A place for everything: a personal view of library architecture: the 2011 Whyte Memorial Lecture at Monash University (original) (raw)

People places: public library buildings for the new millennium

Outlines trends which affect use and perception of public library buildings. Drawing upon experience in New South Wales, Australia, describes planning and design issues to be addressed to help ensure that public library buildings will be able to meet the needs of their communities for many years to come.

Library Space Design Framework: A Conceptual Analysis

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.

Changes in the Contemporary Public Space: Libraries

2017

Contemporary library is no longer silent study hall filled with books and limited, small work-spaces, complemented by huge, closed storage rooms for almost inaccessible books. It is more of a welcoming public space, dedicated to culture and opened for all users. Designers create interesting forms, bringing people together and at the same time symbolizing knowledge and wisdom. The workspaces are ergonomic and provide people with sufficient space and friendly environment, allowing spending a whole day in the interior. This article was devoted to present findings on changes that have occurred in the contemporary public space of libraries, aiming at architecture humanization. The studies were carried out on examples, i.e.: “Harold Washington Library Center” in Chicago (USA), TU Delft Library (Nederland), Library of Faculty of Architecture of TU Delft (Nederland), Wroclaw Municipal Library “Grafit” (Poland), Library of Faculty of Architecture WrUST (Poland), “Muntpunt” library and inform...

Architectural and Design Elements of Today’s Public Library Buildings

2016

This dissertation focuses on some of the main changes in public library design, as a result of the changing role of these institutions in today’s society. For many years public libraries were the places where people would go to have access to information and books. However, the fast development of digital technologies and electronic information services led to several changes in the way public libraries provide information. Consequently, as libraries offer a much wider variety of services and materials, library buildings had to be adapted in order to give response to patrons’ needs. Today, public libraries are dynamic places that encourage patrons to interact and communicate. Nevertheless, designing a new building, or remodelling an existent one is an expensive project, therefore, a careful plan is fundamental to ensure a creative and interactive building is created. A wise use of space, a good lighting and acoustic designs, and wide open areas that encourage group work should be so...

From Civic Place to Digital Space: The Design of Public Libraries in Britain from Past to Present

Library Trends, 2012

Inaugurated as, at once, an antidote to the social problems of industrialization and a cultural and "scientific" helpmate to progress in an industrial society, public libraries in Britain first appeared in 1850 and soon became a familiar feature, not only on the sociocultural, but also the urban-architectural, landscape. Over the past century and a half, changes in the public library built form have reflected changes in the aims of the public library movement, in architectural style and planning and in wider society. The development and symbolism of the public library built form is analyzed in five periods, stretching from the pre-First World War phases of civic architecture and large-scale philanthropic eclecticism, through the interwar period of embryonic modernism, to the post-Second World War era of full-blown modernism and the subsequent postmodernism of the digital age. In each of these periods, the public library building can be "read" as readily as the books they contained.

SPACES FOR KNOWLEDGE : Strategies in academic library planning and design 024

2013

Academic Libraries (ALs) design concept has been under a changing process, precipitated by both internal needs and external pressures including changes in the societal context of education, the information services and documentation storage requirements. This paper is focused on a model of form and function to assess AL’ in use, in order to explore ways for better understanding their performance. The proposed model was developed within the scope of a wider research project and makes both use of Post-Occupancy Evaluation and of Space Syntax procedures in order to explore how the spatial configuration influences the performance and use of ALs space. It considers ALs building typology as spatial, physical and social systems, by: 1) measuring users satisfaction about how well the space supports their requirements; and 2) providing information on how architecture and spatial design support enable and generate flows of information, communication and knowledge. The analysis provides eviden...

The Evolution of the Function and Design of Spaces in Academic Libraries Through the Digital Era

2020

Along with technology development in all fields of contemporary life, activities come development regarding architectural requirements. The functions, spaces usage, types of buildings, etc. have changed. Certain architectural elements and spaces have disappeared while other functions have either disappeared or been minimized. The change has also exceeded the architectural level to the urban level, affecting the urban planning elements, sizes, and decision-making processes. Developments in technology exert a great influence on communication as well as data entry, saving, and archiving; which, in return, has had a direct impact on libraries' spaces, operating systems, functions, and user types. As a result, the traditional space requirements and old architectural theories should be revised. This research aims to study the theoretical requirements of architectural academic libraries and the implications of technology development for spaces, functions, and types of users in the last ten years, through analyzing ten university libraries that were recently established in Europe and the USA that use the latest technologies. The outcome is applied to a case study: the architectural academic library of Beirut Arab University on Debbieh campus. The research finds that physical libraries will not be replaced by digital libraries easily, although the extensive use of technology has led to continuous changes in library spaces. The technological revolution in the field of mobile phones and applications which facilitated the accessibility of information and the possibility of searching and indexing has boosted the trend in changing library collections from physical to digital phenomena. In addition, the ideas of shared spaces and Pop-up Campuses, where libraries are completely virtual and universities are without boundaries, will also affect these traditional library-related theories. It is hoped that the results and recommendations will assist the development of a new approach and method regarding library design, which may consequently affect university buildings design, especially since the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing us toward social distancing and online applications.

When the "Library as Place" Matters: A Case Study of an Academic Library

2021

Changes in learning pattern, collection, technology and use have encouraged academic libraries to be reinvented in accordance with users' needs. Therefore, an assessment of how users perceive and expect for library as place to accommodate learning is necessary. This study aims at measuring the gap between the minimum perception, and desired levels of library as place dimension. This is a quantitative research with data obtained from the library of the State Islamic University of North Sumatra (UINSU), through descriptive survey techniques. The result showed that the utilitarian space and symbol aspects of the library met the minimum expectations of users, however in terms of accommodation, their expectations were not met. Therefore, this research suggests that institutions need to ensure their libraries have adequate rooms for users, encouraging the learning activities and creativity. Librarians need to consider providing space that allows collaborative works while supports flexibility for social meeting. Our findings confirm that the role of the library as a space for users, for individual and collaborative work, and as a space for social activity, will become increasingly important even in this digital era.

Libraries as places of invention

Library Management, 2011

Purpose -During the mid 1990s, it was predicted that the library as physical place was doomed. A dualism emerged -the virtual library vs library as place -and it was assumed that the virtual library would prove to be the most popular. In 1995, the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, produced four scenarios presenting alternative library futures in the twenty-first century, specifically the year 2010. Only one of these scenarios predicted a reinterpretation and corresponding revitalisation of "library as place". The author initiated and led this process in 1995 and revisited these scenarios in 2010 with a view to comparing current practices in library design with the attributes described in this lone scenario; the aim of this paper is to focus on this scenario. Design/methodology/approach -Library leaders in Australia, many of whom participated in the 1995 scenario development process, are interviewed, along with a number of architects specialising in contemporary library design. This qualitative process is complemented by an international literature search. Three library sectors are surveyed -collecting institutions, academic and public libraries.