an example of the library as experience - making a contribution to the education experience

The building has tested the boundaries in attempting new ways of doing things.

The Saltire Centre links the teaching block on campus, providing access to 1800 study spaces, a 600 seat learning commons and a ground floor mall.

The key to the design of the mostly self-regulated space is the gradual transition between social and solitary purposes, which is reflected in the arrangement of furniture and equipment. Each floor has social and interactive spaces close to the entrance with quieter activities occurring towards the back.

This is also seen in the use of each floor with silent learning dominating the top floor and social interaction on the ground floor.

Slide 34The Saltire Centre is the hub of student life and the centre piece of the campus. It is also the hub of learning activities in the university, providing a range of functions related to learning.

Using the idea that learning begins with a conversation, the University created a wide range of environments to stimulate thought or discussion. These include group areas, cafés, silent individual study spaces and terraced garden areas.

At the heart of the building is a soaring, copper clad drum staircase that provides vertical circulation space. Bridges span from the drum over the south facing atrium through a resource wall that separates quieter spaces within the library. The high ceilings together with the south facing glass walls give a feeling of vast space.

Slide 35The building was conceived as a series of layers. It has big open plan spaces and gives the impression of being part of a large atrium space. The arrangement of most furniture within the social areas of the centre can easily be reconfigured to match the size or purpose of any group and when a discreet meeting point is need an inflatable igloo wall can be brought in to provide a sound baffle.

A central information service point is located on the ground floor as part of the mall and there are specialist seminar areas and consulting rooms included in the design, making the centre more than just a library. The ground floor is also used as an exhibition or event space.

Slide 36

Technology is embedded in the furniture as well as the services provided to students. Use of intelligent systems allows students to access IT support and to issue books themselves, creating a self-service environment.

There is no computer lab or rows of fixed computers all facing one way.

Technology was seen as assisting the university in providing a world class learning environment which was also reflected in changes of organizational responsibilities

The development of the Saltire centre was accompanied by changes in staffing structures and the deployment of a range of new technology services. Library, IT and Student services were integrated into a single Learning services unit. Technologies, such as wireless networking and self-service online access providing information and support, combine with the building, in a holistic approach to the delivery of the student experience.An assessment was undertaken in 2010. Feedback from users highlighted the lack of silent study space and that students wanted to see a traditional Library. The key issue identified was “where is the Library?”

The different learning areas were not being clearly differentiated or defined within the Centre. So changes were made to let the users know that they were in the Library, include new logos and signage.

Slide 37The hive in Worcester City England is a partnership between the University of Worcester and the local county council.

Completed in 2012 it is the first fully integrated public and university library.

With an ambition statement of shared vision, single community, the hive houses the shared library, the county Record Office or archive, the archaeology service and community hub which provide frontline council services to local residents.

Slide 38The hive was designed to be an integrated public and University reference and lending library. It was recognized that the innovative design and sustainability of the building provides an immediate physical focus, but that it is the development and sustainability of shared services that will define the long term success of the project.

Well defined core values that support the aspiration to build learning communities were conceived and these were developed into detailed design statements, covering such things as the integration of learning into the every day, sustainability and inclusivity. These also helped to inform the practical challenges of providing services to a diverse range of users.

The Hive is designed to be carbon neutral. The environmental brief was that a 50% renewable energy figure had to be achieved.

Slide 39Not only does the Hive provide services for diverse user groups, it was funded through a joint public private financing programme.

The Hive is seen as both a physical and metaphorical bridge linking the city and the University.

As well so being designed to be well sealed and insulated, with glazing and shading devices orientated to minimize heat loss and gains, the building is naturally ventilated and cooled using a combination of river water, the thermal mass of the internal concrete structures and an automated shading system for the glazed facade.

None of the public spaces have air conditioning. Large window areas provide natural light so that low energy electric lighting can be used.

A rainwater harvesting system feeds all the building's toilet requirements

Slide 40The strategic decision was made to use high quality design to bring together a range of information based services in such a way that their physical adjacency would promote different learning experiences.

The design brief was to be inclusive. This was expressed in the final building in an inviting entrance and reception areas, clear signage and welcoming furniture.

The Hive has been designed to include a mix of public and private spaces with different functions. As well as communal browsing and reading areas, a cafe and council customer service centre, there are meeting rooms and private study areas.

To help users identify where they feel most comfortable each area within the Hive is defined by colour, lighting and acoustics to create distinct study zones.

Slide 41Shared services are providing new opportunities and some advantages to researchers. As well as access to printed resources they have access to original material in the county archive.

The shared priorities of the two agencies reinforces the value of library as place and the importance of learning as a social as well as an individual activity. It reminds us that the earliest academic libraries were built around communities of scholars and non scholars.

With such an innovative project it was inevitable that there would be issues around service priorities and use of the collection. Fundamental to resolving these had been the well established strategic directions of both parties, especially the principle of inclusion and public engagement, on behalf of the University and the Council's recognition of the value of libraries and education for community empowerment.

Changes in how University users used the collections and the emphasis of silent study zones in designated areas were required to ensure the project was a success.

Some library material can only be borrowed by university users and an increase in monitoring noise levels, something academic libraries have been de-emphasizing has had to be introduced after students complained.

Slide 42The James B Hunt Jr Library opened in January last year. It has received a high profile in all kinds of media and already has gained an international reputation as "the library of the future".

The vision for the Hunt Library is to create spaces that encourage collaboration, reflection and creativity - to be a place not of the past but of the future.

The University set out to create the best learning and collaborative space possible and to express the prime mission of a library - to act as a gateway to the world's knowledge.

The James B Hunt Jr Library is integral to the Library's vision to be a major part of the University’s competitive advantage - a library that is a major factor in attracting and retaining the best students and academics.

Slide 43A major impetus for the library project was to reduce the seating gap. There was a significant gap between the goal to provide study spaces equivalent to 20% of the student population.

NCSU ranked lowest in the university of Nth Carolina system in terms of library space per students.

The collections have been moved into a compacted storage area served by a automated retrieval system which has freed up space and had the advantage of allowing the design of a smaller building when the global financial crisis struck and $11 million was cut from the budget, without reducing the number of seats.

The vision for the building was to create an inspiring signature building that embodies the campus as a community built around knowledge. The design was to reinforce the library as a gateway to the world's knowledge.

Sustainability was also to the forefront. Nearly one third of the construction materials were recycled. Sensors are used to monitor room occupancy and adjust climate controls accordingly.

Slide 44Flexible spaces incorporating common areas, group work spaces and interactive technologies have taken the place of book stacks. These spaces have been designed to allow the building to be changed as new learning environments and collaborative spaces are required.

The Hunt Library was designed around immersive technologies embedded into learning and teaching spaces that encourage collaboration and cross disciplinary research.

There are high tech areas that can be modified by the users to meet their specific needs, acting as experimental laboratories

It is a library that encourages reflection and creativity, with quiet study places at traditional reading tables and comfortable group study rooms that facilitate collaboration.

At over 220,000 square feet the library is located at the heart of the campus which is a public/private research park, with the university working closely with private companies.

Slide 45To support a research university, promoting innovation and technological design, the overall goal was to design a building that would support changing technologies and systems that help students get what they need.

At the core of realising the vision for the library is the buildings ability to support staff, students and research partners to immerse themselves in interactive computing, multimedia creation and large scale visualization - tools that are enabling new ways to see and use information.

The traditional study spaces use some 80 different types of seating. From the entrance lobby there is a triple height naturally lit reading lounge which in turn leading into a quiet study zone.

Slide 46As well as the library the building houses the institute for Emerging Issues and other university centres.

Library staff spaces also incorporate open design concepts and facilitate collaboration and communications for staff across different departments and work units.

The library design resulted from detailed ongoing consultation with students as well as with academics. The overall desire was for a building that could cope with technological change and that could adapt to changes in learning and teaching as they occurred.

The technology studio on the fourth floor can also be used in support of digital humanities and other emerging research fields where technology is bring new ways to supporting research and discovering knowledge.

Slide 47Finally another example that I have been involved in during my time as Deputy University Librarian at the University of NSW from 2004 to 2010

Points to note about this example: Not a green site a renovation 4 stories from the 60’s 14 stories from the 70’s 2007 library got law floors back – there temporarily for 30 years

Slide 48The library had begun working with the architect in 2001 to redevelop staff areas

In 2007/8 an ambitious library master plan was developed which included opening out the 70's building which had been design as a book stack and had narrow high windows and to re align the entrance which faced the focal point of the campus - the library lawn originally one of the few green areas on the campus although much as been done to improve the landscaping.

There was an opportunity to engage with the University to redevelop the library as a focal point of the campus. While the original master plan was ambitious and had to be scaled back, the library was successful in keeping hold of the space over a four year period that resulted in a renovation that placed student needs at the forefront.

In two stages each floor was gutted and refurbished with a consist layout so each of the eight floors could be easily read by students, some existing furniture was reused but different types of furniture from bean bags to layer seating around pillars was introduced.

The work was carried out around a working library which required a staged approach and some compromises. Every part of the collection was moved at least three times. As the floors were made available three separate collections were rehoused in a single run.

Slide 49In 2011 the work culminated in the creation of the ‘Help Zone’, on the entrance level, which redefines the model of the traditional loans desk to be more in line with current retail service models.

Once dominated by a huge circulation desk, staff are no longer locked behind a static piece of furniture, but instead roam and interact directly with users to assist them with loans or helping with their research enquiries. The ‘Help Zone’ represents the last phase of the experience and user centred library

This Help Zone has proven to be the jewel in the Library’s crown as its design reflects the Library’s philosophy of being an open and friendly customer focused environment.

The original idea for this service zone was mooted by the Architect. His suggestion was to redefine the model of service to be less "library-centric“ and be more in line with current retail models, and in similar developments with check-in areas of airports where travellers use self-service kiosks to get boarding passes and to check-in luggage.

In these environments, staff are not behind desks but are roaming the space and approaching customers to offer assistance. Staff are clearly identifiable, are professional in dress and conduct, are well informed about services, and are often equipped with mobile devices to connect to relevant online services. Spaces are large and spacious and are designed to minimise queues (lines). Self-service equipment proliferates and is easy to use.

Slide 50As a result of long term collaboration with the architect there was opportunities to test new ways of how the building might be redeveloped. There was a series of consultation processes with staff and students and new ideas were feed back into the later stages of construction.

The importance of a structured landscape was identified. The building has a relatively small foot print over a number of floors. Prior to the renovation there were a number of services points, student support areas and different collection runs across the building.

By structuring the design with a consistent layout, for example printer and copier stations in the same location, the users could easily navigate the library

Clear and concise signage, especially for the collection run also helped.

This is also expressed in the multiple student zones that were created. Interactive noisy spaces are clustered around elevator lobbies while quiet study areas are found further into each floor, along the east and north perimeters.

Slide 51The result of the renovation has meet the vision of the librarians who work with the architect on the design- that is to create a sense of the library as third place - a junction between home and the teaching rooms where both study and social interaction can occur.

Some 1800 new study spaces were developed, primarily by reclaiming prime student spaces - those areas near the entrance level, particularly on level 2 where the foot print for circulation was drastically reduced by relocating the returns and sorting of items to the lower level.

There have been some challenges and the concept of the help zone took some time to become comfortable for staff.

Over all this is a successful example of a renovation rather than a completely new building and demonstrates that it's possible to develop a modern student space from a forty and fifty year old building.

Slide 52These six examples of successful building projects have some common themes. Thinking about what these might be we can identify some:

Slide 53Earlier on we considered emerging trends that we will need to address, both for strategic planning purposes and also as important drivers for the vision we might have for a library building program.

Some of these are addressed in these six case studies.

Slide 54Thinking back to what informs library spaces we must, as part of the benefits realization from the project evaluate how effective the resulting building is.

It is not so easy to measure have we realised the vision we set out to address but we can gain some idea if we have realised the vision through considering specific aspects of the use of building and what the design was meant to achieve,

We can assess the buildings impact on learning behaviours, use of the spaces provided and use of collections. We can also consider how the library spaces support teaching activity and changes in the way students study.

Also consider: New spaces – new opportunities are there things that hadn’t thought of?

Strategic advantage in reminding the university that their investment has bought benefits

Whatever we do we have to remember this is a constant process, there is no end of the library building project. Thinking of the six case studies here are a few examples of ongoing activity: ISB: the name, use of space (electronic resource area), services points – was joint now separate, reactivate

the ground floor. Delft: change in service delivery – renovation 2010 (keep the investment up – a challenge) Saltire: where’s the library? reinforce zones and spaces The Hive: teething issues, joint use, mechanisms to address both the use of the space and the use of the

collections. UNSW: use of technology (presentation practice room), staff getting use to no desk, approaching and

talking to customers requires library staff to be proactive in their dealings with customers and the more introverted library staff found this intimidating at first. Moving customers out of the Help Zone also requires staff to be confident in dealing with people.

Hunt: too soon

Slide 55Let's consider some of the ways we might assess how library buildings are being used

We can engage through the use of surveys, formal/informal feedback, structured/unstructured interviews

Empirical measures: This will give you such things as, patterns of use, levels of user satisfaction, the cost of operations, current energy efficiency and the cost of different kinds of service delivery

Observational: Observational data includes understanding the current activities of users as they use the existing library space. What do users prefer to do in different parts of the spaces available to them? What makes some spaces better for interactive activities and some for quiet solitary study?

Ethnographical: use of ethnographic methods—“the study of the culture and social organization of a particular group or community." i.e. in order to understand what people are up to, it is best to observe them by interacting with them intimately and over an extended period

the use of ethnographic methods in studies of libraries is an upward trend from a low starting point. This might be just that it's a fashionable thing to do or it may be indicative of the growing complexity of the social and technological environments within which libraries need to operate.

Slide 56Ethnography is a complex, in-situ research approach that provides understanding of research subjects in naturally occurring settings. Ethnographic approaches draw on a toolkit of approaches, I mentioned earlier, such as observation, interviews, focus groups, cultural probes, and others, which can be combined and triangulated to gain insights into users' behaviours.

Such studies require a high level of commitment and resourcing from library management, but they can provide a richer understanding of library users' experiences, and deeper insights into those experiences.

They add depth to the researcher's understanding by providing “richer and better data” and by providing authentic data on users' lives and their interactions with library spaces.

This work allows for context to be taken into account when considering how useable a library space is and a mixed method of Qualitative and ethnographic data can provide opportunities for triangulation with other research methods

Slide 57This chart from Lippincott can be useful as a starting point. When thinking about what the research questions are. What is it we want to assess?