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too, there have been numerous new buildings of
interest in the opening decade of the new century.
The Learning Resources Centre at Glasgow
Caledonian Universit)' aroused a lot of interest since
it creates a huzzy buzz.y atmosphere and brings all
student services together under one roof. Sheffield
University followed the American Information
Commons approach in its new library and Aberdeen
University recently appointed the architects
Schmidt Hammer & Lassen, who designed the
acclaimed extension to the Royal Library in
Denmark, the Black Diamond, to design their new
library. Queen's Universit)' Belfast has just opened
its new library, designed by American architects
Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott, which
combines the traditional w ith the modern.
So libraries are still being built. Changes are
definitely afoot and the impact of tbe digital
revolution and new ways of working and learning
can be clearly seen in the designs. There is no one
perfect model and although much can be learnt from
the successes - and indeed failures - of others, each
library building must respond to the particular
needs of its own users and its own context. Those
commissioning new buildings must consider the
various trends and drivers for change when
considering the brief.
Gerald Zugniann.
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35/1 2010
Social networking
impact on library design and, contrary to
predictions, a largely positive one. Libraries have
Another much documented trend in library design
always been associated witb knowledge, and with
is tbe growth of the library as a tbird place. This
access to knowledge, and the fact tbat this access is
concept is perbaps most often used in the context of
now available online does not negate the need for
public libraries where tbe citizen comes to spend
guidance from skilled navigators and information
time away from bome and the w orkplace to relax,
specialists - indeed it often increases it. Tbe
learn and sociali.se, but is also relevant to other types
relationship between printed and electronic
of libraries. Altbougb lending figures migbt be
resources - between tbe physical and the virtual
declining, our libraries arc still being used but in a
library - is refiected botb in the service delivered
different way. David Buri at the Glasgow Scbool of
and in tbe design of the building. In the Seattle
Art Library told me that one of bis students in a
Library the Mixing Chamber is located at the
recent user survey said that 'some of tbe best
interface between the virtual and physical
conversations I have had have been in the Library'.
collections. This area
encourages maximum
communication between
librarians and users, with skilled
support on hand and a wealtb of
information sources available.
Sucb spaces are intended to
promote use and interaction
between people, botb library
staff and library users. In many
libraries today tbe creation of
exciting social space brings
users into the physical library to
use tbe virtual resources.
Increased use of IT and eresources allows libraries to be
more flexible and the spaces
within tbem more Huid. Tbese
spaces are no longer defined by
tbe collections as in tbe past and
The Library ar Queen's University Belfast.
QUB Media Services
there is a stronger need to create
their identity' by other means.
Closely allied to tbe concept of a third place is the
emergence (or perhaps re-emergence) in recent
Technological advances
years of the caf culture in a library context. Food
and drink were until really t)uitc recently con.sidered
Our users increasingly expect 24/7 acce.ss to
incompatible w itb libraries. Not so now. Learning
computers, to photocopiers and even to books and
eafs
are now running successfully in many
helpful staff. It is the need for face-to-face
institutions and are popular both with students, as
interaction tbat has changed the focus in library
eongenial places wbere imagination and creativity
layouts (and indeed in the approach to services)
can have a free rein, and w ith administrators, as the
from collection-based to user-focused, technological
financial profits can be plougbed back to cover
advances have released library staff from the more
maintenance and otber eosts. Imperial College's new
routine tasks. The automation of manual handling,
library extension bas embraced new tecbnology and
the use of sorting robots, compact shelving. RFID
provides an impressive array of options for its highly
technology and tbe emergence of extended selfcomputer-literate
student body. Students can work
issue/retum service points have all brought staff out
in tbe caf alone or in groups or move next door to
from bebind the desk; tbey bave cbanged our
library spaces to work formally or informally in a
libraries from places where the storage and display
variety of permutations. The new library at Queen's
of resources governed tbe premises to ones
University also provides a range of study spaces to
dominated by users and user facilitie.s. The concept
suit all preferences and, like otber recent libraries
of tbe roving librarian proactively belping and
such as Edinburgh University, provides botb quiet
supporting learners is gaining credence and
and more social spaces for its users.
changing tbe design of staff areas and service desks.
30
,iirr libraries _
35/ 2010
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dominated buildings of the past to ones that arc much
more user-centred and service-rich, supporting new
patterns of learning, teaching and research. We must
market ourselves as never before. How better to do it
than by designing beautiful, functional, high-tjuality
buildings? So how do we go about it?
building guidelines^ on
.art libraries..
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library the users - including the library staff, of
course - want. The brief should also record the
general distribution of space - user, collection and
service space needs - and the detailed requirements
of each area, as well as the relationships amongst
them. Anders Dahlgren in his chapters in the IFLA
library building guidelines describes in detail how to
User surveys
As mentioned above it is crucial to the success of
any library building to take users' needs into
account. Recent survevs of art students' needs
carried out at the Glasgow School of Art and at the
University of Ulster's Schf)ol of Art and Design
came up with very similar responses." Some
requirements particularly pertinent to art libraries
are:
fornial and informal exhibition space for library
treasures and student work
varied study and seating areas
informal meeting areas with sofas and
comfortable seating
relaxing study areas, perhaps with bean bags
and casual seating
^' large tables for working with oversize books
and portfolios
group study spaces for cross-disciplinary work
with other students and colleagues such as
architects. (Art students do usually have studio
space, unlike other categories of students, but
there still seems to be a demand for group study
rooms in the library. In addition, because there
is a high level of dyslexia amongst art students,
there can be a need for spaces where supporters
can work with students.)
zoning
- social spaces for networking
quiet spaces, also very much in demand
shelving {printed resources still being important
to art and design students)
'-' low shelving
space for oversize books
^ customized shelving for DVDs, posters, etc.
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Interiors
Interior spaces create the tone the library wishes to
establish. It hardly needs to be said that entrances
should be easily identiahle and the aim should be
to create an immediate impact upon coming into a
library building. This is where users form their first
impression of the library (within 10 seconds
apparently) and where the scene is set. A poor
entrance confuses users and can create an
unfavourable view not only of the building but also
of the services contained within it. A good entrance
space should be welcoming and exciting as well as
creating the ambience encapsulated in the brief,
whether it be presenting cool high-tech
sophistication, warm and welcoming, trendy or
traditional. Whatever the mood or the message, the
entrance area should be w ell laid out and enable
easy orientation by clearly indicating the main
activity areas and key service points.
Furniture
The demise of the desk is a relatively recent trend in
library design, with the issue desk no longer
dominating its surroundings and potentially
presenting a barrier between staff and user. The rise
of self-issue and return kiosks, RKID and automated
storage has reduced the need ff)r large desks. They
have been replaced in man)' instances by slim-line
variations where staff can offer quick transactions,
or by enquiry points staffed by roving librarians.
Numerous designs are available from a wide range
of designers.
More stylish and imaginative display units and
bookcases are increasingly replacing the more
industrial shelving of days past and compact
shelving, which used only to exist in closed access
basements and stores, now often forms part of the
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Sustainability
Signage
Professional designers will tell )'ou that a welldesigned huilding should not need directional
signage, quoting the mantra that 'Too many signs is
a bad sign'. Yet many library design teams find tbat
more time is spent on this than on anything else,
loo much signage just adds confusion and spaces
can usually be defined by the use of colour, texture
and the placement of furniture. Signage is becoming
increasingl)' interactive and many new libraries are
using plasma screens, which have the advantage of
allowing flexibility and change. A recent example of
subtle and elegant but very clear signage can be
found in the new puhlic librar) in Amsterdam. And
in Cardiff Central Library clever magnetic signs tbat
can be peeled off and replaced have been used.
Summary
In summar)' what trends have emerged in this first
decade ofthe 21st century? Library buildings today
must accommodate both the printed and the
electronic word; they must be welct>ming and
attractive places to visit; they must promote
interaction between people - staff and readers - and
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cater for all tastes: those who want to work alone or
in groups, at desks or in comfortable chairs, in
silence or surrounded by a hubbub of noise. In
many cases, and indeed this was the thinking bebind
the UK Government's Better Public Building
Initiative, the new library building should also
revitalise neighbourhoods and transform derelict
sites. What does appear to be the case is that despite
name changes in some cases, the library as a
building type is alive and well; quite how it
manifests itself is no longer obvious. Library
buildings, like libraries themselves, are undergoing
profound change and a new t\ pology is emerging.
Tbe two greatest factors driving change are
undoubtedly the move to electronic resources
accessii)le from anywhere at any time and the more
sustainable approaches to design. Funding is of
course crucial and likely to become ever more
elusive - but tben it was always so. The Roman
architect, Vitnivius. in the 1st century BC held that
the essential qualities of a good building were
utiliis, rmitas and venustas - commodity, firmness
and delight. Achieving this 2()(K) years on remains
the challenge for librarians and their architects
today.
References
1. M. Brawne, Library builders (London: Academy
Editions, 1997).
2. See David Nicholas, 'The behaviour of the
research of the future,' on p. 18-21 of this issue.
3. J. Schmidt, 'Unlocking the library: library design
from a marketing perspective' in FLA library
building guidelines: developments and reflections, ed.
Karen Latimer and H. Niegaard (Munich: Saur,
2007), 55-67.
4. Commission for Architecture and the Built
Environment (CABE), Better public building
(London: DCMS, 2006). http://www.cabe.org.uk/
files/hetter-public-building.pdf.
5. H. Faulkner Brown, 'The open plan and
cxibiiy: LATUL Proceedings 11 (1979): 3-18.
6. A. McDonald, 'The top ten qualities of good
library space,' in IFLA library building guidelines:
developments and reflections, ed. Karen Latimer and
H. Niegaard (Munich: Saur, 2007), 13-29.
7. A. Dahlgren, 'A practical means of estimating
library space needs,' in IFLA library building
guidelines: developments and reflections, ed. Karen
Latimer and H. Niegaard (Munich: Saur, 2007),
127-143.
8. David Buri and Marion Korshidian in
communication with the author, June 2009.
2010
Select bibliography
Michael Dewe, Renewing our libraries: case studies in
replanning ami refurbishment (Farnham, Fngland:
Ashgate, 2009).
Brian Edwards, Libraries and learning resource centres,
2nd ed. (London: Architectural Press, 2009),
Ayub Khan, Better by design: an introduction to
planning and designing a new library building (London:
Facet, 2009). .
Karen Latimer and H. Niegaard, eds., IFLA library
building guidelines: developments and reflections
(Munich: Saur, 2007).
Websites
Designing libraries,
http ://www.designi nglibraries.org.uk/.
JISC infoNet, littp://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/
I earning-space-design/.
Karen Latimer
Medical & Healthcare Librarian
Queen's University of Belfast Medical Library
NI Health e?" Social Services Library
Mulhouse Building
Mulhouse Road
Belfast BT12 6DP
Northern Ireland
UK
email: k.latimer@(jub.ac.uk
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