High quality design on a low budget: New library buildings. Proceedings of the Satellite Conference of the IFLA Library Buildings and Equipment Section "Making ends meet: high quality design on a low budget" held at Li Ka Shing Library, Singapore Management University, 15-16 August 2013 9783110375435, 9783110375275

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IFLA Publications

Edited by Michael Heaney International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Fédération Internationale des Associations de Bibliothécaires et des Bibliothèques Internationaler Verband der bibliothekarischen Vereine und Institutionen Международная Федерация Библиотечных Ассоциаций и Учреждений Federación Internacional de Asociaciones de Bibliotecarios y Bibliotecas

Volume 171

High Quality Design on a Low Budget New Library Buildings Proceedings of the Satellite Conference of the IFLA Library Buildings and Equipment Section “Making ends meet: high quality design on a low budget” held at Li Ka Shing Library, Singapore Management University, 15–16 August 2013 Edited by Dorothea Sommer, Janine Schmidt and Stefan Clevström

DE GRUYTER SAUR

ISBN 978-3-11-037527-5 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-037543-5 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-039636-2 ISSN 0344-6891 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Cover Image: Photograph by Hong Huazheng Typesetting: Dr Rainer Ostermann, München Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck ♾ Printed on acid-free paper Printed in Germany www.degruyter.com

Contents About IFLA 

 VII

1

Dorothea Sommer Introduction to the Satellite Conference 

2

Gulcin Cribb Evolution and Transformation Spaces, Services and Staircases 

3

Janine Schmidt and Sharon Bostick Financial and Cultural Crises The Library’s Response to Tough Times 

4

Cecilia Kugler Cents and Sensibility 

5

Jack Poling and Jeffrey Scherer Renovation, Renewal, and Rethinking Turning Abandoned US Buildings into High-quality, Cost-effective Community Libraries    69

 1

 4

19

 34

Linda O’Brien and Graham Legerton 6 Budgetary Constraints No Excuse for Poor Design Griffith Library (G11) Extension and GUMURRII Centre (Queensland, Australia)   96 Stefan Clevström and Hans Murman 7 Adaptive Re-use of Buildings for Library Purposes Remaking an Old Underground Book Stack into a User Friendly Public Space at the Kungliga Biblioteket/National Library of Sweden   109 Maria G. N. Musoke 8 The End Justified the Means Building Makerere University Library Extension with a Low Budget  Ruvini Kodikara and Ruwan Gamage 9 Rethinking Library Space as an Information Commons From Drawbacks to Solutions and Negotiations in between 

 150

 128

VI 

 Contents

Ursula Byrne 10 Achieving Library Refurbishment Get the Most out of Matched Funding and Careful Design Planning  Katariina Ervasti and Paula Puustinen 11 Sustainable, Participatory and Low-cost The Redesign Process of Hakunila Library 

 160

 171

Mohammad Mahdi Jahani Yekta 12 Economic Design of Libraries Based on Visionary Building Plans, Adaptive Architecture, Compact Storage, and Streamlining of Services   185 Ida Fajar Priyanto 13 Corners Designing Library Spaces for a New Generation of Users without Library Budget   197 Contributors  Contents

 209

About IFLA www.ifla.org IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. IFLA provides information specialists throughout the world with a forum for exchanging ideas and promoting international cooperation, research, and development in all fields of library activity and information service. IFLA is one of the means through which libraries, information centres, and information professionals worldwide can formulate their goals, exert their influence as a group, protect their interests, and find solutions to global problems. IFLA’s aims, objectives, and professional programme can only be fulfilled with the co-operation and active involvement of its members and affiliates. Currently, approximately 1,600 associations, institutions and individuals, from widely divergent cultural backgrounds, are working together to further the goals of the Federation and to promote librarianship on a global level. Through its formal membership, IFLA directly or indirectly represents some 500,000 library and information professionals worldwide. IFLA pursues its aims through a variety of channels, including the publication of a major journal, as well as guidelines, reports and monographs on a wide range of topics. IFLA organizes workshops and seminars around the world to enhance professional practice and increase awareness of the growing importance of libraries in the digital age. All this is done in collaboration with a number of other non-governmental organizations, funding bodies and international agencies such as UNESCO and WIPO. IFLANET, the Federation’s website, is a prime source of information about IFLA, its policies and activities: www.ifla.org. Library and information professionals gather annually at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress, held in August each year in cities around the world. IFLA was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1927 at an international conference of national library directors. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971. The Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Library), the national library of the Netherlands, in The Hague, generously provides the facilities for our headquarters. Regional offices are located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Pretoria, South Africa; and Singapore.

Figure 1: Participants of the conference.

Dorothea Sommer

1 Introduction to the Satellite Conference It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all here to this satellite conference of the IFLA Section Library Buildings and Equipment in Singapore. The conference is kindly hosted by the Li Ka Shing Library of Singapore Management University, the SMU. It is an official pre-conference of the IFLA main conference, which will start at the end of this week on 18 August 2013. My name is Dorothea Sommer. I am the Chair of the Section on Library Buildings and Equipment and I would like to welcome you also on behalf of all members of our Section here very warmly – you will get to know quite a number of us during the conference, since we have organized the sessions so that the presenters will be introduced by members of our Standing Committee. As you probably know, satellite conferences of our Section take place every two years. Former conferences of our Section took place in The Hague (Netherlands) in 2007, Turin (Italy) in 2009 and Atlanta (USA) in 2011. They were devoted to topics such as –– Building for the future: national and academic libraries from around the globe (2007); –– Libraries as space and place (2009); –– The effect of new technologies on library design: building the 21st-century library (2011). This year we have come to Asia. We have chosen a motto for the conference which mirrors the times of economic turbulence that many of us are experiencing and which reflects the impact of financial constraints on infrastructure and, in particular, the building sector, and even more particularly, library buildings. The motto is: “Making ends meet: high quality design on a low budget”. Participants and presenters of the conference come from all around the globe. We all take different approaches on how to make ends meet in our professional lives, including decisions about building projects, which often turn out to be so very expensive. During this conference we want to exchange our experiences and, we hope, to learn from each other how to cope with critical financial situations and how to develop best solutions within low budgets when building or reconstructing libraries. We all know that financial constraints can radically affect a building project. At the same time, the necessity to make savings may result in creative processes that can lead to entirely new approaches and opportunities – so it is always important to develop a vision! Limited budgets are no excuse for poor design. With the topic of the conference we do not want to cause despon-

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dency (at least not always), but to explore success stories in the face of budgetary constraints and to receive insights on how library buildings are constructed or changed in reaction to new developments. Such new developments can be demographic changes and, of course, financial negative developments. Coming from a university library in Europe with the status of a provincial library I can report that many European countries have reduced their budgets for the higher education sector significantly. This is not only the case for countries in southern Europe which are in a deep crisis, such as Portugal, Spain and Greece. Countries such as the UK and many countries in Eastern Europe have also reduced their government expenditure for the higher education sector. Here are some examples (Warnecke 2013): Britain spent about 11 billion Euro in 2010 for research. Now, in 2013, this has been reduced to 9 billion Euro. The Czech Republic has cut funding for universities between 2008 and 2012 by about 14%, Latvia by about 19%, Hungary by about 20%. Spain reports a shortfall of 9.5% - a reduction from 9 billion Euro to 7 billion. Reductions in capital expenditure in Italy amount to 12% and in Greece to 25%. This means in practice that not only tuition fees are rising dramatically for students and that staff are paid less, but also that investment in infrastructure such as new buildings is being deferred. In fact, expenditure on infrastructure is often cut first. There are also countries in Europe which report an increase in expenditure for research in the same period, between 2008 and 2012. Examples are Germany (from 20 to 25 billion Euro), France, Belgium, Austria and some Scandinavian countries (Warnecke 2013). But even within countries with balanced budgets, regional and local differences can be observed, and decisions are taken which put strategic investments, such as investment in library buildings, at risk. As is generally known, demand by the public and students for library services and for study and collaborative working spaces that are smart, flexible and economical to build and operate has increased. The number of people physically going to a library, in particular to a public library, has increased over the past five years. Libraries are central to our knowledge economy. Without them, many communities would have no access to technology, study space or literacy programmes and, of course, books and other media. This satellite meeting will focus on the following topics: –– The impact of economic change on libraries in different regions of the world, new service trends and demands for library buildings; –– Making things easier: how to create quality library space with a low financial budget; –– New design approaches to emerging needs: aligning physical space with social values;



1 Introduction to the Satellite Conference 

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–– Case studies: adaptive reuse of buildings for library purposes: national libraries; –– Case studies: adaptive reuse of buildings for library purposes in different regional contexts; –– Case studies: new models of design in different regional contexts. Together we shall explore important issues that affect library buildings and their architecture as well as envision solutions for the future to meet the demands of our users and the interests of our communities and the academic sector. And now, I should like to thank very warmly each person that has helped to prepare this satellite conference: first, our wonderful colleagues and hosts of the Li Ka Shing Library, Singapore. The Director of the institution, Gulcin Cribb, who invited us to hold the conference at her institution, and, of course, her staff, in particular Devika Sangaram, Rajendra Munoo and Shameem Nilofar Maideen for their sterling efforts and continuing help. I can tell you it has been an amazing experience to organize a conference with colleagues who are so far away from my home country, Germany. Then I would like to thank our Sub-Committee of the Library Buildings and Equipment Section for planning and organizing this event: Jeffrey Scherer, our treasurer, without whom we should not have been able to handle the finances. Thank you very much too for your meticulous work on the registration of the participants. Further: Janine Schmidt, former director of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and now working for Mukurta Consultants in Australia – thank you for your advice and very active support, and of course, my dear colleagues Stefan Clevström from the National Library in Sweden, who is the Secretary of our Section, and Sharon Bostick, Dean of Libraries at the Illinois Institute of Technology in the USA. Finally, I should also like to extend my thanks to all the presenters who have worked hard to prepare their contributions, who have come from all around the world this summer to Singapore and who now form this truly international panel. Welcome to all our guests! I wish us all a stimulating, successful conference and interesting discussions, in which we can share our experience and ideas in order to develop new visions for future library buildings and their design.

References Warnecke, Tilmann. 2013. “Europa geizt bei den Unis.” ZEIT Online, 13 Juni. http://www.zeit.de/ studium/2013-06/kuerzungen-wissenschaft-unis-unter-druck. Accessed on 18 September 2015.

Gulcin Cribb

2 Evolution and Transformation Spaces, Services and Staircases Abstract: Singapore Management University’s Li Ka Shing Library was designed in 2002 and built prior to 2005. It was officially opened in 2006 as part of a brand new university in the city with the two Singapore cultural icons on each side, the Singapore Art Museum and the Singapore National Museum overlooking the Campus Green with its heritage trees. The six-storey building houses the library that occupies four storeys, with levels one and two housing various businesses, cafés and restaurants and other campus facilities. The growth in student numbers coupled with the changing needs and expectations of today’s student population and the outdated design features have prompted the library and the university management to begin a master planning exercise. The scope of the master planning process and the journey itself presented both expected and unexpected outcomes in terms of raising awareness of space use, re-alignment of library operations, user involvement, service re-design, multi-purpose spaces usable by a variety of user groups, commercial use of spaces, fund-raising, and political and strategic alliances across the university.

Introduction Singapore Management University (SMU) is only thirteen years old, having been mooted in 1997 by Dr Tony Tan, the present President of Singapore who was Deputy Prime Minister at the time, and other visionaries. It was established in 2000 at the Bukit Timah Campus, as the third university in Singapore after the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. The present campus was built from 2002 to 2005 on land at the heart of the city given to the University by the Singapore government, and officially opened in 2006. SMU was conceived as an American-style university offering a broad-based education, in contrast to Singapore’s tradition of the more British model at the time. There are now more local and foreign universities in Singapore. The Library building, named after its donor Dr Li Ka Shing, a Hong Kong business man, is one of six buildings built in close proximity to each other around the Bugis/Bras Basah district (Figure 2.1). The other five buildings house the six Schools (Business, Law, Accountancy, Information Systems, Economics and



2 Evolution and Transformation 

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Figure 2.1: Li Ka Shing Library. (Photograph by Hong Huazheng).

Social Sciences) and the University’s administration. The current student population consists of about 7,000 undergraduate and 1,000 postgraduate students. Food and beverage establishments, venues for student activities, clubs and societies, the gym and car parks are under the buildings, occupying level one and the basement. As Singapore is a densely populated city state, space is at a premium and real estate is an expensive resource. Consequently many organizations make the most of spaces above and below existing buildings. SMU’s “own MRT” (metro) station is right below the Library. So the Library is located at the heart of the university both physically and intellectually, and is accessible by all the Schools surrounding it, and near the cafés and student activity areas.

Li Ka Shing Library Space The SMU Library building occupies both a strategic and beautiful space; the exterior of the building and the vista from the windows are attractive. The louvred windows facing Campus Green with its heritage trees and fountains permit a great deal of natural light and allow for views of the surrounding arts and cultural district, with the two cultural icons on each side, the Singapore Art Museum

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and the Singapore National Museum. Students often comment about the natural light on all floors of the Library being one of its most appealing features. Two skylight features on levels four and five provide additional natural light even though they also present challenges in terms of traffic flow, usable spaces and seating for students. The Library is very popular amongst students. Gate count for visitors has been increasing every year, in particular over the last two years. It went up by 21% from 2011 to 2012. In the twelve months to June 2013, the turnstile figures showed almost one million visitors. There are increasing numbers of days during term time when daily entrance figures reach over 5,000, which is high for a library designed for 6,000 undergraduate students. The building is open 24 hours for about three weeks close to the examination period to support students’ study needs. The Library provides one of the venues for events and activities on a regular basis throughout the year, except for the blackout periods near exam periods. Some of the many events include the annual Patrons’ Day dinner graced by the President of Singapore and other dignitaries, as well as the campus blood drive, Chinese New Year celebrations, workshops, seminars, conferences, book launches and various student welcome events. Community activities in the library are encouraged as campus spaces for such events are limited. The SMU campus, being a city campus, has limited opportunities to expand and increase its space for more classrooms, common areas, offices and various service areas. Students appreciate all areas of the Library, especially the openplan group-study areas as well as the project rooms each of which can accommodate four to six people and has an LCD monitor for group work. The usage of the library space is consistently high throughout the academic year, except during term three, which is May to July. It is not surprising to observe almost all study spaces being occupied even during the first few weeks of the term. This may be partly due to the competitive nature of the Singapore education system as well as increasing group and peer learning, a unique feature of SMU pedagogy right from the beginning of its establishment. SMU’s central location may be another contributing factor for its popularity. Also, many Singapore homes are relatively small, often shared by other members of the extended family, and may not be conducive for group work and/or quiet study. Students work very hard throughout their university education to achieve high grades and to succeed. They are diligent, articulate, outgoing, interested, polite, involved and technologically sophisticated. They are also forthcoming with their comments and suggestions about library space. Library staff receive every single suggestion seriously and respond in a pro-active and humorous style, making it a fun exercise which helps a great deal with student engagement and accessibility of library staff.



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There are many suggestions from the students about the library space, some of which are common in most academic libraries. The comments and suggestions range from more seating, clearly marked quiet areas, food in the library and noisy students to air conditioning and bathrooms (not enough) as well as opening hours. However, it is interesting to note that there are many positive comments and accolades from students.

Why Master Planning? SMU Library decided to undertake a master planning exercise using experts in library design rather than attempt to fix different parts of the building in a piecemeal manner, even though the challenges for various spaces and facilities in the library were known. It was agreed that it was important to take a holistic view of the building and spaces and to think strategically about the needs of the University as a whole and not only the current and future needs of the Library. It was important to have a clear strategic direction for the future of the SMU library spaces and not take a short term view. There was a recognition that the critical importance of “planning big and implementing small”, in other words stage-bystage implementation rather than one big renovation (Forrest and Bostick 2013) was required. Funding for selective renovations was available, such as upgrading a particular study space, replacing some furniture (carried out on an ongoing basis in any case), changing the location of the service desk, re-location of certain collections or refreshing of the staff office areas, as part of the annual budget cycle. In fact, money to upgrade the furniture in the Collaborative Study Area on level two had been allocated. It was decided not to use the money, but to seek special funds from the President to proceed with the master planning exercise. As Andrew Nimmo said, “Without an analytical design process new library designs risk turning into an interior decorating exercise” (Nimmo 2012). There were other space-related campus initiatives either under consideration or in the process of implementation when the library master planning commenced. Some of these initiatives were: –– The new School of Law Building and the Law Library (named Madam Kwa Geok Choo Library) project – expected completion by the end of 2016; –– Campus Green project: Campus Green is the park-like garden surrounding the Library building. SMU wants to make better use of this space for student activities, as most student activities take place in the concourse within the basement due to the climate as well as availability of facilities there;

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–– Responsibility Centred Accounting (RCA) and charging for use of space. The university has introduced RCA to incentivize Schools and departments/units to use the university’s resources, such as space, more responsibly and to optimize use of existing space. The cost of space belonging to each School and central units has been calculated and included in School and unit budgets. The inputs for the library space transformation project came from a number of sources, including a library staff planning exercise resulting in a SWOT analysis, survey results from the SMU Students’ Association annual satisfaction survey, focus-group meetings with various student groups, a special consultancy report done by a group of students on the library as a whole, suggestions received through the Library suggestion box, results of pre- and post-tests done for firstyear students and finally the LibQUAL+™ library survey conducted in early 2013. The LibQUAL+™ survey results, which rated the Library very well, were highly favourable about library staff and services. However, library space did not fare well, which was not surprising considering the comments the Library has been receiving from the students via other channels for some time. The following comments made were representative about “Library as place”: The entire atmosphere at the library – feels too cramped and crowded with people for it to be a place for reflection or creativity. There isn’t enough space for quiet study. If zones for group work and individual were more clearly demarcated, students will know where the appropriate place to go.

The following comments made were also representative about service and staff: The service has been top notch for years. The librarians go out of their way to be helpful. (Faculty). I believe that SMU has a leading library team that understands and cares for the needs of every individual student. The library team has played an integral role in my academic pursuits thus far. I like how the librarians are always eager to assist me whenever I approach them with questions. The library training I received in class is also very useful.

Based on the inputs, feedback, suggestions and various reports, the objectives of the master planning exercise were drawn up over a number of months. They are to create:



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–– more flexible, multi-purpose and multi-use spaces in the Library and the rest of the building (e.g., level one and basement); –– more functional, effective and conducive study spaces in the Library (i.e., reflective, interactive, collaborative); –– a separate 24/7 study area with its own air-conditioning; –– more prominent and welcoming entrance to the Library; –– a variety of event/function spaces. and to: –– increase quantity and variety of seating (individual, group, quiet, discussion space); –– minimize/eliminate any “dead”/unusable spaces and create more usable, innovative and vibrant spaces for a variety of study and activity uses; –– make the most of the Campus Green, integrate the Library with the Campus Green spaces; –– synchronize the Li Ka Shing library master planning activity with the Madam Kwa Geok Choo library planning; –– combine service points in order to provide a more seamless and integrated service; –– bring all library staff together in one area and use more space-efficient and innovative office arrangement for stronger team-building activities and more effective communication across teams.

Challenges The space challenges the library faces today are closely linked to the evolution and transformation of library spaces and services coupled with changes in pedagogy, use of library resources, scholarly communication, research practices, the growth of SMU, student demographics and technology. It was interesting to examine the original assumptions regarding the planning and design of the Library space more than ten years later. The table below compares the original assumptions for the 2002 master plan and the current state of the Library:

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Original assumptions and 2002 plan 2014 current situation Volumes

309,353 volumes including 16,000 current journals, 3,144 recent back runs and 124,360 bound volumes plus 7,200 CD-ROMs, 1,950 AV items

54,000 (numbers will be kept low; law collection in the Law library); e-book collection: 105,000 titles e-journal collection: 72,000 titles

Seating

1,280 including 36 group rooms

1,500 including 34 project rooms

Number of 166 computers

45 computers; keep computer numbers low as all students own at least one device and prefer using their own computers; some of the computers are needed to access special finance e-resources, e.g. Bloomberg, Capital IQ, etc.

Many small and incremental changes have been made to the Library space and facilities over the years to make it more accessible and usable and to respond to the changing needs and requirements of increasing numbers of users since the initial building was occupied. The challenges identified in relation to the building are: –– uninspiring, dated and tired look; –– students expect different kinds of spaces, facilities and services; –– increased numbers of students (undergraduates and postgraduates); –– need for a 24/7 study area with its own separate air-conditioning control and separate entrance but adjacent to the Library; –– staff distributed over four floors; –– too many service points; –– furniture inappropriate for present-day services. Most study tables have LAN connections installed originally and are now never used as the entire campus is wireless; –– entrance and way-finding confusing; –– outdated signage; –– need to bring Library entrance to level one; –– inefficient space use (e.g., printing rooms and storerooms on three floors with stunning views of the Campus Green) as well as large inefficient circulation spaces and corridors; –– difficult to introduce new services; –– inadequate and inappropriate spaces for events, functions, exhibitions; –– postgraduate suite is not conducive to collaborative and group work; –– Learning Lab (previously Training Room) design is not aligned with SMU pedagogy and needs to be redesigned to accommodate more interactive and group learning.



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The main entrance of the Library on level two is hidden, obscure and almost impossible to find. Most visitors use the escalators from level one and the basement to come to the Library. There is also a staircase connecting the courtyard in the basement, as well as another set of stairs from the basement up to level one. These sets of stairs are not prominent: most people are not aware of their existence, and those who know about them do not use them as they are inconvenient.

The Journey The SMU Campus Development Office and the Library worked together to prepare the tender documents in accordance with Singapore tender regulations from mid 2012 onwards. After much deliberation, an architectural firm was appointed to conduct the master planning exercise which included: –– space programming study and concept design layout; –– implementation of the space programming study and concept design layout (at the University’s option). A project kick-off meeting was held in January 2013 involving the Library, the architectural firm and their various consultants and SMU’s Office of Campus Development. The principal designer conducted focus-group meetings with the following groups over a period of three weeks: –– Library staff: three different group discussions, each focusing on a different aspect of library space: services and student spaces; collection and workflow; staff spaces. Some staff attended more than one session. Each session lasted for about two hours; –– undergraduate students with the SMU Student Association representatives (three sessions); –– postgraduate students (one session); –– faculty (one session). Some of the techniques used by the design consultants to engage and involve the participants to contribute ideas to the design were: –– participants were asked to think about a typical day in their lives whether working or studying at SMU prior to coming to the sessions, regardless of their use of the Library, including physical and virtual use of the library;

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–– they were also asked to bring an example of another similar library or community space elsewhere in the world. It could be an example of a great work, exhibition, performance, relaxation or teaching space; it could be an example of a great outdoor space; in short it could be anything that inspired in relation to thinking about the project; –– metaphor cards; –– strategic activity mapping, menu of settings; –– playback ideas; conceptual response; validation (distillation and testing). The architects used the results of these focus-group sessions in addition to the information made available to them earlier in the process, to put together a concept design plan for the building. The principles underlying the new master plan or concept plan included: –– clearly delineated creative, reflective and interactive spaces for student use; –– two kinds of postgraduate student spaces, for interactive group discussions and for individual quiet study; –– elimination of “dead” and unused spaces; –– making the most of the beautiful outdoor spaces and the vistas surrounding the Library; –– a multi-use learning lab designed to encourage interactive learning with high-end technology; –– environmental sensitivity and sustainability; –– bringing together service points and staff spaces; –– more intuitive way finding by way of introducing “Student Streets” on each level; –– more prominent and distinctive entrance to the Library (Figure 2.2, page 15); –– relationship of the Library building to other buildings, facilities, roads, paths, transport, learning spaces and adjacent sites; streetscape and landscape; –– flexible spaces and increased seating; –– variety of event spaces; –– a separate 24/7 study space; –– potential of new spaces to attract donors for naming rights and a donor wall; –– introducing a new concept for staff work areas, one that fosters collaboration and creativity. The plans went through several iterations after presentations to the library staff, the Library Advisory Committee and the President and the Provost. The Campus Development Group, a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees, was given a tour of the spaces and facilities. The project received favourable response from everyone. The next stage is refinement of the space programming and budget allo-



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cation so that the transformation exercise involving only internal construction and modification of various mechanical and electrical elements can go ahead, after permissions are obtained from various Singapore authorities. As the Library occupies land in the historical district of Singapore, there are building restrictions, such as height, visual connectivity between the two museums and Campus Green, porosity (meaning the need for 40% of the building footprint at ground floor to be open public space) and the aesthetic harmony of the buildings to be in keeping with the rest of the surrounding areas. The process of consultation and focus groups produced a number of positive outcomes for the Library and for the University. The master planning journey has been beneficial, interesting, and helpful for community building and producing opportunities for the library to demonstrate its willingness to share spaces and to create multi-purpose facilities for the entire University. Also, the journey has been helpful for staff development, staff involvement as well as review of services and operations for more effective services. It has helped stakeholders in thinking beyond the library project in isolation and seeing it as part of a university-wide fabric and environment. Some of the flow-on effects of the planning journey are: –– students’ genuine interest and excitement in being able to contribute ideas and input to the planning of library spaces and facilities helped contribute to the strengthening of student engagement, goodwill and collaboration. Student groups have been helpful with the dissemination of information about the various stages of the project through their own channels; –– the process also helped the University to think about the existing use of leased spaces in the Library. A café has been operating inside the Library, immediately after the security gates since the beginning. The location of the café and its physical appearance have always been incongruous with the Library’s image, services and branding; –– a small taskforce was formed to do a feasibility study on the “single desk” concept aimed at combining the existing services desk on level two with the information desk on level three (Figure 2.3, page 15). The study examined usage of both the desks, the nature of enquiries, staffing, staff training and operating hours as well as various dependencies, such as proximity to the special finance database computers; –– the review of existing collections and planning for future spaces should never be a one-off activity for a library. SMU library is fortunate not to have large legacy print collections. The goal is small print and large electronic collections. However, print collections keep growing and need to be reviewed on an on-going basis;

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–– reduction in expenditure on print collections has occurred and the size of the print journal collection has shrunk; –– collection usage analysis along with reorganization of collections and reallocation of collection budgets are essential activities to prepare the Library for the future.

Way forward and Conclusion As with any library refurbishment and repurposing, timing and staging along with cash flow and funding are the most critical elements. Closing the library will not be an option when the renovation journey begins. The new Law library which would have provided some additional options will not be ready until early 2017. The decisions involving which aspects of the existing building can be refurbished will depend on the service priorities, timing, the length of time required for particular areas to be unavailable and budget. What has been exciting and motivating so far is the journey itself. The lifecycle of libraries is getting shorter, the cost of repurposing is getting higher and the demand for more flexible, attractive, interactive and multi-purpose learning spaces on campuses is growing (Figures 2.4–2.7, pages 16–17). Library buildings built ten or more years ago are no longer adequate, even if some renovation takes place from time to time. It is important to sit back and take a holistic approach to the whole building rather than fix parts of a building in isolation. The parent institution, the faculty, the students, the academic programmes, the pedagogy, technology, people’s interaction with spaces, commercial, private and public spaces, such as shopping malls, cafes, supermarkets where our users spend time are all evolving. Students’ expectations about library spaces are influenced by their exposure to non-university spaces, such as cafes, malls, social gathering places and by social media. Library spaces are critical to the learning journey and campus experience. Nowhere else are students able to access the spaces, facilities, expert help and the resources over long periods of time. Nowhere else can they meet other students for social interaction and for study purposes and feel that the space is theirs and they own the Library throughout their university experience. As Fintan O’Toole said “The library is a place that has no agenda other than allowing people to invent their own agendas” (quoted in Dempsey 2005).



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Figure 2.2: SMU Library, Desk area (Photograph by Owen Raggett).

Figure 2.3: SMU Library, Learning Commons with hive closed. (Photograph by Owen Raggett).

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Figure 2.4: SMU Library, Learning Commons with hive open. (Photograph by Owen Raggett).

Figure 2.5: SMU Library, Learning Commons. (Photograph by Owen Raggett).



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Figure 2.6: SMU Library, Lounge for lifestyle collections. (Photograph by Owen Raggett).

Figure 2.7: SMU Library, Entrance. (Photograph by Owen Raggett).

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 Gulcin Cribb

References Dempsey, Lorcan. 2005. “Public Libraries in Dublin.” Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog, 7 April. http:// orweblog.oclc.org/archives/000624.html. Accessed on 18 September 2015. Forrest, Charles and Sharon L. Bostick. 2013. “Welcoming, Flexible, and State-of-the-art: Approaches to Continuous Facilities Improvement.” IFLA Journal 39(2): 140–150. Nimmo, Andrew. 2012. “An Architect’s Perspective – How to Encourage Genuine Innovation in Library Design.” Australian Library Journal 61(3): 200–207.

Janine Schmidt and Sharon Bostick

3 Financial and Cultural Crises The Library’s Response to Tough Times Abstract: Libraries throughout the world have been facing significant difficulties in dealing with tough economic times resulting from factors like the global financial crisis, natural disasters and an assumption by some that libraries are not relevant in the modern world. This paper highlights some of the issues, particularly as they affect library design; identifies what needs to be done; describes some of the responses being taken; and features outcomes of various initiatives being undertaken.

Tough Times Libraries have been reporting flat budgets or increases that do not keep up with inflation. Governments are the prime funders of libraries and with multiple demands and recession environments in many parts of the world, there has been less money available, both for capital expenditure on library buildings and purchases, and for operational costs for building maintenance, staffing and ongoing service delivery. Costs of building and refurbishing libraries have risen, along with increases in salaries and costs of equipment and library collections. Purchasing power has seen steady erosion. Libraries have fewer staff as they have sought to maintain services within a shrinking budget envelope. At the same time, despite predictions, there has been no diminution of client demand. New demands have emerged, particularly in relation to use of social media and other technologies. Use of physical space has not declined and is in fact increasing. Clients using libraries expect a wide range of high-end information technology to be available for their use. In looking to the future, there is little certainty, with constant change, growing pressures for accountability and general disruption and discomfort despite the popularity of libraries both public and academic.

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Potential Responses Many libraries have developed detailed plans to deal with the emerging challenges and issues. These plans have been based on current assessments of strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and have focused on outcomes and results. Some approaches have used scenario planning to help forge future pathways (Figure 3.1).1

Figure 3.1: State Library of New South Wales 2009 (from The Bookends Scenarios. Neville Freeman Associates).

In considering responses, libraries have followed the behaviour of most people facing change. A few have demonstrated denial and withdrawal and continued as if nothing has happened. Some muddle along, become anxious or panic. The wonderfully hopeful Australian idiomatic phrase She’ll be right mate! has sometimes come to the fore showing either optimism or apathy. Other libraries have seized the opportunities presented by changing circumstances, reengineering everything they do and transforming their activities. They are doing things differently, and preparing, planning, plotting and prioritizing future aspirations and activities. While some have bitten off more than they can chew, many are getting

1 ARL (Association of Research Libraries) has found this useful (ARL 2014) as has the State Library of New South Wales for its public libraries (State Library of New South Wales 2009).



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their processes right, seizing the day and breaking the mould in finding innovative ways to meet new and emerging needs.

One Planning Approach The State Library of Queensland has an overarching planning framework in place for its public libraries. A forward-thinking document guides activities for the next few years: The next horizon: vision 2017 for Queensland public libraries (State Library of Queensland 2013). Queensland public libraries are described as spaces to learn, work and create. Guiding principles identified for the development of public libraries are: –– promote love and value of reading; –– support literacy and learning; –– ensure that communities have access to new and emerging technology; –– reflect local context and content; –– nurture community connectedness; –– encourage collaborative partnerships; –– uphold civic values of access, diversity, equity and a culture of inclusion; –– a focus on strong customer service; –– foster openness and responsiveness to new ideas and agility in adopting new practices. The purpose of 21st-century public libraries in Queensland continues to be one of empowerment and community building, and public libraries maintain a dual role as vibrant local centres as well as portals to the world. Four common themes for public libraries are propounded: –– creative community spaces; –– connections, physical and virtual; –– technology trendsetters; –– incubators of ideas, learning and innovation.

General Trends in Space Design An examination of the various trends in library space design throughout the world highlights many common factors. In general, fewer physical resources are held in libraries and some new design approaches are directed towards emptying out the shelves. As changes in teaching and learning occur, there is a focus

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on the provision of support within library spaces for collaborative activity. All types of libraries are being viewed as learning spaces including quiet spaces for individual study and research as well as group space for discussion or classroom settings (Oblinger 2006). User input is sought through surveys or focus groups on what constitutes comfort for various purposes and type of use, as well as for specific audiences. Accommodating preferences for congenial spaces has become a priority. Libraries are increasingly seen as community spaces and with the growth of new approaches to information and communication technology as technology hubs. One recent innovation has been the introduction of “makerspaces”2 in libraries. Some of these incorporate 3-D printing services. As libraries seek to keep pace with ongoing change, notions of flexibility and modularity are paramount in planning. Furniture on casters, including shelving, can be moved according to user-defined or library-related needs and movable walls or hanging curtains create rooms or partitions that can be easily altered. Libraries seeking to maintain or reduce staffing costs have introduced increasing self-service activities, ranging from lending and return of physical items to telephone or computer services which connect with remotely located service staff or interactive inquiry services provided by computer generated avatars or similar service delivery mechanisms. All types of libraries are integrating their services with other service providers. Public libraries sometimes incorporate services providing general inquiries for ratepayers, art galleries or other cultural institutions, or opportunities to meet with elected representatives. Many libraries provide training spaces and meeting rooms for general community use or educational provision. Spaces for computer laboratories and learning support services are common in educational libraries at all levels. Cafes and food service points abound in all kinds of libraries.

Landmark Libraries In 2011, Library Journal focused on innovative public libraries with its “New Landmark Libraries” and in 2012 turned its attention to academic libraries, examining noteworthy libraries from 2007–2011 (Figure 3.2) (Schaper 2012). The following trends were identified in the award-winning libraries: –– early planning clearly focused on student needs; –– incorporation of tools, resources, support, experiences to aid learning, breaking the mould; 2 “Makerspaces in libraries” (2014) outlines many makerspace projects.



–– –– –– –– –– –– ––

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dealing with constraints; stakeholder input; meticulous design; partnerships; re-interpretation of the concept of a library; focus on the unexpected; functionality, innovation and beauty.

Figure 3.2: Land­ mark Libraries 2012 (Schaper 2012).

Award-winning libraries focused on the library as forum, forged partnerships with public libraries, connected to the campus of which they are part through such concepts as “public streets” and emphasised the importance of lighting. They sought to support the whole student though additional services meeting multiple needs, providing help desks in traffic areas and “roaming” librarians. Collection space had been repurposed and all spaces made flexible for an uncertain future through the use of such features as furniture on wheels. Award-winning libraries featured the integration of information technology into their design and environmental gains made by “going gold”.

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The User Perspective The Pew Research Institute continues to provide significant insights into public perceptions of libraries which guide design, particularly in difficult financial times, ensuring that libraries meet genuine needs in ways which are required (Zickuhr et al. 2013). Takeaways from one study (Takeaways from the Pew research study on libraries 2014) revealed that: –– people love their libraries even more for what they say about their communities than for how libraries met their personal needs; –– libraries have rebranded themselves as technology hubs: The public wants everything equally, so library leadership will matter in setting priorities with increasing demands for accountability; They want AskALibrary services, apps, tech petting zoos, Amazon-like recommendations, e-reader instruction, with very little prioritization; Don’t mess with our print books either;

–– the public invites greater engagement in solving knotty problems: We love our books and all this other stuff too;

–– libraries have both a public relations problem and an opportunity: Just as smartphones are scary to some, libraries are scary to others; Make sure those people are aware of the array of your services;

–– the target audiences for engagement and outreach are not hard to identify.

The Library Design Showcase In 2012, the annual American Libraries Library Design Showcase presented examples of excellence (Landgraf 2012) and provided sources of inspiration. Libraries were presented in various categories, reflecting trends noted elsewhere: –– youth spaces; –– the outdoor library; –– technology-enabled; –– re-use and restoration; –– service flexibility; –– building for accessibility; –– super schools;



–– –– –– –– ––

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green facilities; small projects, big impact (light makeovers); finding your way; collaborative learning; the shape of things.

What is the Library? As has been noted earlier, the library must reflect on its aspirations and role in challenging times to ensure library space design is fit for purpose. Two questions can be asked. What do libraries do? What are libraries for? Libraries collect, organize and lend “stuff”. They provide access to knowledge, information and resources, space for a variety of purposes, assistance to users, training and computers. They produce websites and subject guides – and they make rules and guidelines for use. This is what libraries do. Libraries also open up the world, particularly the digital world, for their clients. They work with communities and use social networking. They help organizations and individuals achieve success and they support life-wide learning and research, providing equitable access to knowledge and information. Libraries contribute to an informed democratized society and to society’s cultural and economic development. They maximize the use and impact of information – this is what libraries are for. If the “library” concept were to be re-envisioned, the library of today would have a minimal physical collection, involve considerable collaborative activity, be user-driven, provide for self-service and point-of-service help, use open communication, provide just in time access to physical collections rather than just in case, and use outsourcing and crowd-sourcing. Storage of print would be strategized and library collection storage space converted to new uses. Tailored information skills programmes would be provided to clients and the website would really work.

Current Developments While there is some gloom and doom in the current economic climate and examples of suspended projects e.g. construction on the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library renovation and expansion (Omarzu 2013), not all is gloom and doom, with exciting library architectural competitions and developments

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throughout the world, similar to that in Sydney, Australia (Figure 3.3) (City of Sydney 2014).

Figure 3.3: City of Sydney Library, Australia (City of Sydney 2014).

Other current developments include light makeovers which use inexpensive paint and floor coverings. Amended layouts have made marked contributions to service improvement. Space conversions, turning older buildings to new uses, feature conspicuously in successful projects. QUT Kelvin Grove Library in Brisbane, Australia is one example (Figure 3.4). QUT has used strong vibrant colour and light effectively, and open books across the ceiling on one floor provide a strong decorative feature. Screens present newsfeeds for clients to follow – and located directly below are several print newspapers. Large screens convey information and signs with clear and well-sized lettering assist in wayfinding and indication of service positioning.



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Figure 3.4: QUT Library, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, Australia. (Photographs reproduced with permission of QUT).

Other developments feature the location of public libraries in busy shopping centres. The Kenmore Branch of the Brisbane City Council is located in a prime position in the Kenmore Shopping Village and has used a small space with great efficiency, featuring excellent lighting, low shelving, and flexible seating spaces (Figure 3.5).

Figure 3.5: Brisbane City Council, Kenmore Branch, Australia. (Photographs by J. Schmidt).

Grand designs still feature and Macquarie University in Sydney has a spectacular new building for its library, going beyond the brutalist architecture style of a previous era (Figure 3.7). It features a green roof with grass and gardens, natural light wells for lower floors, external shade fins, zoned lighting, recycled materials in construction, and an automated retrieval system, the first of its kind in Australia. Group study opportunities are presented in various different ways with dedicated postgraduate and research study spaces.

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Figure 3.6: Macquarie University Library, Sydney, Australia. (Photographs reproduced with permission of Macquarie University).

Smart Ways to Work in Tough Times There are many smart ways of working in difficult times to maximize opportunities and fund deployment. Partnering with others will ensure funding from additional sources. Re-using space rather than building new saves money. Existing furniture can be refurbished and re-used. As already noted, careful planning will ensure that form follows function along with demand driven design ensuring that key user needs and functions are understood. Small is usually beautiful and lighting, colour and texture can be used inexpensively to create desired effects. Re-engineering of processes can match new building capacity. Effective design does not focus on existing processes and focuses on long-term rather than short-term approaches, building in flexibility to cope with future demands. Emphasising wayfinding and self-service will reduce costs. Focusing on interior design and reallocation of space will reduce potential expansion costs. Experimentation in a test environment and reviewing and evaluating the results limit errors. Publicising and marketing construction plans and using the website, signage and news bulletins will demonstrate the returns on any investments made. Taking small incremental steps optimizes the use of small amounts of money available and contributes to the achievement of a larger project. Adopting a proof-of-concept approach can assist in wooing donors and funders – and nothing succeeds like success (Figure 3.7). Monitoring the work of others and finding examples of excellence provide tips for local successful projects.



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Figure 3.7: International Interior Design Awards 2012 (International Interior Design Association 2012).

Some Shining Examples of Effective Design The University of Missouri Library used a robotic storage and retrieval system to store books and free up areas for flexible, collaborative spaces (Figure 3.8) while the Illinois Institute of Technology removed shelving and added movable furnishings to create flexible student spaces for a small investment (Figure 3.9). A combination of library budget and a gift from the graduating students helped develop the space. The Institute purchased several 3D printers and created a maker-space based on that technology. Called the Exploration Space, it utilized existing furnishings and was designed to add new technologies for student explorations as funds become available. The City of Gold Coast in Queensland (City of Gold Coast 2014) is typified by its splendid beaches and spectacular hinterland. Its thirteen branch libraries

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Figure 3.8: University of Missouri, Kansas City, USA. (Reproduced with permission of University of Missouri).

Figure 3.9: Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA. (Photographs by S. Bostick).

(City of Gold Coast 2015) range from the simple to the sophisticated; are located in shopping centres and separately; feature online services and social media in their service delivery and communication strategies as well as chalkboards; and have effectively re-used heritage buildings as well as building new and modern structures. From a cottage in Mudgeeraba to a new building in Elanora, outstanding facilities engage the community (Figure 3.10). A generic brief developed for



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the libraries ensures consistency and goal achievement (Gold Coast City Council 2010).

Figure 3.10: Gold Coast City Libraries, Australia (Reproduced with permission of Gold Coast Libraries).

Final Words Times may be tough but innovative and effective new library buildings and refurbishments of existing buildings are meeting the challenges of change. New approaches to library design emphasise flexibility, affordability, sustainability and fitness for purpose. Careful planning, purposeful partnerships, and demand driven design will ensure that libraries continue to meet community and client needs.

References and Further Reading ARL (Association of Research Libraries). 2014. “Scenario planning.” http://www.arl.org/ focus-areas/planning-visioning/scenario-planning; http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/ public_libraries/docs/bookendsscenarios.pdf. Accessed on 5 February 2014. City of Gold Coast. 2014. “The Gold Coast.” http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/thegoldcoast/ default.html. Accessed on 10 January 2015.

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City of Gold Coast. “Libraries.” 2015. http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/library/about-us-63. html. Accessed on 10 January 2015. City of Sydney. 2014. “Green Square Library & Plaza Design Moves Ahead.” http:// sydneyyoursay.com.au/green-square/news_feed/green-square-library-plaza-designmoves-ahead. Accessed on 30 December 2014. Design Institute. 2012.“Six Space Challenges from Six Libraries: Library by Design.” Library Journal 21 May. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/05/buildings/lbd/design-institute-sixspace-challenges-from-six-libraries-library-by-design/. Accessed on 11 January 2015. “Designing libraries.” 2015. http://www.designinglibraries.org.uk/. Accessed on 11 January 2015, Gold Coast City Council. 2010. “Generic Library Design Brief.” http://www.docstoc.com/ docs/35103249/Gold-Coast-City-Council-Generic-Library-Design-Brief. Accessed on 11 January 2015. International Interior Design Association. 2015. “Guidelines for Library Interior Design Awards.” http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/entry-kitguidelines_5. Accessed on 11 January 2015. International Interior Design Association. 2012. “The 2012 Library Interior Design Awards.” http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/ala-image-gallery. Accessed on 11 January 2015. Landgraf, Gref. 2012. “Library Design Showcase 2012: American Libraries’ Annual Review of the Best in New and Renovated Library Facilities.” American Libraries 8 March. http:// www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/library-design-showcase-2012. Accessed on 17 February 2014. “Makerspaces in libraries.” Libraries & Maker Culture: A Resource Guide. http://library-makerculture.weebly.com/makerspaces-in-libraries.html. Accessed on 5 February 2014. NSW Public Libraries: NSW State Library People Places Study. 2010. [Sydney]: FJMT. http://www. sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/docs/nsw_libraries.pdf. Accessed on 11 January 2015. Oblinger, Diana G., ed. 2006. Learning Spaces. Louisville, Co.: Educause. http://www. educause.edu/research-and-publications/books/learning-spaces. Accessed on 11 January 2015. Omarzu, Tim. 2013. “Lack of Funds Puts Renovation of LaFayette, Ga., Library on Hold.” Timesfreepress.com 9 July. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jul/09/lack-offunds-puts-renovation-of/. Accessed on 21 February 2014. Ortile, Matt. 2013. “49 Breathtaking Libraries from all over the World.” Buzzfeed books. http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattortile/49-breathtaking-libraries-from-all-over-the-world. Accessed on 11 January 2015. People Places: A Guide for Public Library Buildings in New South Wales. 3rd ed. Sydney: State Library of NSW. http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/docs/people_places. pdf. Accessed on 11 January 2015. Schaper, Louise. 2012. “New Landmark Libraries 2012: Academic Library Winners and Honorable Mentions.” Library Journal 28 June. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/06/ buildings/national-landmark-libraries-academic-library-winners-and-honorablementions/. Accessed on 5 February 2014. State Library of New South Wales. 2009. “Bookends Scenarios: Alternative Futures for the Public Library Network in NSW in 2030.” Sydney: Library Council. http://www.sl.nsw.gov. au/services/public_libraries/docs/bookendsscenarios.pdf. Accessed on 5 February 2014.



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State Library of Queensland. 2013. “The Next Horizon. Brisbane: State Library of Queensland. http://www.plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/manage/21st-century-public-libraries/vision2017. Accessed on 5 February 2015. State Library of Queensland. 2015. “Library buildings and design.” Public Libraries Connect. http://www.plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/manage/library-building-and-design. Accessed on 11 January 2015. “Takeaways from the Pew Research Study on Libraries: The Scoop.” 2014. American Libraries 27 January. http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blog/takeaways-pew-researchstudy-libraries; full report “Library Services in the Digital Age.” http://libraries. pewinternet.org/files/legacy-pdf/PIP_Library%20services_Report.pdf. Sites accessed on 11 January 2015. Zickuhr, Kathryn, Lee Rainie, Kristen Purcell and Maeve Duggan. 2013. “How Americans value public libraries in their communities”. Pew Internet American Life Project. http://libraries. pewinternet.org/2013/12/11/libraries-in-communities/. Accessed on 11 January 2015.

Cecilia Kugler

4 Cents and Sensibility Abstract: Poor budgets do not equal poor design; they can be a creative opportunity rather than a constraint. The case studies illustrated in this chapter show how practical and cost-effective strategies achieve maximum impact with least funds. They rely on working with available resources, whether creating multiple uses for a single space and furniture or rethinking processes and priorities. Many institutions assume they cannot achieve much on a small budget. A little abstract thinking and an appeal to the senses have yielded effective transformations for many organizations. One such example is Watson’s Bay Library (Australia), where a heritage-listed building housing a public toilet/shower room was converted to a boutique 70 m2 living-room library. The same organization extended the life of another heritage building as a temporary location for the Double Bay Library, and refurbished it to address some urgently needed maintenance, while construction of new premises was underway. Other projects reflect on aspects of the key concepts to consider. Brother Liguori Resources Centre at St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill ( Australia), explores the idea of identifying what you have, whilst a clear vision assisted Randwick and Katoomba Libraries, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, to prioritize and maximize the impact of their funding.

Maximum Impact for Minimum Funds Not all libraries aim to have the same impact. Each project, whether new construction or a refurbishment, brings with it specific opportunities and constraints. In developing creative solutions there are some key concepts to consider, particularly when funds are limited. These key concepts are: –– vision - short and long term; –– priorities - how to define them; –– smart assets - identify what you have; –– treasures - quantity and quality.

Vision – Short and Long Term The first step in maximizing the impact of available funding is to define what type of impact is necessary or desired.



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As a minimum, the project needs a design brief and a project vision that inspires, gives direction and clearly articulates the higher aim for a project. The vision is essential to establish priorities and informed decisions or implementation of strategies. For example, many layouts may suit the library space but layouts with lounging areas close to the entrance will deliver the aspirations of the project vision as community living room. Some of the aspects to consider when formulating a vision are: –– What impact is required? –– What do you want to achieve, and what do you want to communicate? –– What defines your library service and what would make it a success? –– What measures of success will be used? –– Is there a theme or identity already associated with the library or community? –– How are you different from your competitors? –– What do you want people to remember you for? –– What is the context for the library, who is it for and who is paying for it? –– What outcomes are required in terms of quantity and quality? Within the long-term vision there can be a short-term need to refurbish, which itself also needs a vision. In the 1980s, the Double Bay Library was relocated to a heritage-listed residential building as temporary accommodation awaiting the construction of a new building. Over the following 30 years a series of patchy short-term sticking-plaster solutions and delayed maintenance became unworkable until a minor upgrade was completed in 2011. It coincided with funding approval for the new library expected to open in 2015. (See the second case study.) In this case, the vision highlighted the opportunity to enhance the patron’s experience of the library and test of a new operational concept. The vision and clarity of purpose helped define objectives, set priorities and guide decisions such as: –– increasing people spaces by reorganizing the collection and relocating low-use sections of the non-fiction collection to high-density shelving; –– opening up areas close to windows to allow maximum access to views; –– reducing the amount of collection at the entrance in favour of people spaces; –– changing staff and patron culture by removing the lending desk in exchange for a welcome desk and self-service kiosks; –– streamlining the returns process.

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Priorities – How to Define them Beyond the vision, the design brief establishes subsets of strategic goals, starting with global requirements, and progressively refining them during the planning and implementation stages. Clear priorities assist in making decisions and maximizing the impact of the project, even when not all goals and aspirations can be achieved. In establishing priorities, each objective has to be tested on how well it supports or enables the fulfilment of the vision. Some questions to assist setting priorities would include: –– How does this relate to the overall vision? Is it critical to its fulfilment or implementation? –– Does this enhance first impressions? –– Is there a conflict with other objectives? What are they? Are there any untested assumptions? –– What is the return on investment (money/ brand recognition/ customer satisfaction)? –– Where are we placing our resources/funding/staff? Will this be appreciated/ valued/ noticed and is it necessary? –– Does this objective reflect the core values of the organization? Or does it create a contradiction in message? –– Will this provide a big impact? What sort of impact? (Look/ service/ culture change.) –– What has the most impact and how much would it cost?

Smart Assets – Identify what you Have A cost-effective strategy is to start with what is available. Identify resources that may in some way contribute to the overall outcome such as:

Location Proximity to public transport, parks or campus centres is a definite asset. Neighbours are also a potential resource, with mutual benefit derived from this proximity. For example, the co-location of Randwick Library and the Early Childhood Health Centre (ECHC) was mutually beneficial (Figure 4.25). ECHC used library meeting rooms and patrons would exit via the library’s children’s section, exposing them to an appropriate part of the collection.



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Building Identifying the qualities of the building can help in assigning spaces and functions for maximum impact. These may include views, aspect (north-facing in the southern hemisphere), architectural style or features such as skylights or bulkheads, large spaces, cosy spaces, atriums or a large span between columns. The building may already have a flexible structure or be wired on a grid to enable power and data to be reticulated to the middle of the floor. For example, glazed perimeters are great people spaces for cafes and exhibitions, connecting inside and out and drawing more people in. As in retail, exposure of activities and services in libraries is the best form of advertising.

Furniture, Fittings and Equipment A catalogue of existing furniture and equipment is essential. It helps to assess items for refurbishment and disposal. Some items may still be in good condition and can be re-purposed. For example, old large trolleys can be converted to mobile shelving units for children’s picture books. They may be too big to manoeuvre for the rapid returns process, but can be reused where mobility is needed. A tip for cataloguing furniture is to set categories with a prefix code, e.g. chairs and lounges (C), tables (T), cabinets (Cab), equipment (E). For each different type assign a new code. If you encounter the same piece of furniture in a different size or colour, assign a suffix. For example, chair 1a might be an ergonomic chair in red. Chair 2a might be a sled-base desk chair. Capture the quantity of each code and also the condition.

Collections The look and content of collections can also make a big impact. A prominent space for attractive collections such as rare books is a common strategy. Unattractive or messy collections may be broken up with simple and spacious displays. Sometimes the display system becomes a feature. Manuscripts and historical objects can add an extra dimension to the design. Discarded books may become sculptural statement pieces.

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Budgets and Maintenance Cycles Even if obtained in small amounts, funding can be pooled for a staged implementation. For example, a minor desk redesign project may be expanded into a larger interior design scope for the whole floor, despite scheduled maintenance funding for carpeting and painting, for example. Often, once the project is fully documented, maintenance budgets are brought forward for faster implementation.

Staff and Networks When funding is very limited, library staff can effectively assist designers with data gathering or sourcing materials. Family members can undertake small jobs, assembling furniture or painting walls. Even if there are many external consultants and project managers, the involvement of internal staff is essential in maintaining momentum and information flow.

Clients, Volunteers and Community Groups These groups can raise funds, lobby governing bodies and organize working parties to help raise funds and the library’s profile.

Time Fast-tracked projects may incur additional costs for quick delivery but can save on other areas. Ample implementation time may prove beneficial for searching and finding the right bargain, particularly if buying from clearance houses or second-hand dealers.

Treasures – Quality and Quantity Quantity and quality depend largely on available budgets, but the vision can guide the buying strategy. Double Bay focused on low-cost furniture with a fiveyear warranty or less, that could be relocated to the new building. Conversely, on a long-term project, even if implemented in stages, it may be more appropriate to focus on better quality items with a ten-year warranty.



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Depending on labour costs and extent of repairs, refurbishing second-hand furniture, owned or purchased, is potentially cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. German-made ergonomic chairs were originally specified for the Brother Liguori Resource Centre (BLRC). The same type was sourced second-hand through eBay and later refurbished by the manufacturer at a third of the cost. The suggestions below focus on aspects to consider when allocating funding for furnishings.

Soft Seating (Lounges, Armchairs and Ottomans) Lounges are more expensive per unit than other types of seating, but they add warmth and create a living-room feeling hard to achieve by firmer upright seating. Larger in volume, lounges help to divide and anchor spaces, providing rhythm and visually organizing them. Good-quality soft seating is a worthwhile investment. Cheaper options have low-quality foams and frames which quickly collapse under the heavy use of a public or university library.

Hard Seating Chairs and ottomans are available in many shapes, sizes, colours and qualities, manufactured as moulded polypropylene or moulded plywood, semi- and fully upholstered. The quality of the shell’s frame and the joint between the seat and the back make a significant difference. Sled bases seem to offer the best option for libraries, being stronger than the four-legged version, easier to move and shaped to avoid people leaning back.

Ergonomic Chairs Height-adjustable seating is sufficient for most library patrons without the level of orthopaedic adjustments required by staff; most do not need or use the adjustability. The traditional black-backed chairs reflect a corporate look that contradicts the funky atmosphere many libraries seek. Increasingly these chairs are available in white and grey shells and with mesh backs.

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Steel Library Shelving Many libraries start their shopping list with new shelving. Unless the existing shelving is in poor condition, it is best to re-use or repair it. New steel shelving is unlikely to provide a significant design impact. Onsite electro-spray-painting can renew metal furniture but over time shelves can scratch, revealing the original colour. The biggest visual improvements are made by adding end panels and backing panels, with professional and consistent signage.

Shelving Height Lowering the shelves is a common objective, but any reduction in height increases the collection’s footprint, unless the collection is reduced by the same percentage of storage lost. For example, 100 bays at five levels per bay will become 125 at four levels to hold the same amount of stock. It is preferable to have high shelving against walls and minimize the collection’s expansion in favour of increasing people spaces. The original Double Bay Library brief called for new lower shelving to be re-used in the new building. Decreasing the height would have reduced study and lounging areas, contradicting the higher aspirations of creating more people spaces. New high-density shelving was installed, thereby retaining these spaces.

Tables Depending on the state and construction of the legs, tables can be easily and economically re-used by changing the top and or respraying the legs, changing the whole look of an area. The type of leg must suit the use. Pedestal bases serve booth seating best, allowing easy access to the confined leg space. Flip tops and wheels are ideal for flexible environments, but may be unsuitable where more robust furniture is required, such as in high schools for boys. Recessed power and data boxes can be added to most tables, new or retrofitted, although this may limit their mobility.



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Flat-pack The use of pre-fabricated low-cost flat-pack furniture such as IKEA can provide significant impact with limited funds. Display shelves can provide additional storage or break up long runs of traditional library shelving.

From a Design Perspective At the most basic level, space planning that re-aligns functional spaces using existing furniture can have a great functional impact. Re-upholstering furniture and repainting walls can take it to the next level. If the budget allows, buying new furniture, changing floor finishes and adding professional signage can provide a total visual make-over. All of these initiatives can be executed without design knowledge, but it is the design itself that will make the biggest impact. Without professional help the expenditure can be the same, but the outcome vastly different. Ideally, all projects engage interior designers or architects to develop the design concept. Unfortunately, other projects have only librarians and suppliers to deliver the project without help from the experts. The suggestions below are directed as prompts for librarians and design professionals. Each project has its own version of impact and outcomes sought.

First Impressions, Lasting Impressions The building’s exterior and the presentation of the entrance should already indicate the main elements of the vision. From a distance, the entrance needs to be visible. On approach it needs to allow visual contact with the interior, at the very least a glimpse. Sadly, many lobbies and foyers are littered with information that, although useful, is not core to the library’s services or functions. Typically, messy community and student notice boards sprawl across the length of the longest entrance wall. In Randwick Library there was a deliberate attempt to present the library and its vision clearly and to minimize clutter. A small notice board outside the library is visible upon departure, ensuring the function is still served without marring a professional first impression of the library, (Figure 4.23).

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Landmarks Like a town, a library’s interior is easier to navigate with landmarks. Internal landmarks can be anything large enough and visually different that defines a place. Skylights, staircases, oversized light fittings, oversized branding or signage components, large walls painted in a striking colour or large central service areas are landmarks. Landmarks work best if located in separate areas in the building, preferably in three different areas in larger libraries, and not all in the perimeter. In smaller libraries a single statement may be needed to focus on an important service or facility. For instance, in Watson’s Bay Library (Figures 4.4 and 4.5) the central hanging shelving units act as the landmark, clearly separating one area from another. Together with these landmarks, variation in floor treatments enhances navigation, brand recognition and style. Inexpensive but effective, a stairwell’s back wall painted in a contrasting colour can provide this effect. It is best to reserve these statements to larger areas for best impact. Feature colours on small architectural elements such as metal balustrades or skirting boards do not provide the same effect.

Ceilings and Overhead Fixtures As ceilings can be seen from a distance, variations in materials, colours, forms and ceiling heights can be very effective landmarks; successful interiors have at least one such area. Bulkheads and or pendant lights are cost-effective options depending on the desired lifespan and long-term flexibility; some features are costly or impossible to relocate.

Clutter and Visual Noise Internal spaces need to create a visual hierarchy in the same way text is arranged on a page. Blank spaces separating a lot of small fragments (visual noise) add to legibility and navigation. Minimizing clutter is a design and maintenance issue for most libraries where the proliferation of signage never stops. Removing old signs and odd furniture must be done regularly, as well as rearranging furniture that migrates from space to space. A purchasing strategy that ensures consistency is essential.



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Backgrounds and Frames Clutter-reduction strategies are supported by strong backgrounds framing information. From large elements such as the service points, to furniture and collection shelving, backgrounds and frames help to isolate visual bytes of information and assist branding, navigation and zones. Books provide a wonderful variety of colour and uniformity, but because of their relatively small size, en masse they become colourful barcodes that need separation. End panels and backing panels on library shelving work well to contain these visual rows of information.

Families Creating groups of like with like is an effective way to maximize impact with minimum funding. Object families will give cohesion and assist with zoning, even if different from other areas. For example, one style of seating works better grouped than scattered as single pieces throughout the library. Placing a grouping on a feature floor such as rug or the like frames it and emphasises a zone (Figure 4.6). The same applies to shelving, whether it varies in colour or height, if used together, it will reduce any visual dissonance.

Case Study 1 – Watson’s Bay Library Watson’s Bay Library is an example of the adaptive re-use of a heritage-listed building, converting a public toilet and shower room to a boutique 70 m2 spacious beachside living room as proposed by the project vision. The quality result quickly gained the support and adulation even of those who originally opposed it. The Director of Community Services and the Woollahra Library Manager worked hard to convince councillors and public of the benefits of converting this site into a boutique community living room, despite its being marginally larger than the old library located beach-side adjacent to a café, as seen in Figures 4.1 and 4.2. A simple footprint (Figure 4.3), it has shelving along the perimeter of the room with window seats and central tables (Figure 4.4) and lounges by the entrance (Figures 4.5 and 4.6). Display shelves are hung from the ceiling over a computer table and a central service bench. Domestic in scale, the appearance is akin to an

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open-plan kitchen and dining room with relaxing living rooms. More information on this project is available at www.ckdesign.com.au.1

Figure 4.1: Exterior of Watson’s Bay Library. (Photograph by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.2: Watson’s Bay Library window seat with seaviews. (Photograph by C. Kugler). 1  Accessed on 21 September 2015.



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Figure 4.3: Watson’s Bay Library plan. (Drawing by CK Design International).



Figure 4.4: Watson’s Bay Library communal table with display above. (Photograph by C. Kugler).

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Figure 4.5: Watson’s Bay Library lounging area viewed from entrance. (Photograph by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.6: Watson’s Bay Library. (Photograph by C. Kugler).



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Case Study 2 – Double Bay Library As a temporary measure whilst waiting for a new building, the Double Bay Library was located in a heritage-listed house. After 30 years of waiting and delaying maintenance, a minor refurbishment was implemented in 2011. This provided an opportunity to introduce new technology and test new working styles, ready for the new library, since confirmed for 2015. High shelving blocked views over the gardens and the bay with only a few people-places, as Figure 4.7 shows. The spaces were reorganized to maximize views, placing low lounging and study tables by the windows (Figure 4.8) and shelving further into the footprint (Figure 4.9 and Figure 4.10). All furniture will be relocated to the new building. One of the major initiatives was the replacement of the loans and enquiry desks with a welcome desk and self-serve kiosk for borrowing (Figures 4.11 and 4.12). The library was repainted, recarpeted, and a few loose furniture pieces purchased. Only small pieces of joinery were built. Display panels at the entrance and some end panels ensure the displays stay neat (Figures 4.13 and 4.14). The funding was minimal but the impact was very significant. More information on this project is available at www.ckdesign.com.au.

Figure 4.7: Double Bay new lounging area overlooking garden before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

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Figure 4.8: Double Bay new open corner before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.9: Double Bay Library plan before refurbishment. (Drawing by CK Design International).



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Figure 4.10: Double Bay Library plan after refurbishment. (Drawing by CK Design International).

Figure 4.11: Double Bay Library welcome desk and returns desk before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

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Figure 4.12: Double Bay Library welcome desk before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.13: Double Bay library street entrance before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).



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Figure 4.14: Double Bay Library internal lobby before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by CK Design International).

Case Study 3 – Brother Liguori Resource Centre Brother Liguori Resource Centre (BLRC) at Saint Joseph’s College was unchanged since the 1970s. Although funding was limited initially, it was recognized that a long-term approach to the design would deliver greater gains. The master plan (Figure 4.15) implemented over various financial years focused on the main design objectives: –– create new design sympathetic to existing building; –– improve way-finding, intuitive navigation, rationalize entrance; –– create variety of spaces catering for various learning styles; –– enhance visibility of resources; –– create office and workroom for staff adjacent to service point; –– rationalize collection locations; –– create new meeting and function rooms; –– improve and increase the amount of art and display areas. The project’s colour palette harmonizes with unchangeable or costly building features such as the green reticulated beams (Figure 4.16); here the green is used in lighter shades on the end walls (Figures 4.17 and 4.18) and the storage wall behind service desk (Figure 4.19) to tie in with the roof. The existing lights helped to introduce orange in the tables (Figure 4.17), lounges and accent the carpet (Figures 4.16 and 4.19) and feature walls in meeting rooms (Figure 4.20). The green supremacy was tamed by painting the central air-conditioning ducts in white (Figures 4.21 and 4.22). As a cost-saving measure, some ergonomic chairs were purchased second-hand and re-upholstered by the original manufacturers, whilst lounges in standard black leather were purchased from a wholesaler. Some

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armchairs were ordered in orange leather to break up the dark clusters (Figure 4.20). More information on this project is available at www.ckdesign.com.au.

Figure 4.15a + b: BLRC plan before and after refurbishment. (Drawing by CK Design International).



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Figure 4.16: BLRC service desk before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.17: BLRC view from North end. (Photograph by C. Kugler).

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Figure. 4.18: BLRC views from seminar room before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.19: BLRC central area before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.20a: BLRC views to new meeting rooms before refurbishment. (Photographs by C .Kugler).



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Figure 4.20 b + c: BLRC views to new meeting rooms. (Photographs by C .Kugler).

Figure 4.21: BLRC view from Mezzanine comparision before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

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Figure 4.22: BLRC white painted air conditioning duct reduces dominance of green in ceiling space after and before painting. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

Case Study 4 – Randwick Library Randwick Library (Margaret Martin Library) occupies 1,000 m2 at the back of a shopping centre, partially hidden from view. The old library was invisible to the rest of the centre (Figures 4.23 and 4.24) and the interior was overall an anonymous space, impersonal and institutional. The vision called for a central focal point, strong connections and discovery achieved by the central radial arrangement and skylight as seen on the plan in Figure 4.25. Figure 4.23 shows the backlit mural featuring local landmarks, maps and important historical dates extending beyond the entrance. It leads people in past the service desk (Figure 4.26) and along various displays including magazines and reserve items as seen in Figure 4.27. A dynamic full-height glazed wall replaced the old masonry wall exposing the interior and creating connection (Figure 4.24). The vision’s local-connection theme helped set priorities and the design for the children and junior areas



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(Figures 4.28 and 4.29). The heart of the library is a central lounging area under a new large circular skylight with curtain surrounds (Figure 4.30 and Figure 4.31). After the refurbishment, visitor numbers increased by 45% to 57% indicating the desired impact was achieved. More information on the project is available at www.ckdesign.com.au.

Figure 4.23: Randwick Library entrance before and after refurbishment. (Photographs by D. Kildare).

Figure 4.24a + b: Randwick Library external corridor before and after refurbishment and the adjacent spaces after refurbishment. (Photographs by C. Kugler and D. Kildare).

Figure 4.24c: Randwick Library seniors’ area adjacent to external corridor. (Photographs by C. Kugler and D. Kildare).

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Figure 4.25a: Randwick Library plans before refurbishment. (Drawing by CK Design International).

Figure 4.25b: Randwick Library plans before refurbishment. (Drawing by CK Design International).



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Figure 4.26: Randwick Library mural extending into library external corridor after refurbishment. (Photograph by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.27: Randwick Library mural leading people in – reserve items. (Photograph by D. Kildare).

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Figure 4.28: Randwick Library junior fiction area. (Photograph by D. Kildare).

Figure 4.29: Randwick Library children’s area. (Photograph by D. Kildare).



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Figure 4.30: Randwick Library central area under skylight with curtain drawn. (Photograph by D. Kildare).

Figure 4.31: Randwick Library central area under skylight. (Photograph by D. Kildare).

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Case Study 5 – Katoomba Library Since its opening in November 2012, Katoomba Library has outperformed all expectations. The brief called for an interior that reflects the diverse and rich local identity and creates a safe and inclusive space that people love. The visitors’ book is full of praise and statistics support this sentiment. Visits and loans have increased by 150% and memberships by 280 %. The space is well-loved. The entrance lobby is a large lounging area with aboriginal collections and magazines displays on either side reinforcing the idea that this is a community living. (Figures 4.32 and 4.33). Leading people into the long and narrow site (Figure 4.34) is a large sassafras storage wall backing the service desk and acting as the first landmark visible at a distance (Figures 4.32, 4.35 and 4.36). Past a central study table and tree-like shelves, the lift is the second and strongest landmark aiding navigation (Figure 4.37); its dark timber planks and colourful acrylic stripes vertically connect the mezzanine with the children’s area below (Figure 4.38). Beyond the central stairs, the sculptural seats modelled on the famous rock formation Three Sisters cocoon little readers in a scaled down version of a cave (Figures 4.39 and 4.40). The meeting rooms enlarge the same space and open up to the view through the double height windows on the south. The local environment, both natural and urban, provided the inspiration (Figure 4.41). A base colour palette of mid-grey-green carpet and joinery references grey gums and local vegetation, whilst glass-like coloured acrylics suggest the ubiquitous stained glass of Katoomba’s Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings (Figure 4.42). Darker timbers in tall narrow slats reference brown stringy bark common in the area as seen in Figures 4.36 and 4.37. Displays are framed by recycled timber posts and foliage-like laser-cut metal screens as seen in details of Figure 4.35. The funding was strategically spent on items that would support the concept of local identity and that would also provide multiple uses. More information on this project is available at www.ckdesign.com.au.



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Figure 4.32: Katoomba Library lounging area at entrance. (Photograph by R. Walsh).

Figure 4.33: Katoomba Library lounging area next to magazines. (Photograph by D .Smyth).

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Figure 4.34: Katoomba Library plan. (Drawing by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.35: Katoomba Library information desk concept. (Photographs by C. Kugler).



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Figure 4.36: Katoomba Library information desk. (Photograph by R. Walsh).

Figure 4.37: Katoomba Library non-fiction collection. (Photograph by D. Smyth).

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Figure 4.38: Katoomba Library mezzanine. (Photograph by C. Kugler).

Figure 4.39: Katoomba Library childrens area. (Photograph by C. Kugler).



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Figure 4.40: Katoomba Library customs thematic seating based on a land form called the Three Sisters. (Photograph by R. Walsh).

Figure 4.41: Katoomba Library local influences. (Photographs by C. Kugler).

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Figure 4.42: Katoomba Library lift cladding with coloured inserts. (Photograph by R. Walsh).

Jack Poling and Jeffrey Scherer

5 Renovation, Renewal, and Rethinking Turning Abandoned US Buildings into High-quality, Cost-effective Community Libraries Abstract: The role of the physical library in our society has been repeatedly challenged over the past several years. This challenge is primarily related to the uncertainties surrounding the impact of digital media and content. History has taught us that every change in content delivery methods impacts the library physically and operationally. History has also taught us that people are still physically going to the library. Keith Richards (of the Rolling Stones) is said to have declared: “When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equalizer” (Iyer 2011). This “equalizer” status is at the centre of this paper. Since 2008, the beginning of the current world’s economic crisis, libraries have faced severe shortfalls in budget. The intersection of the “content” and “economic” crises has given critics of library funding plenty of ammunition to challenge any expenditure for constructing library buildings. However, the usage of the library as a physical place continues to rise. This “perfect storm” has created a necessity to “do more with less”. This paper presents a case study illustrating how libraries can renovate existing or abandoned buildings to serve as vibrant libraries for their communities. The example is presented in the context of: –– economic performance: where cost can be found to provide measurable functional and use or utility benefits; –– social performance: where community and shared or political process benefits can be measured; –– environmental performance: where minimal environmental impact (ideally measurable environmental benefits) can be found; –– cultural performance: where aesthetic, ethical and other cultural meaning can accrue. The example refers to an abandoned Walmart super-store. The design process and results are explained and illustrated to highlight how inexpensive design interventions can be made through a careful understanding of the impact of design on the body, mind and spirit of the library staff and patrons.

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Background

Figure 5.1: Library budgets 2009–2012.

The library has once again become a central focus in the lives of US citizens. In the past seven years, the number of people visiting public libraries in the United States has risen from 1.1 billion to just over 1.6 billion (IMLS 2015). This dramatic increase coincides with one of the worst periods of economic distress the world has seen since the 1930s Great Depression. From 2009 to 2012, the number of libraries reporting flat or decreased operating budgets has risen from 40% to 65% (Figure 5.1). This situation has placed libraries into double jeopardy: increased use and decreased financial support. This stress reveals itself in low staff morale, pressure on the physical infrastructure, and demands for increased services. The financial stress has extended to lack of financial support from communities for building maintenance, financial reserves for deferred maintenance, and operating costs including utilities and cleaning. Because of the demand, an interesting shift has recently occurred in library planning. For MSR, an architecture and interior design firm that has specialized in library design for 35 years, commissions have shifted from new libraries to finding innovative measures to build more for less. The mandate to do more with less reflects not only the financial pressures being felt by communities across the United States, but also the trend of leveraging limited resources in a smarter way. On the surface, it appears that communities are asking for their cake and wanting to eat it too. However, it is a logical and necessary shift towards rethinking the financial model for public library construction.

Construction Costs While it is impossible to generalize construction costs, we can illustrate an average allocation of money towards a typical new, mid-sized public library in the United States. The three primary categories include (Figure 5.2):

 



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Programme 11% Equipment 14%

Construction 75% Figure 5.2: Construction costs.

–– Programme cost: –– building permit, plan review, and compliance costs; –– sewer and water accessibility charges; –– land purchase (typically not included in the project budget); –– professional architectural and engineering services; –– geotechnical and land survey reports; –– Equipment: –– furnishings; –– service desks; –– book security systems; –– technology; –– interior and exterior signage; –– Construction. To better understand the ability of the library architect to reduce the overall costs of the library, we need to look more closely at the construction costs. This more detailed look reveals specific areas that have a higher return for reduction efforts. Figure 5.3 (p. 72) shows a sample allocation of construction costs for a typical, small rural library in the United States (Camden, Arkansas). By understanding the areas of construction that can be reduced without seriously impacting the library’s need to provide services, we can develop strategies to do more with less. Grouping the totals above into the categories of exterior envelope, interior architecture, and systems indicates that those building elements that can be reduced are a small percentage of the total. It is especially true if the building is designed to maintain energy efficiency and integrity.

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Figure 5.3: Allocation of construction costs.

Building Re-use An alternative is to look for spaces that can be converted into libraries. According to an article in The Star Tribune (Mitchell 2009): Between 1990 and 2005, the number of square feet of retail space in the United States jumped from 19 to 38 sf per person. During this same period, real consumer spending increased 14%. Abandoned big-box stores, dead and dying strip malls, and empty storefronts are about to join foreclosed houses as one of the defining features of the American landscape in 2009. Within a few months, more than one-eighth of the country’s retail space will be sitting vacant, according to some estimates. That’s about 1.4 billion square feet,



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or 50 square miles, of empty store space, ringed by roughly 150 square miles of empty store space, ringed by roughly 150 square miles of useless parking lot.

MSR principal Traci Lesneski states (Lesneski 2011): Previous generations, who lived in times of scarcity, followed practices that today we would call “sustainable”. Reuse – particularly adaptive reuse – was a deeply ingrained behaviour out of necessity. Broken items would be repaired or purposed several times; rarely would items be thrown away. Consumerism exploded with a focus on convenience. A model symbol for that addiction to convenience is the “big box” store – those ubiquitous, large, free-standing chain stores that stand ready to fill our homes and offices with “stuff”. A model symbol for waste is the sheer quantity of big box stores that have been abandoned in favour of bigger and “better” stores, leaving eyesores in our neighbourhoods and communities. When considering the hundreds, if not thousands, of empty big boxes dotting our landscapes, consider our forefathers’ wise reuse ways and consider how those buildings could be repurposed. The central question is: What building type benefits from a location central to a community’s shopping patterns, from flexible open floor plates, from high ceilings, and from plentiful parking?

The answer to this question is, of course, the library. It was precisely this glut of available space that led several of MSR’s library clients to ask: Why not re-use an abandoned building? In many cases, the cost to purchase the land and the building was far less than the costs to acquire prime real estate and build from scratch. According to Walmart, the average cost to buy an abandoned Walmart is $25–$30 per gross square foot. In 2010, the median cost for construction of a new library in the United States was approximately $275 per gross square foot.1 Considering also that the average cost to renovate and repurpose a building (other than a big box) can be $150–$175 per gross square foot, repurposing an abandoned big-box store is a very economical way to go.

McAllen Main Library in Texas According to the 2013 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honor Awards jury, “the McAllen Main Library represents an important shift in American cultural attitudes toward tolerating big box, suburban structures. The interior spaces have

1 Because of the size of the United States, averages can be misleading. This cited cost can vary from $150 to $450 depending on location, site and soil conditions, construction market demands, and other factors. This average was taken from the Library Journal’s annual survey of construction costs.

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been dramatically transformed from a warehouse to a place with a sense of intimacy” (McAllen Main Library 2013), (Figure 5.4).

Figure 5.4: View of primary service point from library entry.

Background The City of McAllen is a rapidly growing community in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, about ten miles from the Mexican border and approximately 60 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. The city’s population has doubled in the last 30 years to its current population of approximately 135,000 people. Including Reynosa and neighbouring communities, the metropolitan area currently has a population of approximately 1.5 million people. In the past five to ten years, increasing unrest and violence in northern Mexico has resulted in an influx of new residents to the area. The population is over three quarters Hispanic, and accordingly a significant percentage of the population is non-English-speaking. Nearly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. Unemployment and illiteracy are chronic problems. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has greatly increased the availability of skilled and higher paying jobs available in McAllen and surrounding communities since its ratification in 1994.



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Built in 1950, the old McAllen Main Library was housed in a 3,700 m2 building in downtown McAllen, (Figure 5.5). It had become too small, outdated, in need of significant repair and upgrades to the mechanical and electrical systems, and incapable of accommodating the Library’s collection and storage needs. Recent development was also shifting the geographic centre of town to the north, rendering the existing building no longer centrally located. At peak times, parking (largely accommodated on the street) was inadequate. In the early 2000s, the City of McAllen and the McAllen Public Library identified the need to upgrade its library space. A building programme was developed identifying library needs of approximately 11,600 square meters. In June 2006, the City purchased a vacated Walmart store on the city’s north side with the intention of renovating the vacant big box store into a new library for the city. The Library also operates two small branch locations. The City chose the Walmart store as the site for the new library for several reasons. The location was closer to the evolving geographic centre of the city. The site was located at the intersection of two major thoroughfares and offered good visibility and access. By redeveloping the site as a library, the City was able to ensure that the site would not sit vacant for an extended period of time.

Figure 5.5: Interior view of abandoned library (Photograph by J. Poling).

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Big box structures lend themselves very well to re-use as public libraries. As retail centres, they are typically located in high-traffic, desirable areas. In McAllen’s case, the location was still highly desirable: Walmart selected a site immediately adjacent to the original building (which would become the library) for their new store. The original location and site were not sufficient to accommodate the larger store that Walmart wanted for the location. Constructing a new facility adjacent to the original allowed Walmart to remain open at that location throughout the construction of the new building. Big box structures also have ample (or more than ample) parking, and the parking is always conveniently arranged in the front of the building with easy and clear access to the building entry.

Architect Selection Through a two-step selection process in 2006, the city hired the McAllen architecture firm Boultinghouse Simpson Gates Architects (BSG) with the Minneapolis architecture firm MSR to design the new library. The team also included consultants providing engineering (civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing), landscape architecture, and technology design services. The design team selection was finalized in May 2007. Due to other city activities and concerns, design work for the project did not start until late 2008. Unlike many American public library projects, funding for the project was already in place. But generally declining economic conditions beginning in late 2007 and the economic crisis of 2008–2009 made the city more cautious about using city funds for the project. Ultimately, the city decided to proceed with the project and design work started in late 2008 and continued into 2009.

Project Goals At the outset of the project, the design team worked with the city and the Library to establish a series of goals for the project: –– functional efficiency: to effectively utilize a floor plate on a single floor as large as the Walmart store for an efficient public library, which would thus become the largest single-storey library in the country; –– cost-effective design: to meet a modest budget of approximately $997.73 per square metre (Figure 5.6). The average cost of renovation for public library projects in the United States is approximately $1581.09 per square metre; –– building and site transformation: to transform the building and site, to the greatest extent possible, from the appearance of a Walmart store. The goal



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was to give passers-by the impression that the City built a new library building, not that they re-used an old big box store for the library; –– interior transformation: to transform the interior from a dark, uninviting space into a bright, open, welcoming one (Figure 5.5).

Figure 5.6: Seating areas visually break up the expanse of the public areas.

Figure 5.7: Open, cost-effective construction using furnishings to reduce scale and for place naming.

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Team Responsibilities As the project began and the respective responsibilities were determined, MSR’s role on the project was defined as designer for the building interior. BSG’s role on the project was overall control of the project and design of the building exterior.

Design As the project began, the design team investigated a series of concepts for both the building interior and the building exterior. MSR (building interior designer) and BSG (building exterior designer) worked independently on concepts for their respective portions of the building and worked together on coordination of their work where the two met at the building shell.

Budget The budget and existing building created limitations that the design team needed to address. The construction budget of approximately $997.73 per square metre required constant understanding of the cost implications of all design decisions at every scale, especially early conceptual decisions. Early in the process, BSG organized an overall project construction budget. This budget assigned allowances to each component of the building construction budget, which were used throughout the design phases as a guide for conceptualization and decision-making. It was based on historical construction data, as well as an understanding of the condition of the existing building and the remedial work required to make it suitable for re-use as a library. It was understood that the early budget was not strict and that allocations for specific components of the design would be flexible, while maintaining the total budget as a limit. As a result of this early construction budgeting, opportunities for the design of the building interior emerged that shaped the design thinking throughout the entire project. The budget for the building interior architecture, which is basically what one can see when inside the building, fell in the range of approximately $316.22 to $359.84 per square metre. Additional components of the budget accounted for required mechanical and electrical systems. Conceptual ideas needed to be very simple and allow for a clear and efficient organization of the building within very modest means. As the design was developed, it was constantly checked against the established budget – and conversely the established budget evolved to reflect the design. The City identified a baseline project budget and added to that a series of



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what they called “wow” items, desirable enhancements to the design that could be included or not, depending upon the final cost of the building. As a result of the economic downturn in 2008–2009 and decreasing cost of construction, bids on the project were favourable, enabling all the “wow” items to become part of the project. “Wow” items included: –– a book conveyor and materials handling system (both an efficiency item and wow item since it was planned to be visible from the children’s area of the library) (Figure 5.17); –– landscaping and other exterior site enhancements; –– an enhanced entry canopy; –– additional skylights; –– additional new windows on the building exterior walls; –– enhanced interior finishes.

The Existing Building Big box structures have large, open floor plates. The floor plates generally range from 1,800 to 2,800 m2 for small grocery stores and pharmacies to 11,500 m2 (the size of the McAllen Walmart) for larger superstores. The former McAllen Walmart was suitably located in the city and had an appropriately sized floor plate for the library’s building programme. However, the existing building did create design challenges. Responding to these challenges and the budget constraints became defining factors for the design. The building’s exterior walls could be only minimally modified because only small portions of the exterior wall could be removed without introducing costly structural steel framing to maintain the structural integrity of the walls. While it would have been even more spectacular to create a number of large openings in the exterior wall (allowing for views and additional natural light), it was cost-prohibitive. This limitation was one of the factors that led to the basic design concept for the building. Similarly, adding skylights to the building’s roof would require significant structural reinforcement to the roof structure. The design therefore includes skylights only in a few areas, primarily around the centre of the building. The structural capacity of the floor was a big concern. Required structural capacity for library loading for dense shelving arrangements (213 cm high shelving arranged 152 cm from centre of range to centre of range) is 65 kg/m2. By coring and testing samples of the original slab, the design team determined that the slab was originally constructed in a very inconsistent manner and that some areas of

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the slab would not support that structural loading. The design solution was to arrange shelving with greater spacing to lessen the load on the floor. Mechanical and electrical systems, as is usual with former big box structures, were inadequate and required replacement. The roof had outlived its useful life and also needed to be replaced. These existing conditions, along with other factors, helped to guide the design of the building.

Building Programme The greatest single challenge of the project was to design an 11,500 m2 library that would work efficiently on a single level. The Library had completed a building programme prior to the selection of the design team. The first task of the design team was to review that programme with the Library and make necessary and desirable modifications. With the purchase of the Walmart store, the City and Library allowed the programme to define and be defined by the existing building. The amount of square metres available for the project was set by the size of the existing building. Unlike a new construction project where the size of the building is flexible, the Walmart store offered an existing and predetermined amount of space. It was most efficient to make use of the existing space without going to the extra expense of eliminating floor area from the existing building (thereby resulting in less space at added cost). The programme review led to only minor alterations to the programme. As was common in library planning at the time, the Library planned for an increase in its collection size. Currently, the Library houses about 350,000 items, a 10% increase from the prior building, and the building has the capacity to increase that collection by at least 10%. Libraries are currently planning for static or decreased collection sizes due to the advent and increasing use of electronic books and other digital resources. But most importantly, the Library planned for increased space for people to gather in: –– the old building had two public meeting spaces; the new library has 16; –– the old building had three public study rooms; the new library has 14 (Figure 5.8); –– the old building had 29 public computers in the computer lab; the new library has 82 in three distinct spaces (Figure 5.9).



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Figure 5.8: Public study rooms within orange element.

Figure 5.9: Self-checkout stations (more have been added since photo was taken) across from the primary service point with view into the adjacent computer lab.

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The size of the Library roughly tripled from the existing building to the new Library. While the size of the collection increased modestly, the space allocated for it increased significantly due to generally lower shelving heights and a greater range of spacing and aisle widths. The most significant difference in the two structures is the amount of computer and gathering space made available. The new building provides plentiful inviting space for library patrons to interact with information and one another. It is the only significant public space in McAllen where residents can go for such interaction.

Functional The arrangement of the building interior addresses the biggest challenge – how to make efficient use of such a large floor plate. The location of the building entry was predetermined. Facing east, toward the parking lot, the building entry could not be moved from its original location with direct visual and physical access to the parking areas.

Figure 5.10: Public meeting room and auditorium lobby.



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Figure 5.11: Public auditorium.

Figure 5.12: Interactive elements in the children’s area.

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Figure 5.13: View from children’s area into children’s courtyard and art installation.

Figure 5.14: Interactive elements for small children.



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Figure 5.15: Study areas in adult services area beneath wood ceiling.

Figure 5.16: New books and special collections.

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Figure 5.17: Automated materials handling system visible from children’s area.

The building programme includes four primary components: –– a suite of public meeting rooms. This suite of spaces includes a dividable public meeting room, an auditorium, and a smaller meeting room (Figures 5.10–5.11). A café has also become part of this grouping of spaces. Because the Library wanted the spaces to be accessible when the library is closed, the public meeting room suite is located adjacent to the building entry; –– children’s services area. Located in the front portion of the building near the building entry, the children’s area is easy to access without having to go through other parts of the library (resulting in increased safety for the children and decreased distraction for other patrons), (Figures 5.12–5.14); –– adult services area. The single largest area in the library, the adult services area is located toward the back of the building (Figures 5.15, 5.16 and 5.19); –– staff areas. The staff areas are concentrated in the rear of the building, providing easy access to loading and truck access and adjacent to the adult services area. Some children’s services and circulation staff are located near the children’s area in a glass enclosure so that children can view library materials being conveyed to the materials handling machine and sorted (Figure 5.17). While this basic functional arrangement worked well, it created a significant problem with access to the various public areas of the building. Because the



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building entry was fixed, access to the adult services area in the rear of the building would require passing by the public meeting and children’s areas, creating a perceptional problem with the location of the basic areas and how they are utilized. The designers solved this problem by creating a central point of service in the building at the four-cornered intersection of the four major spaces (Figure 5.18). A building entry and lobby were created, from which patrons enter the library through a separate and securable set of doors. From that building entry, the central service point is very visible and directly ahead of library visitors – it serves as the centre of the public portion of the library. This organization is critical to the success of the building. While the actual distances within the library could obviously not be reduced, the entry sequence takes visitors to the central service point, from which the major areas open, thereby reducing apparent distances within the library and condensing the spaces visually.

Figure 5.18: Service point and functional spaces.

The teens’ area offers local teens an oasis from the numerous distractions that commonly plague teenagers and gives them access to a public space, information, equipment, which they would not have otherwise. The teens’ space adds to the success of the building because of its location behind the adult services area. The space offers a distinctive visual identity, shielding from the adjacent areas,

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and a very clear disassociation from the children’s area. A service point is located in the teens’ area to maintain control (Figures 5.20 and 5.21).

Figure 5.19: Entrance to the children’s area with age/size appropriate portals, illustrating use of wood ceiling and orange elements to delineate major use areas.

Figure 5.20: Teens’ area.



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Figure 5.21: Teens’ area.

Concept With a strong functional arrangement established, the design team worked to lend the layout a strong visual clarity. Painted white interior surfaces, structure, and equipment lighten the building and offset the inability to introduce abundant natural light through new openings. The designers added colourful, geometrically intricate elements to this bright, neutral shell, which define paths through the building as well as places of interaction and various functions within the building’s vast public areas. The library’s floor plate is equivalent to nearly two and a half football fields, making the new library the largest single-storey library in the United States (Figure 5.22).

Figure 5.22: The floor plate in football fields.

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Figure 5.23: Building entry and lobby showing primary wood ceiling element extending into building entry.

Figure 5.24: View of wood ceiling and dynamic orange elements, which serve as primary elements in the transformation of the building.



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Figure 5.25: Orange organizational element folded to create more intimate work or reading space.

Two primary methods were used to develop these concepts. Firstly, the four quadrants of the building are divided by two primary visual elements. These two elements intersect at the central service point, thereby very clearly leading visitors to the service point. The first is a laser-cut natural finish wood ceiling element located below skylights that leads visitors from the building entry, through the library entry, past the entry to the children’s area and the central service point, to the rear of the building and the adult services area. This very strong visual element serves as a key navigational and organizational element. The pattern of this wood ceiling is derived from the patterns of local mesquite trees (Figures 5.23–5.24). The second element is a dynamic orange element that bisects the building perpendicular to the wood ceiling. This element divides the children’s services and adult services portions of the building, allowing access between the two and also housing some children’s staff functions, the automated materials handling system, group study rooms, the teens’ space (accessible from the adult services area), and other support spaces. It is the strongest and most apparent element in the building and clearly delineates major programmatic portions of the building (Figure 5.25).

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Figure 5.26: View of elements denoting specific functional areas.

Figure 5.27: Pendant designating seating area.

Figure 5.28: Pendant marking auxiliary service point.



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Secondly, and auxiliary to the primary building elements, colour and pattern further delineate functional areas within the building (Figures 5.26 and 5.27). Colourful pendants are located throughout the children’s and adult services area to allow for easy identification of major elements of those areas and to provide for more intimate scale in areas of study and activity (Figure 5.28). These pendants organize the building’s collections and allow patrons to guide themselves to the materials they seek. Carpet patterns and colour, as well as colourful and dynamic furnishings, also serve as visual clues to spatial organization. These colours and patterns are informed by the abundant colour and pattern found in the Rio Grande Valley area in both plant and animal life and the seasonal migration of birds and insects.

Environmental Stewardship

Figure 5.29: Environmental Stewardship.

Figure 5.29 shows the assessment of the project’s environmental stewardship.

Conclusions Several conclusions can be derived from the successful design of the McAllen Main Library. First, big box retail stores can be successfully re-used as public library buildings. Their location, sites, parking, and general size and arrange-

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ments adapt well to the needs of the public library building. Second, a very simple and straightforward arrangement of major building elements can create a visually clear organization and result in a very efficient public library building. Finally, a very successful transformation of a big box building can be completed on a modest budget. Increasingly, public library buildings are designed around people and interaction rather than stacks and materials. These spaces can be very economically designed and constructed within a larger shell and result in beautiful, functional, and adaptable public library buildings (Figure 5.30).

Figure 5.30: Primary service point.

The success of the McAllen Main Library is unquestionable. “Normally there’s a line outside waiting to get in every day - at least 30 to 40 people. It really picks up in the afternoon”, Kate Horan, Director of the McAllen Public Library explains the popularity of the city’s new Main Library. In the Library’s first month of operation, new user registrations for library cards increased 23 times from the same period last year and existing account updates were up nearly 2,000%. McAllen Public Library former director Jose Gamez states in the local paper The Monitor that these statistics show “the investment the city made was the right choice because the public has responded so well to the new building. They’re making use of the entire facility. There isn’t a space that’s not being used, and there isn’t a service that hasn’t been taken advantage of” (Hendricks 2012).



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The McAllen Public Library has posted a compilation of articles on the Library and the new Main Library on its website: http://www.mcallenlibrary.net/ about/newmain.aspx.

Acknowledgements All photographs, except page 75, are copyright to Lara Swimmer. The diagrams and the “before” photo of the big box store (Figure 5.5) are copyright to Meyer, Scherer & Rock castle Ltd.

References Hendricks, Dave. 2012, “McAllen’s New Library Brings Patrons back to the Stacks.” The Monitor 14 January. IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services). 2015. “Public Libraries in the United States Survey.” http://www.imls.gov/research/public_libraries_in_the_united_states_survey. aspx. Accessed on 17 March 2015. Iyer, Pico. 2011. “Sanctuary amid the Stacks.” Los Angeles Times 6 March. http://articles. latimes.com/2011/mar/06/opinion/la-oe-iyer-libraries-20110306. Accessed on 2 November 2015. Lesneski, Traci Engel. 2011. “Big Box Libraries: Beyond Restocking the Shelves with Books.” New Library World 112 (9/10): 395–405. “McAllen Main Library .” 2013. The American Institute of Architects. http://www.aia.org/ practicing/awards/2013/interior-architecture/mcallen-main-library/. Accessed on 22 September 2015. Mitchell, Stacy. 2009. “Big, Empty Boxes.” The Star Tribune 15 June. http://www.startribune. com/stacy-mitchell-big-empty-boxes/37676519/. Accessed on 22 September 2015.

Linda O’Brien and Graham Legerton

6 Budgetary Constraints No Excuse for Poor Design Griffith Library (G11) Extension and GUMURRII Centre (Queensland, Australia) Abstract: Many feared for the future prosperity of the library in the context of technological change. This paper explains how libraries designed through collaboration remain thriving centres and scholarly hearts. Library transformation can be achieved cost-effectively and with sufficient spatial and operational agility to enable further growth and adaptation. Successful libraries are people places; places for the individual, the collective and the community. Their context, character, soul, choice and ability to embrace shifts in practice are critical considerations in realising an engaging student experience. A willingness to embrace change, diversity, experimentation and student-centred needs are intrinsic components of a library design process. Ultimately, library renewal projects, such as the Griffith Library (G11) Extension and GUMURRII Centre, present an opportunity to generate a distinctive expression of an organization’s ideals and values. Bold, affordable design moves at a macro and micro scale are very important as this typology adjusts to high demands and expectations.

Figure 6.1: Existing disguised library. (Photograph by ThomsonAdsett).

Figure 6.2: A distinctive presence. (Photograph by A. Martin).



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Griffith University: Context In 1971, the founders of Griffith University aimed to establish a different type of university – one which was “interdisciplinary, international, student-centred, deeply engaged with the Asian region, and open to the community” (Griffith University 2013, 1). In 2014, Griffith is regarded as one of Australia’s most innovative tertiary institutions and one of the most influential universities in the Asia-Pacific region. Its vision in the 21st century is to “provide students with an excellent education and the capacity to use knowledge gained to exercise influence and make meaningful lifelong contributions to their communities” (Griffith University 2013, [ii]). Griffith University has several campuses, including the Gold Coast, the location of the library described in this paper. While recognizing that research, learning and teaching are pillars upon which universities build their reputation, Griffith also regards engagement between the University and the wider community (local, national and international) as crucial to its sustainability. An important goal is to provide educational and cultural opportunities to deepen engagement between Griffith and its surrounding communities. The creation of architecture on campus presents an opportunity to express such goals physically.

Library 2020 Libraries can be seen as a collection, a place or a service. In reality they are all these things, although the emphasis is rapidly shifting. Students expect content that enables educational experiences which are up-to-date, relevant, and adaptive to the interests of the learner. Students are looking for more connected and mobile learning opportunities. “Loose networks”, that is ones with no structural hierarchy and based on people with shared interests sharing ideas, will play an increasingly important role in supporting learning. Knowledge construction is moving into new areas outside the control of teachers. The use of technology and space will continue to be highly individual to meet a range of learning, work, social and personal needs. Libraries need to provide flexible physical and digital spaces which can be personalized. As one moves towards 2020 and fewer physical items on the shelves, at Griffith the libraries will still matter. It is envisaged that campuses will be vibrant learning and meeting places throughout the whole year, rather than simply during semesters, and that libraries will continue to be at the heart of this community. As it transforms from an information place to a knowledge space, the library will create dynamic spaces that serve as incubators for knowledge creation and innovation. Although much scholarly information is available electronically,

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effective use of space and technologies will increase the library’s appeal as a knowledge and creativity commons. The library will also offer curated spaces, zones in which art, literature and music meld seamlessly; places where activities, performances and exhibitions happen; spaces that accommodate changing learning styles and ways of engaging. There will also be quiet spaces for individual study and reflection and access to specialist expertise. The library will embody both a social space and a place for thinking.

The Site Informs Design Contemporary library design must be cognizant of context. In the case of G11, and from a wider site perspective, extensive investments have been made in health and knowledge precincts. In addition, the delivery of the Commonwealth Games is imminent on adjacent land and there have been extensive investments in the new Gold Coast University Hospital, the local Rapid Transit System and the Griffith Medical Centre. As such, the wider site is a progressive space and the bold, distinctive red form of the library defines the presence of the library as a prominent scholarly heart (Figures 6.1–6.3). However, the notion of place extends far beyond distinctive physical characteristics.

Figure 6.3: Bold, distinctive G11 presence. (Photograph by A. Martin).



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During the design competition stage, a visit on the roof of the existing library building (G10) exposed a direct relationship between the library and the natural hinterland, including Tamborine Mountain, a rich and culturally significant landscape. Opportunities existed to frame natural paintings of the site context to unite the library with the place (Figures 6.4 and 6.5).

Figure 6.4: Relationship with the hinterland. (Photograph by ThomsonAdsett).

Figure 6.5: Framing natural views. (Photograph by A. Martin).

Utilization is essential in terms of return for investment. An assessment of the context of the primary circulation paths exposed the potential for the library to have multiple points of entry and to complement multiple directions of approach inclusive of the nearby coffee shop. Convenience and accessibility are key – without it a library will struggle to engage (Figures 6.6 and 6.7).

Figure 6.6: Connectivity. (Drawing by ThomsonAdsett).

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Figure 6.7: Multiple entry points. (Drawing by ThomsonAdsett).

The presence of University Drive and its vehicular dominance exposed the future potential for the library to morph with a future pedestrianized transformation of the site (Figure 6.8). The thinking was not restricted to internal space: the allocation of a higher budget allowance to the landscaping prioritized a cost element that is traditionally under threat on capital projects.

Figure 6.8: Exploring the potential pedestrianization of the library frontage. (Drawing by ThomsonAdsett).



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Most importantly, the contextual analysis and collaboration with the university executive exposed the need for the library to be permeable. Space needed to be open, welcoming, inviting, engaging and different. The brief required spaces not found elsewhere on campus, spaces that promoted visibility of people using the library and associated landscape and visibility of the wider site from the building itself.

The Design Process During the design process towards achieving permeability, the void spaces in between became more important than the physical built spaces themselves. From a cultural perspective such spaces and places have a deep and everlasting meaning. They are cost neutral. Such spaces create joy and connection and the tendency to fully enclose circulation was avoided. Such moves enabled the overall usable area of the library, internally and externally combined, to total approximately 7,000 m² for a construction value of AUS$16.65M. Within this, 2,500 m² of outdoor area is a key differentiator of the library. The outdoor spaces were embraced and an appropriate balance of internal to external area for the Gold Coast context, culturally and climatically, was achieved. A one-metre offset construction between new and old saved interface costs of approximately one million dollars, minimized disruption to the live operations of the existing library G10 and enabled a beautiful quality of light penetration. Open, yet covered lounge areas at the mid and upper levels afforded convenient spaces for students who can benefit from the passive design qualities of ventilation, light and views. The sky lounge doubles as an event space to maximize the value of adjacent seminar rooms and to enable the staging of events within a culturally significant context. At a more macro scale, the 160 m long, predominantly floating form, extensive cantilevers and shaded under-crofts enable the library to encourage serendipitous encounters. In addition, the central aviary garden (inspired by the librarian’s analogy of student movements at multiple levels) intentionally blends with University Drive and engages an outdoor learning experience with an open sky (Figure 6.9). As a result, the aviary unites the learning experience with the quintessentially Australian qualities of the outdoors, native planting and climate. Thus, the library becomes a sensory experience. A further void under the shard of the building enables a myriad of activities to take place, ranging from markets to enrolment days, battle of the bands, break dancing, O-Week and other student-centric activity (Figures 6.10 and 6.11). It is stressed that activation of the voids is critical. They are ever-changing, environmentally comfortable, effi-

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cient and make people an integral component of the architectural composition of a “connected library landscape” that captures the above-mentioned Griffith DNA. Space is for everyone and constitutes neutral territory. Inter-professional learning is abundant, people are at ease and they ask, collaborate, connect, inspire and help each other.

Figure 6.9: Aviary garden. (Photograph by ThomsonAdsett).

The lesson learned is that architects have to provide spatial dexterity and canvases that can be readily repurposed and serviced. Such thinking realizes major capital and life-cycle cost benefits as less space is required and the resultant utilization is radically transformed. A saturation of uninspiring spaces is no use to a university. Contrastingly, spaces which challenge convention and that students love to occupy are of immense value to organizations where differentiation and place are intrinsic to a university’s identity. Return briefing is key in this regard. The resulting G11 built programme represents approximately 60% of the original brief, as the design process identified the re-use of different existing areas and a more cohesive plan configuration



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Figures 6.10 and 6.11: Collaborative Undercroft space. (Photographs by A. Martin).

triangulated the existing L-shape footprint with a new hypotenuse extension. The new form screens and protects the existing building, serving as an environmental filter and reducing heat loads on the building. The simplicity of the new louvred skin also enabled modular construction efficiencies whilst realizing a dramatic colourful aesthetic that in turn promoted clear legibility, branding and way-finding (Figure 6.12). The GUMURRII Centre is placed in a highly visible and valued position, directly accessible off University Drive and the aviary, with a ground-level distant view of Tamborine Mountain afforded from the external GUMURRII courtyard space.

Figure 6.12: Louvred skin achieves permeability, efficiency and wayfinding. (Photograph by A. Martin).

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Choice Extensive design collaborations also exposed the importance of choice. An enriched, holistic student experience cannot be obtained through one means, although some may argue against this with advances in technology. Students crave people-centric space. They require a multiplicity of settings and experiences to suit their study and social demands. Behavioural and observational studies of students exposed the potential of the fringes of space – pods, carrels, seating within collection runs, a diversity of external and internal seating configurations, contrasting levels of comfort, steps, nooks and areas enriched by art and furnishings being a few of the ways the G11 building entices the student to occupy a temporary territory within the overall learning landscape. This behaviour is termed “fringe migration”. Students love studying within fringes as part of a wider study conglomerate and the approach can be used in quiet or highly active study zones. Small group interactions are increasing. Quiet space is still in very high demand and celebrated with the enclosure of a former terrace to form a quiet room with a prominent aviary aspect. Choice is supporting the likelihood of a space and place becoming “sticky”. External partners further enrich such spaces with gamification and smart technology complementing the extensive demand for popular social space (Figures 6.13 and 6.14).

Figure 6.13: Overall plan. (Drawing by ThomsonAdsett).



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Figure 6.14: Activation of the fringe. (Drawing by ThomsonAdsett).

Figures 6.15 and 6.16: 24/7 Study hall. (Photographs by ThomsonAdsett and A. Martin).

Students are highly valued customers with ever-changing demands. Their requests for more social space to replace planned seminar rooms with 24/7 study halls were fulfilled. The new building G11 has become a place to meet, immerse oneself in study, eat, sleep, collaborate and engage. The inherent choice makes this a comfortable experience and a place people can occupy during term and other times. During peak load, the lower active ground floor meets the socialization demands with the quieter upper level enabling extensive quiet study. Prominent,

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variable-scale seminar rooms are helping to increase utilization outside semester and the arrangement assists way finding. The demand for future agility is enhanced by the potential for students to repurpose spaces. The smaller seminar rooms can be combined in the future and the top staff level of the learning commons enables growth of the library should this be required. It is essential that “soft walls” and “soft spots” are planned to enable this to occur cost effectively. The building G11 is not locked into four walls. The indoor-outdoor versatility and vertically planned agility of the library have retained essential flexibility. Further refurbishments of the existing infrastructure are planned, such as an e-research zone and a large-scale digital screen within the collaborative space under the shard form.

Student Feedback After the opening of the Library and Learning Commons, and as part of a six-week social media campaign, students were asked to share photos of their favourite library spaces on Griffith Library’s Instagram and Twitter accounts. The more than 100 entries received during the campaign showed that the students loved the quiet study spaces, bean bags, sunny study spots and the new building. Student feedback has included the following accolades: Walked into the library and everything was different and new and I was just like “Wow”! Everything is quite new, quite modern and I’m looking forward to having some classes in there. I really like what they’ve done. It’s really interesting. Some of the ideas like the 24 hour student lounge. It’s open 24 hours. I think that’s open to a wide variety of people. It’s a bit more practical with more tables and chairs and the computers are nice and new and good. It’s nice and free now which is great. I’ve been in a few of the new rooms and they’re actually designed really well. The beanbags and everything are just comfortable, easy to just chill with friends even. It’s really cool.



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Makes you feel more at home to study. I like the silent study upstairs. I like all the little cubicles you can sit in. Every surface is padded and it’s really comfortable. I really like that. Nice set up. It motivates you to want to learn. Library is the best place to study and especially on top floor; the view is also so good. How great is that green!? My favourite place in GC library is where the new law area is! I love this quiet and beautiful view that I can see through those wide windows. Makes me more concentrated. One of my favourite pieces of furniture at uni. Such a great way of having a group study session! A beautiful view outside and quiet area to study. Sunday am...it’s oh so quiet. ..shhhh....shhhh....loving the new learning centre next to the library! The 24 hours study space being open has given me the opportunity to come in at any time of the day or night when the mood takes you to come and study. It’s fantastic after hours, it’s a safe place because there’s security escorts 24 hours a day, that students can come, we can study, it’s clean, it’s very comfortable. The 24/7 Lounge is very popular; its design will help set the standard for the other 24/7 learning centers on the Gold Coast campus.

The Library of the Future Libraries are not an endangered species. They have been and will continue to be the scholarly heart of many institutions. Many do need to reinvent themselves and tap into their culture and purpose. Many such as G11 are responding to change in a creative and collaborative manner. Conceived correctly, libraries contribute so much towards place; a well-designed place makes people return. Partnering is being embraced, consolidated collections are freeing up space for increased levels of participatory learning and knowledge exchange. Increasingly positive attitudes towards rest, play, gaming, opening hours, food, entrance control and independence are making libraries fun

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and engaging places to be. They are essentially community spaces and cultural permeability embodies the wider university ethos of being interdisciplinary, international, student-centred and deeply engaged. Architecturally, libraries can be immensely symbolic of such core values. G11 is not assigned to a faculty; G11 is aligned with an organisation’s ideals and values which is why this facility is proving to be an extremely popular connected learning landscape. Many feared the future prosperity of the library in the context of technological change. The reality is that contemporary libraries are thriving centres that are critical to the success of institutions and communities. Associated roles are being redefined to accommodate shifts in operation and practice but the core of what makes a library a library remains strong including access to content, people and memorable spaces, and experiences. Behavioural design, wider partnering and engagement, spaces developed through collaboration, perhaps informed by neuroscience, network mapping and digitisation of collections are some of the trends that will continue to make this building typology a space of continued expression and experimentation. Consideration of context will remain a continuum and the unique discoveries this unfolds coupled with listening, continuous value management and vision can create immensely stimulating and engaging libraries with soul.

References Griffith University. 2013. Strategic Plan 2013–2017. https://www.griffith.edu.au/about-griffith/ governance/plans-publications. Accessed on 23 August 2015. Legerton, Graham. 2013. “Encouraging choice, serendipity and experimentation: experiences from Griffith University library (G11) extension and c Centre.” Journal of Interprofessional Care 27 Supp. 2:51-62 doi: 10.3109/13561820.2013.807779

Stefan Clevström and Hans Murman

7 Adaptive Re-use of Buildings for Library Purposes Remaking an Old Underground Book Stack into a User-Friendly Public Space at the Kungliga Biblioteket/National Library of Sweden Abstract: The main body of the building housing Sweden’s National Library was inaugurated in 1878. It is located in the city centre of Stockholm, in the park known as Humlegården. In 1997, a 1960s underground stack module within the building was refurbished and converted into an area for public use located at the rear of the main building. The area is today known as the Annex. The new area was created to provide a public space for the library by converting the former underground book storage building to a new facility containing an auditorium, a microfilm reading room, meeting rooms and a large exhibition area. However, these public areas proved difficult to use. The exhibition area, for instance, did not function well with regard to climate and security. The interior design was user-unfriendly and impractical and the areas as a result were unoccupied and empty. Elsewhere in the library the seating facilities were often overflowing with visitors. It was therefore decided to renovate the Annex in 2013 to create new public areas with new functions and a welcoming, pleasant atmosphere so that the space could become practical, appreciated and well-used by visitors. This paper describes the renovation journey.

Background Kungliga biblioteket (affectionately known as KB), formerly named the Royal Library, is Sweden’s national library, today called the National Library of Sweden. Thanks to the enactment of the legal deposit law of 1661, KB holds nearly all publications published in Sweden and today, the law includes the deposit of music, both fictional and documentary film and radio and television broadcasts. All materials are preserved for future generations, regardless of content or form. Nothing can be discarded. KB’s collections consist of 18 million objects and more than seven million hours of sound and moving images, ranging from manuscripts and books to radio

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Figures 7.1 and 7.2: Kungliga biblioteket, main building. (Photographs by Jens Östman/KB and Murman Architects).

broadcasts, films and computer games. The collections are accessible to everyone, but visitors are primarily students, teachers, and researchers. Items in the specialist Swedish collection cannot be borrowed, but must be read on-site in one of the reading rooms. All books are stored in closed stacks and accessible on request.

The Role of the National Library of Sweden The National Library of Sweden (“KB”) oversees the broader coordination and strategic development of the entire Swedish library sector, promoting collaboration and collecting statistics. KB is responsible for the national coordination of all publicly financed libraries and facilitates the improvement and efficiency of information infrastructure for higher education and research in Sweden. KB is an active partner in developmental programs and projects, and runs a national consortium for electronic information resources. KB is also one of Europe’s leading humanities research libraries. Its holdings are made available through the World Digital Library, The European Library (TEL), Europeana and EUscreen. In addition to legal deposit materials, the library actively collects current foreign research publications in areas such as archaeology, history, literary history and art history.

The Library Buildings The Library was originally located within the royal castle in Stockholm. In 1870, the architect Gustav Dahl was awarded the task of making plans for a new build-



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ing to house the royal book collections. The new library was inaugurated in 1878, inspired by the innovative, international developments of the day. It is one of Sweden’s first buildings constructed in cast iron. The exterior is fashioned in the New Renaissance style. The new building proved soon to be under-dimensioned. The architect of the Swedish opera house, Axel Anderberg, drew up plans in 1920 for the wings which in 1928 lengthened the building by 80 metres on each side. In the 1950s the storage situation became acute and architect Carl Hampus Bergman reworked the overall plans for the Library’s facilities. Redevelopments in 1956–71 resulted in twice the space, with the addition of underground stacks behind the library. In the 1980s storage was again a problem. The challenge was to expand the library space but still preserve the cultural and historical value of the architecture and Humlegården. The solution was to blast out a cavern in the bedrock 40 metres beneath the parklands behind the library and place within it two storage facilities, each consisting of five levels. The new underground storage area was inaugurated in 1997. At the same time, the area formerly holding the underground stacks in the 1960s was redeveloped to house an Annex with an auditorium, places for independent study and a microfilm reading room. A ceiling in glass and steel was constructed over the main staircase leading down into the Annex. Subsequently in 2013, this area was further renovated. The National Library has been nationally protected as a listed building since 1935.

Timeline Date

Event

1878 1928–1965 1997

The library building in Humlegården was inaugurated (Figures7.3 and 7.4) New extensions were added (Figure 7.5) Major rebuilding New layout of the main building Two new underground book stacks New public area layout involving previous underground book stack building and Annex (Figure 7.6) New VHAC system and refurbishing of main building Renovation of the Annex and addition of a new café near the entrance (Figure 7.7)

2012 2013

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Figure 7.3: Kungliga biblioteket 1878. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Figure 7.4: Plans for the original building 1878. (Photograph by Murman Architects).



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Figure 7.5: Green = original building, Red = extensions 1928, Yellow = Underground book stack 1965 (rebuilt 1997 and 2013). (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Figure 7.6: Main building, the Annex and underground book stacks. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

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Figure 7.7: The new café and locker room. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

New Public Areas The Annex was created to provide a public space for the library by converting a former underground book storage building added in 1965. The refurbished facility completed in 1997 contained an auditorium, a microfilm reading room, meeting rooms and a large exhibition space. However, these public areas proved difficult to use. The exhibition areas, for instance, did not function well with regard to climate and security issues. The interior design was impractical and the areas as a result were unoccupied and empty. Elsewhere in the library the seating facilities were often overflowing with visitors. Issues which emerged from a pilot study of public areas in 2009 were: –– few spaces available for users except for quiet reading rooms; –– no areas for informal communication and group activities; –– insufficient areas for audiovisual media research services; –– inadequate exhibition areas; –– areas suited for presentation of digital material needed; –– a huge building volume not well used;



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–– unfriendly and impractical atmosphere; –– lack of study places combined with unused public areas; –– lack of cafeteria available all opening hours.

The Vision Following the pilot study, the aim was to revitalize the space with new functions and ensure a welcoming, pleasant atmosphere, adapted to the demands of today’s library users. The refreshed space would use the under-utilized areas in the Annex and would accommodate: –– new services to users, including a meeting point and areas for work in informal groups; –– user-friendly attractive public areas; –– well-functioning facilities for audio visual media research services; –– additional reading places; –– new periodicals reading room; –– enhanced functionality in the microfilm reading room; –– enhanced auditorium facilities; –– new exhibition areas; –– catering services open all hours.

The Annex before Rebuilding

Figure 7.8: The old Annex. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

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Figure 7.9: The old Annex. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Figure 7.10: The old Annex. (Photograph by Murman Architects).



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Making the Changes The pilot study indicated that with the right technical pre-conditions in place, it was fully possible to create a new, great space for certain dedicated activities in the Annex. Challenges regarding climate changes caused by the existing glass ceiling (excessive heat in the summer and cold in the winter) were also determined to be solvable. A project team was formed within the National Library involving staff from different sections in the National Library. Architects and librarians met frequently and made study trips to other libraries. Relocating the audiovisual media research services in the Annex seemed to be a good idea, thereby providing the Annex with a clear identity. The physical conditions were well suited for delivering these library services. The project was launched, beginning with a coherent interpretation of the entrance, signage, and public areas of the main building and Annex. The guiding words overall were “attractive”, “concise” and “interesting”. The building volume allowed for the creation of 160 new square metres in the existing building. The aim with the Annex rejuvenation portion of the project was to construct an exciting user space in the National Library’s publicly accessible areas, an inspiring meeting point, multi-functional, and for the first-time visitor, perhaps something of a surprise. The Annex accommodates a wide array of user needs, providing space for reading, studying, small group learning, and closed meetings. Generally, the Annex is regarded as the National Library’s most flexible and liberal library environment. Room features, existing and new, were designed to be both functionally appropriate and flexible enough to fulfil different functions at different times or, if necessary, adapt to future functions. The design goals were to create a stand-alone, visually interesting environment that would attract its own visitors, and at the same time be used to highlight the National Library’s tasks and the amazing collections - and thereby inspire even more academic studies, research and knowledge creation. The project included the relocation and refurbishment of the cloakroom and locker area, as well as creating the new “Café Valfrid” and a luncheon area for packed lunches. This area was created outside the perimeter of library security. Prior to the renovation, the Annex gave a glimpse of the amazing leap down into the underworld where our collections storage facility is located, a descent of sorts which was highlighted. The vast sky, visible from all floors, became a key design element. Study places were positioned surrounding the air shaft, directing users towards the room and providing access to a sense of spaciousness. Additional study areas exploit variations of this principle.

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The Changes Made Openings between the levels provide maximum spatial complexity with a larger opening raised from level two to level one, to further dramatize the great room, allowing daylight into level one. A new reading balcony was proposed, directly beneath the skylight in the northern end, dramatizing the room and giving the visitors studying there some contact with the Humlegården Park. The auditorium is located on level three. A large part of the floor space adjacent to the entry is a dedicated service desk for hosting activities during lectures, seminars, and exhibitions. Various sitting areas are adjacent to the auditorium. The southern portion has an area set aside for exhibitions. Behind lies a showroom serving several functions. Around the air shaft in the skylight are reading areas of different kinds. In the north there are closed rooms with glass doors for small group meetings and research rooms primarily intended for the study of audiovisual materials. A staircase leads up to the new reading balcony and its contact with Humlegården Park and the glass roof. A staircase north of the auditorium leads down to level two, providing the visitor with a second option for moving between levels. In addition, the area houses two large sofas for informal seating, one constructed as a booth shielding users from passers-by. Level two has a lobby area, with reading rooms of various types placed around the air shaft under the skylight. A centrally located service desk provides visual contact with an office placed against the Annex’s north wall. The Magazine Reading Room is located in the south area, divided into two parts: one under the skylight, another larger part reaching all the way to the Annex’s western wall. The northern part is dominated by the Audio Visual Collections Room with glass walls against the north wall containing a staff office area, and with two research rooms on each side. The Treasure Chamber is an exhibition area for precious material from the collections, providing an opportunity to showcase outstanding objects, books, prints, manuscripts and other items from the vast and superb collections to the public. The main change in level one was the connection of the base of the new, open air shaft to the skylight. An artwork by the Swedish artist Nina Canell was installed in the floor covered with a sheet of heavy glass both to protect but also to echo the glass of the skylight through to level one. Otherwise, only small modifications in construction were made in this level. The Annex design is based on the original concrete structure from 1965 (underground book stacks reached by a bridge and an elevator), as well as from the recent addition of 1997 which combined functionality with originality especially with regards to the glass roof, one of the early examples of structural glazing undertaken by architect Jan Henriksson in Stockholm. The auditorium



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and the stairs from levels five to one dated from the 1997 refurbishment. New additions were made distinct with a contemporary touch. The design focus was on the railing, with full glass panels covering the joists’ edges and then continuing up to 1100 mm from the floor. Innovative work was undertaken in new flooring on levels three and two, the colour and pattern reflecting part of the artwork XYZ, a land-art artwork by Einar Höste from 1997. It was developed in consultation with the artist. The building additions include extended joists on level three, a corridor of study rooms with glass doors along the north wall on level three and level two, a new reading balcony beneath the glass roof, and a number of new glass partitions, fixtures and new walls. Elements that were replaced consist mainly of the flooring and handrails on stairs and along slab edges. Demolished and dismantled building components include some wall constructions with door and glass partitions to accommodate the new larger joists opening up levels one and two.

Summary of Features On level five in the main building, Café Valfrid is a new feature with an espresso bar/coffee shop with a separate seating area for visitors with packed lunches. The space is also conducive to exhibitions and information campaigns. The cloakroom area is more efficient and generously outfitted with more cabinets than before. Existing toilets have been supplemented by a new toilet for disabled access. On levels five and four there are lobbies whose primary purpose is to link the levels. On level three, there is a lobby for the auditorium and a central information desk and a permanent exhibition area, meeting rooms and other multi-purpose rooms. One room can be converted into an office for one or two temporary workplaces if more staff offices are required or used for semi-permanent exhibitions which if necessary could be expanded into the lobby or the adjacent viewing room. Level two includes a lobby for the audiovisual collections research service area and the magazine reading room, and to some extent also for the microfilm reading room on the first level and staff offices, with up to four temporary workplaces. Research rooms are available in two sizes for the study of audiovisual materials, for three to four people and for one to two people. The rooms are designed with glass walls facing the lobby, to provide a transparent and open feeling, but are also fitted with curtains to control the transparency and light disruption.

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The Magazine Reading Room is located in the south and divided into two, with one part under the skylight and another larger area reaching all the way to the Annex’s western wall. No major changes were required in the existing auditorium. Several minor improvements were made to improve functionality. The lower north entrance is conveniently located for access by the audiovisual collection staff when using the auditorium as a cinema, and the two foremost rows of bench seating were outfitted with more comfortable chairs. The entire auditorium retains its range of capabilities and combined with the new Annex features has become a popular venue for seminars, lectures and other events. The special exhibition space for the National Library “Treasures” has become better adapted to the needs of visitors and is now equipped with a new HVAC system and heightened security measures. Level one contains the microfilm reading room. It is located on the lowest level in the Annex with an entry at the base of the air shaft but now enjoys daylight from the skylight via fire-grade glass walls. Existing floors are made of concrete, but the new joists are made of steel to accommodate ducting and equipment for installations. New radiators and exhaust air ventilation have been installed in the elevator shaft and create a better climate. The 1997 skylight will be refurbished with new glass in a project in 2015. The Annex is very technology-intensive. The goal was to create near “futureproof” space and extensive ducting possibilities have been provided to accommodate both fixed equipment and the mobile devices brought by users. Wi-fi in all spaces is provided and wherever there is a seating there are power sockets. Extensive use of all kinds of computer devices is possible.

Lighting Lighting is important in this special underground space. Lighting consultants ensured an effective combination of daylight and artificial lighting in the interior and the management of transitions between spaces illuminated by daylight and those without (Figure 7.11). The Annex project was awarded the Swedish Lighting Award for 2013.1 The jury’s motivation in making the award mentions the interaction between daylight, electrical lighting and the bold choice of colours as the reasons behind their choice. In addition, the jury was impressed by the project team’s ability to transform 1 http://www.afconsult.com/sv/om-af/press2/nyheter/af-lighting-wins-the-prestigious-swedishlighting-award/. Accessed on 23 September 2015.



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Figure 7.11a + b: Daylight study. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

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a dim, colourless and mundane space into a light, inspiring place for study in a way that shows a great depth of knowledge and innovation skills specific to the lighting industry. The vision for the lighting design in the Annex was to capture the essence of the architecture and to make a solution responsive to the activities in the building. The lighting is integrated with the architecture and adaptable for the typical user’s specific needs, as well as for the different levels of natural light throughout the day and the seasons. Illuminating vertical surfaces to reduce contrasts between the skylight and the darker parts of the building increases the use of the entire space (Figure 7.12).

Figure 7.12: The staircase down to the new Annex. (Photograph by Sten Jantsin).



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Acoustics The acoustics proved to be a major challenge. The Annex is the most sound-tolerant environment compared to the other areas for study or research in the library. This must however be balanced so that it becomes a pleasant environment in which to stay and also in terms of sound. The entire room is a challenge, because it has sound-reflecting hard surfaces in concrete and glass. These will need to be compensated for with sound-deadening measures of various kinds. The research rooms should have good sound insulation.

Artist’s Impression of the New Annex

Figure 7.13: The new Annex – artist’s impression. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Inspiration from Other Libraries A reference group from The National Library went to The Netherlands in June 2011 to gain inspiration (Figures 7.14 and 7.15).

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Figure 7.14: Amsterdam Public Library. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Figure 7.15: Utrecht University Library. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

The Result Figures 7.16 to 7.23 provide a visual tour of the reconfigured spaces.

Figure 7.16: View from the study places, overview over the entrance with a lot of daylight. (Photograph by Melker Dahlstrand).



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Figure 7.17: The study places are very popular, you can study but you can get in contact with other people if you want. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Figure 7.18: A student sitting in the sofa that also has a sound-absorbing function. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Figure 7.19: Study places around the opening of the stairs. The strong colours of the rubber floor are also part of the artwork XYZ by the artist Einar Höste. (Photograph by Sten Jantsin).

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Figure 7.20: A meeting room, glass walls with thin curtains. (Photograph by Sten Jantsin).

Figure 7.21: Offices and a new staircase between levels. (Photograph by Sten Jantsin).



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Figure 7.22: The magazine reading room. (Photograph by Sten Jantsin).

Figure 7.23: Café Valfrid, the new café near the main entrance and the locker rooms. (Photograph by Murman Architects).

Maria G. N. Musoke

8 The End Justified the Means Building Makerere University Library Extension with a Low Budget Abstract: The paper shares the experience of Makerere University librarians, Uganda, in raising funds locally and setting up a model academic library in Sub-Saharan Africa. The first building of the Makerere University Main Library was opened in 1959, extended in 1972 and doubled its space in 2011. Both the growing number of students and advances in information and communication technology led to the need for the construction of a new library building extension, which is connected to the old building by a bridge. The recent extension made it possible to cater for information and communication technology facilities previously difficult to fit in the old architecture. Due to financial constraints, however, the extension was built in a phased manner; the first half of the building (4,000 m2) was completed in 2007, while the second half (also 4,000 m2) was completed in 2011 and opened with a colourful ceremony in 2012. The paper reports the expanded facilities that have provided infinite possibilities for library users and have increased overall library usage. For example, modern libraries provide space for collaborative work, which was lacking in the old building; group study rooms with wi-fi connectivity have been used since 2007. Additional information and communication technology facilities for different categories of library users including those with disabilities are outlined. A Research Commons providing a one-stop centre for academic work was established. Makerere was the first university to provide such a facility in Uganda. A Learning Commons for undergraduate students, a multimedia unit, a mothers’ space for expectant library users and staff, a fountain to provide the soothing sound for the 24/7 reading area and a music digital archive are highlighted. Indeed, the new library building has provided infinite opportunities as development partners were attracted to support the effort of librarians and donated modern information and communication technology facilities and furnishing for the new building. The paper finally reports the various lessons learned.



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Introduction Makerere University was founded in Uganda in 1922, making it one of the oldest public universities in Africa. In 1949, it became a University College of London, then later a University of East Africa catering for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (Macpherson 1964). In 1970 when the East African countries were able to establish their own national universities, Makerere became a national university of Uganda. By 2013, Makerere University was spread over three campuses, namely the main campus, the College of Health Sciences, and the Agricultural Research Institute. The main campus, which covers 350 acres of land, is located on Makerere Hill, 5 kilometres from Kampala, the capital city. The College of Health Sciences covers 45 acres and is located on Mulago hill adjacent to the National Referral Hospital, two kilometres from the main campus. The Agricultural Research Institute is located 25 kilometres from the main campus. There is also a 650-acre Buyana farm for the College of Veterinary Medicine which is located 55 kilometres from the main campus (Makerere University 2012).

Figure 8.1: The new library building, ready 2012. (Photograph by Makerere University).

Makerere University’s vision is “to be the leading institution for academic excellence and innovations in Africa”; while its mission is “to provide innovative teaching, learning, research and services responsive to national and global needs”(Makerere University 2015). Makerere University’s motto is “We build

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for the future”, and the University has indeed continued to build and rebuild what was destroyed during the civil wars and turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s. For example, various buildings have been constructed, multi-disciplinary and ground-breaking research has been published, various scientific innovations have been reported, support from development partners has increased and the periodic webometrics ranking of universities show that Makerere has steadily been improving. The improvements have attracted students from within and outside Uganda and Makerere has continued to build for the future of Uganda and beyond. Even after becoming an Ugandan University, Makerere has continued to attract students from different parts of the world as the 2012/13 academic year admission list shows, for example, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Southern Sudan, Somalia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe; Britain, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Korea, India, Italy, Norway, Philippines, USA and Sweden. Consequently, Makerere University’s admission has risen to over 36,500 students of whom over 3,000 are graduate students. The growing number of University students, the increase in study programmes coupled with paradigm shifts in curriculum and research, the increase in research and the rapid information and communication technology developments have all changed the routines of traditional academic librarianship. The changes are very demanding in a Sub-Saharan African university environment where shortages of infrastructure and facilities are very common due to decreasing budgets. These changes and demands, therefore, need an innovative librarian who, by using various initiatives and networks, seeks to meet the never-ending needs of university library users by creating and maintaining quality library space using the meagre financial resources available. This paper reports the construction of a new library building extension that doubled the existing space using locally generated funds. That achievement resulted from innovative library leadership, good planning and support from the University administration (Figure 8.1).

Makerere University Library Since the 1990s, Africa has been experiencing a rapid expansion in higher education and research. Most universities and research institutions are repositioning quickly to address the demands created by the rapid expansion. These institutions need a vibrant library and information service at the centre of all their activities to be able to meet the changing information needs of their users (Musoke 2010).



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In 1958, an Act of Uganda’s legislature made Makerere University Library (Maklib) the first legal-deposit unit in Uganda. In 1972, Maklib became the National Reference Library in addition to its primary role of serving the highest academic institution in the region. Traditionally, university libraries’ primary users are university students, faculty/academics, researchers and other administrative and support staff. However, most university libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa also extend services to users from outside the university community, as some of these libraries also play a role of a national reference and/or legal-deposit library. Furthermore, given the fact that university libraries are comparatively better resourced than most other institutions, Maklib continues to extend its services to the research communities as well as practitioners from outside Makerere University, who would otherwise not be able to access such library and information services. The multiplicity of roles that Maklib handles strains its services and facilities (Musoke 2012). Maklib comprises the Main Library and ten branch/college libraries. Two of the branch/college libraries are off campus, serving the College of Health Sciences and the Agricultural Research Institute. The eight branch/college libraries are situated at the main campus in the various colleges. These are relatively small and mainly handle the book-bank issues (recommended text books), provide some guidance to students and staff on e-resources usage and collect materials for the institutional repository. For Makerere to continue to excel in its provision of quality higher education, it has had to maintain its library and information services as one of the key priorities in its previous and current (2007/8–2017/8) strategic plans (Makerere University 2007). Libraries are central to ensuring quality teaching, learning and research. Library space is one of the quality assurance issues according to national and international standards. Over the years, there has been a lot of pressure for space at Maklib resulting from the growing number of students, a situation that gets worse during examination period. At Makerere University, it has been noted that many students entirely depend on Maklib for reading space, as their crowded residences cannot provide an appropriate alternative. Some academics have argued, though, that students have laptops; so, they can sit anywhere and access online resources, meaning that librarians are fussing over the need for increased library space and facilities. Those views and arguments, however, are far from the reality on the ground. Records show that many students live in environments that are not conducive to reading or private study. Consequently, Maklib space and facilities get stretched and strained due to demand and overuse, which lead to tear and wear and the need for regular refurbishment, as well as an increase in physical space in branch/College libraries. This paper outlines the journey that led to the extended

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library space and increased information services at Maklib amidst challenges of a low budget as the country has been recovering from a civil war.

Makerere University Main Library Buildings

Figure 8.2: The late Queen Mother cutting a tape at the opening of the library building in February 1959. (Photograph by Makerere University).

Before 1959, Makerere University Library was a small tutors’ library that was housed in what is now the main administration block. In February 1959, the Library moved to the present premises at a grand opening by the late Queen Mother (Figure 8.2). The visitors’ book signed by the late Queen Mother is part of Maklib’s important records and not yet an archive. The same book was signed at the opening of the new extension in 2012. The 1959 library building has been extended three times, with the current new extension opened in 2012 by the President of Uganda and the Vice-President during the celebrations to mark Makerere@ninety, Uganda@fifty as well as the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) Centenary celebrations. CCNY donated the information and communication technology equipment for the new building extension. The story of the buildings, which now form Makerere University Main Library, was earlier reported by Holdsworth (1960), who was the University Librarian at that time. He pointed out that “It was, like most buildings, a compromise in the end. There were certain unchangeable conditions, like a grant which could not



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be increased, and a site which could not be moved. Not that we wanted to move the latter, but we would have liked to increase the former.” The experience was similar when planning for the new building extension opened in 2012. According to Holdsworth, the 1959 building cost £140,000. “With such a sum, it was apparent from the start that one could contemplate only the nucleus, the first stage, of what would ultimately become a much larger building. It would nevertheless have to cater for all the services expected in a university library, albeit some of them in a very restricted way, but would have to be designed in such a way as to allow these services to expand naturally, without involving unnecessary reconstruction.” Unlike the current extension that has been built using mainly local materials, most of the materials used to construct the 1959 building were imported, for example windows and window-frames, steel, high-quality cement, roofing felts, ceramic screens, steel shelving, cork tiles, acoustic tiles, most hardware, lighting and sanitary fittings. Holdsworth reported that the high cost of insurance and freight was worth getting the best quality materials. “In the long run, they effect savings in maintenance costs - and in a country without examples of modern libraries, we should set the standard as high as possible, and this led us to stress quality even at the cost of a reduction in the size of the building”. It was further reported that the site selected in 1959 for the Main Library had to be attractive, prominent and central within Makerere University. Indeed, the Main Library is situated strategically very close to the main administration block. The initial rectangular shape of the building resulted from a number of considerations, prominent among which were the thought that about 33,000 square feet could be afforded; that three storeys were the permissible height; and that a higher building would obscure the extensive views from the neighbouring buildings over an adjacent valley. This building was to be a nucleus from which future extensions would be made and should therefore be as compact as possible. The general tendency in East Africa at that time was to build narrowly to get cross ventilation and 82 feet seemed as wide as one dared to make a building while still complying with local building regulations about cross breezes and light. A three-storey building 82 feet wide fixed the length of 140 feet. These dimensions gave a reasonable undergraduate library. The development of research collections and facilities was planned for a second stage of building, and it was anticipated that this would take the form of an additional linked block, while extra modules could be added to the length of the undergraduate library when this became necessary. Nothing, therefore, was done to prejudice future extensions, and according to Holdsworth, the interior design was made to allow first arrangements to be tentative and changeable at will in future. Indeed all the extensions have taken the form of an addi-

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tional linked block, which shows that the first building architects planned well and really built for the future. In 1959, Makerere University was reported to have had a student body of 750, a growing bindery and offset printing and photographic sections. The new building was able to accommodate 270 library users, had 40 library staff including binders and 120,000 volumes of books and periodicals. With an expected accelerated rate of growth, Makerere library would obviously need additional space, and Holdsworth reported that “we pinned our hopes on a further Colonial Development and Welfare grant for an extension by the end of 1965 at the latest”. The 1966 extension added the “L” shape to the Main Library building. The article by Holdsworth reported, in detail, the choice of site, the modular building, reading areas, external features, interior decoration and ceiling height economies. This is a must-read article for librarians and architects and all those interested in building libraries that are smart, flexible and economical before they start work, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa where there are few examples from which to draw.

The New Library Building Extension Although the 1959 building and its subsequent extensions were designed in such a way as to allow services to expand naturally, without involving unnecessary reconstruction, the introduction of new information and communication technology required a certain infrastructure to be catered for in the architectural design. Consequently, both the growing number of library users and advances in information and communication technology led to the need for the construction of a new library building extension, which is connected to the old building by a bridge on level three, fulfilling the plans of the 1959 architects who indicated that the “building was to be a nucleus from which future extensions would extend”.

Fundraising In 1997, during Makerere University’s celebrations of 75 years, it was decided to focus on the Main Library space issues and to start a fundraising drive for the Main Library building extension. The fundraising during the platinum jubilee raised about 40 million shillings (US$ 17,000). Maklib decided to forego various things, which led to savings over the years that added 900 million shillings (US$375,000). The rest of the money was provided by Makerere University Council (the governing entity of the University) with support from the university manage-



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ment. This provided some of the long-time savings of the university (£300,000 sterling) which enabled the Library to start the building extension project in 2004, but in a phased manner of two equal parts. The first half of the extension was completed in 2007 and it has been used since then. It cost 3.4 billion shillings (US$1.4 million) without furniture and other furnishings. When the construction had started, it was easier to interest Makerere University development partners in supporting the furniture and furnishing of the new extension. The Norwegian government provided funding for the furniture and furnishings. Funding the second half of the extension became problematic as the University could not immediately raise more funds. This was a big problem for Maklib leadership given the fact that: –– in August 2006, Carnegie Corporation of New York announced a competitive grant of US$2.5 million to develop a model university library in Sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa; –– Makerere University Library joined the competition, was successful in the first round and was invited to submit a full proposal to compete with the shortlisted university libraries; –– finally, the Makerere University Library proposal emerged the best amongst the various university library submissions. However, there were conditions to be fulfilled by 30 April 2007 before the final award, and these included: –– the completion of the second half of the Library building extension to provide appropriate space for the model library; –– sustainability of the model library, for example replacing broken/obsolete computers and paying for software licences, at the end of the grant; –– increasing the bandwidth to accommodate the increased information and communication technology facilities. The author, who was the University Librarian then, came up with an idea of charging fees to students. She shared this idea first with the then Deputy Chairperson of Makerere University Council, who supported her and advised her to discuss it with the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs and the Finance Department. The University Librarian then presented the various options to management and the then chairperson and deputy chairperson of Council in a brief meeting called by the Vice Chancellor. They all supported the idea. They agreed to present it to the full Council, which approved the proposal to raise funds by setting up a library development fee to extend the much needed library space. Initially, the fee was to build the second half of the Main Library building extension and to sustain the information and communication technology infra-

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structure beyond donor funding, and later to increase space in the branch and college libraries. The proposal, however, led to unrest at the beginning of the academic year in 2007/8, as the students petitioned the Uganda Parliament and the Social Services Committee to stop Makerere from charging the library development fees. The University Librarian set up a sensitization drive together with the then Dean of Students and held various sessions to demonstrate the benefits of extending library space, including the US$ 2.5 million grant. In all these struggles, University management as well as library management stood with the University Librarian, but it was a tough journey, difficult, tedious and exhausting. Later, the Social Services Committee of Parliament visited Makerere University and the University Librarian took them through the same sensitization session. They were convinced and congratulated Maklib and the entire University on winning the Carnegie grant. Finally, the proposed policy was endorsed by the members of Parliament and the Ministry of Education. The Library development fees, 123,500 shillings, have been contributed by parents and guardians of Makerere University students since the academic year 2008/9. The fee is listed as “Development Fees” in the admission documents. Mrs Kiganda, the then Deputy Chairperson of Council commented “We have struggled as women and we have won – cheers Maria”. The author replied: “The end justified the means”. Constructing the second half of the Library building started in October 2009 and was completed in January 2012 to add another 4,000 m2 of space (Figure 8.3). By the time of completion, the second half of the building extension cost 5.2 billion shillings. This means that the cost of both the first and the second half of the building extension was 8.6 billion shillings (about US$ 3.5 million) excluding information and communication technology equipment, furniture and furnishings.

Figure 8.3: The second half of the library extension – July 2010. (Photograph by Makerere University).



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The Interior Designer’s Note on Colours Selected for the Library Interior The interior designer pointed out that we should never overlook nature’s use of colour as our primary source of inspiration. “Snowberry”, which is derived from nature’s green colour is restful, soothing, cheerful and health-giving. Although the selection of snowberry has a twist towards yellow, it still takes reference from African natural settings. It is youthful and yet its calming effects were among the major reasons for its selection within the walls of Makerere University Main Library. Researchers have also found that green, in this particular case snowberry, has the ability to improve reading, concentration, speed and comprehension. Snowberry is one of the refreshing accent colours. Therefore, when blended with a coral pink, the combination has the ability to relieve stress and enable relaxation for library users. Snowberry has a great way of bringing the outside within, while lifting the room to provide dramatic colour changes that could occur from day to night. This varied change in ambience provides calm and ease, both fundamentals required for effective and efficient reading. Coral Pink is derived from pink, which is the colour of happiness and is sometimes seen as a colour that represents light-heartedness. Brighter pinks are youthful, fun and exciting while vibrant pinks have the same high energy as red. Coral pink which has been used for the library interior is an urban, modern and yet graphic colour. The contemporary palette is graphic in the sense that the combination of snowberry and coral pink provides neutral tones and cool teals which allow blocks of colour to be used in different areas as contrasting partners required for open space planning. This concept helps segment the open spaced library at Makerere University. The selection of warm tones of coral enhances the palette with hues from the opposite end of the colour spectrum. This creates harmony within the library and accentuates Makerere University’s values seen through the use of the green hue (snowberry) associated with energy, action and confidence.

The Art Pieces In addition to selecting the colours, type of paint and the firm which did the painting, the School of Industrial and Fine Arts, in liaison with the librarians, designed the signage, the sculptures and fifty-seven art pieces which have earned Maklib many positive comments from library users and visitors. Apart from the sculpture of a boy and a girl reading a book at the front, as well as the sculpture of a woman pouring water from a pot at the fountain sym-

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bolizing women’s roles, there are two major sculptures which were paid for by the Rockefeller Foundation. One depicts a war victim, to commemorate the lives of Ugandans who died during the war and the resilience of the human spirit in Uganda, while the second is a flute boy, symbolizing peace and resilience. That sculpture celebrates the return of peace to Uganda which followed the political instability and wars of the 1970s and early 1980s. Carved in copper and wood, it is placed at the ground floor of the new library building extension at the entrance (Figure 8.4). Maklib greatly appreciates the professional support from TECHO Consult, the School of Industrial and Fine Arts and the entire College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT). The support included the architectural design of the building extension, supervision of the building contractor, choice of materials, paint, colours, art works, furniture and furnishings, layout and other aspects of interior design of both the old and the new buildings.

Figure 8.4: Flute Boy sculpture symbolizes peace and resilience. (Photograph by Makerere University).

Makerere University Library’s Inspirational Facilities It was indeed a dream come to a reality and the end justifying the means when finally a new building extension was opened in 2012, and both the President of Uganda and the Vice President congratulated Makerere on the achievement and thanked the leaders for being innovative. Inspired by the state-of-the art facilities,



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the Vice President expressed his optimism that whoever stepped in the library would always come out better informed, knowledgeable and wiser. He encouraged Ugandans to go back to Makerere University to do research and register for higher degrees to be able to optimize the use of the enhanced library resources and facilities. The developments at Maklib were reported by the Ugandan media, for example, The Observer, with such headlines as “Discover the new Makerere’s library” (Talemwa 2011a), “Who really uses the Library?” (Talemwa 2011b) and “Nsibambi commends Makerere Library” (Alina 2014) The developments were also reported at an international level in a poster session at the 78th World Library and Information Congress organized by IFLA at Helsinki, Finland in August 2012. The improved services and facilities include a doubling of library space by the addition of 8,000 m2 making a total of 16,000 m2 at the Main Library. This addressed the shortage of library space that had caused students to complain and led to chaos during the examination period. The expanded library space now comfortably accommodates students even during the examination period, when the old library building used to be full to capacity and students used to sit in between the shelves and in the corridors. The new extension has provided more toilet facilities for all users and in particular, library users with disabilities who have, for the first time, obtained toilet facilities built according to international standards. The new extension provides places for quiet reading, noisy group study, meeting and eating in the canteen, workshops and seminars, presentation opportunities and discovery of colleagues’ or peers’ research. Information and communication technology facilities for different categories of library users are provided on every floor; the whole building has LAN extension; and there are OPAC terminals in different places. The new library building extension has five floors.

Ground Floor The ground floor has an information desk, cloakroom, 3M security gates and a reference librarian’s office, which are standard facilities in most modern libraries. Information and communication technology facilities for library users with disabilities have been strategically located on the ground floor, just after the security gate. The computer laboratory for users with disabilities has Jaws and Magic software to support the blind and visually impaired. The furniture in this unit is flexible to ease usage by those physically handicapped. The building has ramps for access and a lift. Such facilities are lacking in most Ugandan universities. Makerere University admits all blind and visually impaired students and most other applicants with disabilities in Uganda, thereby extending University education to this usually marginalized group of students. A secretarial bureau

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near the entrance provides photocopying, lamination and stationery to support the needs of library users (Figure 8.5).

Figure 8.5: Maklib new building reception. (Photograph by Makerere University).

A relaxation area in the space in front of the group study rooms has sofas, low tables and a magazine rack for library users to take a break and relax. A digital archive of Ugandan music is housed on this floor, while the music collection and work room is on level one. The music archive has, through digitization, preserved and conserved traditional Ugandan music for study, teaching and research. The unit was built according to international standards and has attracted many local and international researchers. Since January 2011, the music archive has upgraded to a newer version of DSpace encompassing all fields of the music collection, making them visible on the web. The archive includes over 3,000 audio files, photographs, over 1600 digital songs of 1940s and 1950s, digitized cassettes of ethnomusicology, and other digital recordings preserved in the music archive. Maklib greatly appreciates support of the University of Bergen for training the music librarian and archivist, which has greatly built the capacity to manage this collection. Maklib also acknowledges the contribution of Dr Nanyonga Tamusuza, an Associate Professor of Music, who has supported the development of the archive and the music collection in general. Half of the ground floor of the new extension provides a 24/7 reading space, very popular among students during examination periods. This was carefully designed to allow light, aeration and freshness needed to support extended periods of reading and concentration. Adjacent to the 24/7 area is a fountain that provides a soothing sound to keep library users awake (Figure 8.6). The fountain is in the form of a beautiful sculpture of a woman and her child pouring water from a Ugandan



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pot, and is well lit with blue lights beneath the water to give it a natural look. A modern canteen or physical social space is located next to the 24/7 area. It provides space for eating and meeting, which was lacking in the old library building.

Figure 8.6: The fountain provides a soothing sound to keep library users awake. (Photograph by Makerere University).



Figure 8.7: Collaborative work in Group Study Rooms. (Photograph by Makerere University).

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Half of the ground floor of the new building extension has discussion rooms, which are very popular. They have wi-fi connectivity enabling the users to use laptops and discuss or prepare course work. The group-study facility had not been included in the original library building extension. However, the librarians had observed that library users held discussions in the designated reading space for silent reading, while others sat in small groups outside the library. The architect was then convinced and the building design was changed to include a group-study facility. Maklib has eight group-study rooms with one for users with disabilities (equipped with appropriate hardware and software as already indicated), one for music researchers, one for IT-related collaborative work, while five rooms are for general library use and are provided on a first-come first-served basis (Figure 8.7). Each group-study room was designed to seat eight people. However, ten people were the norm. A post-occupancy evaluation was conducted in April 2011, just before the examination time, a peak period for library usage, to investigate the causes of the crowding of the facility despite the efforts of the librarians to control the number of users. Another issue of concern to librarians was that students were holding discussions in areas meant for silent reading and in those areas where they used to hold discussions before the group study facility was put in place. The results of a post-occupancy evaluation indicated 10 to 15 users per group study room; the users were all undergraduate students; and they preferred the group study to individual silent reading areas for various reasons. These included: –– they provide a good environment for discussions without inconveniencing those who prefer quiet reading and enable users to avoid disturbing others; –– they are convenient to use for group interactions which help one to ask questions and gain more knowledge; –– the availability of white boards, markers and tables makes it easy to demonstrate and teach each other; –– they are comfortable, easily accessible, well-aerated, accessible, and near the exit/entrance and the canteen. Several lessons were learned from this study, which will be used, for example, to provide group-study facilities in the branch and college libraries that are going to be extended. The library administration has started addressing the issue of shortage of collaborative space by procuring tables with umbrellas and chairs which will be placed outside the library on verandas and in the library compound as Uganda has favourable weather most of the time.



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Level One The first floor has two seminar rooms each able to seat thirty people. They are equipped with wi-fi, a computer, a presentation table and white board. They are booked in advance for use by academic members of staff and other groups including the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries. The music collection and work room as already reported are on this floor. Academic staff had pointed out that students keep knocking on their doors in the departmental offices, making it difficult to concentrate. Space has therefore been created with swipe cards to provide access to space specifically designed for academic staff, which is proving very popular. There is also a quiet reading space for all library users.

Level Two

Figure 8.8: Learning Commons. (Photograph by Makerere University).

The second floor includes a Learning Commons to provide undergraduate students with a one-stop centre for academic work (Figure 8.8). Makerere was the first University to provide such a facility in Uganda. The Learning Commons has two separate sections, individual study and a group commons. The individual study facility has 138 internet-connected computers installed with Windows oper-

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ating system and MS Office applications. Each computer is placed in a cubicle with 0.25 m2 of work space. The group commons, on the other hand, has 12 workstations. Each workstation is divided into four partitions, each with a computer and enough space to allow at least two students to engage in a discussion. The facility is for users who come in a group and need to do collaborative work using computers. The computers have specialized research analysis tools and software like SPSS, Atlas.ti, and Endnote. If any course requires software for academic purposes, the lecturers are encouraged to propose it so that the library procures and installs it. The group commons facility also has eight cubicle spaces where users with laptops can sit and hold discussions.

Figure 8.9: Multimedia Unit. (Photograph by Makerere University).

The presentation room, commonly known as the Powerpoint room, is equipped with a workstation, a laptop, ceiling-mounted projector, white board and screen. The room has some movable 30 chairs and accommodates users who might meet and share presentations or individuals who pre-test presentations. The presentation room draws many users to the library as some individual departments lack such a facility. The facility is used on a first-come first-serve basis, but advance booking is allowed by sending an e-mail at least 24 hours before the scheduled time. There is a multi-media unit with a networked printer and scanner, a hightech digital camera, a digital recorder, a DVD/MP3/ CD player, and a radio (Figure 8.9). The multimedia room also has a television set connected to over 20 international educational, research and academic channels as well as local channels.



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This is conveniently located on the same floor as the learning commons and the presentation room to enable library users to make use of the facility for learning, teaching and research. There is a browsing area where users can take a break and relax. The “Ask a librarian” desk is also on this floor to assist users. A training laboratory with computers for hands-on training of up to 32 people is available on this floor and it is popular among lecturers and their graduate students. The Directorate of Research and Graduate Training together with the library training team conduct periodic training of graduate students in this facility. A collection of audio-visual materials is also shelved in a specialised facility on this floor. The remainder of the floor consists of quiet reading areas.

Level Three The third floor contains staff work rooms for the Digitisation and Technical Services sections, the University Librarian’s office, the Board room and staff lounge. In between these offices is a welcoming waiting area. The old library building lacked such an area, and visitors to the University librarian used to wait outside the office. Of special mention is the mothers’ space where expectant library staff and users take a break. It is the first such facility at Makerere University. It has comfortable sofas and was painted with cool colours to provide a relaxing environment. The rest of the floor is quiet reading area.

Level Four The fourth floor accommodates the Research Commons. The Maklib Research Commons was set up to meet the growing needs of current literature-driven research, and staff provide a differentiated service to graduate students, researchers and academic staff. Half of the top floor of the new building extension has been devoted to the Research Commons, a one-stop centre for study, teaching and research information. This facility provides both a collaborative environment in which researchers come together to share, discuss, and get to know what their peers are researching, and an individual study environment. It is equipped with 90 computers, and there are facilities for laptops. Research Commons users receive support from library staff led by MIT (Masters in Information Technology) graduates specifically trained to provide such support. A study on the usage of the Research and Learning Commons facilities is ongoing. The new textbook short-loan section, commonly known as IDA, occupies the second half of Level Four. Additional new shelves and over 1000 new textbook

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titles donated by the Carnegie Corporation of New York have been included The IDA section in the old building was full to capacity, making it necessary to create the IDA extension in the new building. It is spacious with a beautiful view of Mulago Hill and very popular among library users who prefer a quiet reading area.

Reorganization of Space The old building was continually remodelled and improved to match the new extension and the new information and communication technology developments, providing increased aeration where needed, modern furnishings and potted plants to give the library some life. Re-organization of the existing space in the old library building opened up more space for library users, for example: –– on level three, opposite the former University Librarian’s office, the shelves with old reference books were removed and space is now open for library users; –– on level two (former law section), all the books were removed and the space is now open for use. On level two near the bindery, the heaps of books were removed, sorted and shelved; the area was painted, fans installed and it is now used as a reading space; –– the book bank section which was occupying three-quarters of level one was moved to level three. That space is now a reading area; –– the periodicals section which was on levels two and three now occupies part of level two only; –– furthermore, the previously scattered reference collection (on levels one, two, three and four) was amalgamated on level four to ease its management and save users’ time. As a result, the IDA (formerly on level one), and Law (formerly on level two) are now on level four, as is the Africana collection. After the opening of the new library building extension in 2012, more re-organization of space was embarked on. An ad hoc space reorganization committee was set up in March 2013 and submitted its report. Among other things, stocktaking was recommended. It started in the IDA short-loan textbook section. Infrequently circulating books were withdrawn and shelved in the open shelves loan area on level two of the old library building. The stocktaking and related space re-organization exercise was completed in August 2013 before the new academic years started.



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Lessons Several lessons were learnt. While creating quality library space in academic institutions in developing countries is challenging, maintaining the quality of the created space is even more difficult. Once the building is constructed, attention moves to other demands. The librarian has to become more innovative to ensure that a budget line for maintenance is not removed from the overall library budget. Furthermore, the increased availability of space comes with its own challenges, which requires a firm budget line. For example, staffing issues (number, level and skills), more surveillance equipment and air conditioning require additional funding. It seems the need for funds is never-ending. Maklib now needs a bigger budget! After occupying the new building, the librarians also noted that there were things that could have been done better or differently. These will be discussed with the architects at an appropriate time. From the post-occupancy group-study evaluation, it became evident that all new library buildings should have collaborative study areas. Hence, the proposed new buildings at the College of Agricultural Research Institute and the Medical Library will include group study facilities in the architectural design. Maklib will address other issues raised by library users, for example providing more white boards and markers, and more opportunities for collaborative study spaces. Indeed, as observed by Harrison (1968, 18), “the character and efficiency of a University is gauged by the treatment of its central organ, the Library”. With adequate support, the Library will be able to address the lessons learned and continue to deliver the services needed.

Conclusion Indeed the end justified the means! This paper has shared the experience of Makerere University library leadership, who successfully mobilized funds from local sources resulting, in the addition of 8,000 m2 of new library space with modern information and communication technology facilities not found in other libraries in the country. All the troubles and struggles are now part of history. What is important is that the expanded space and facilities are in place and are being enjoyed by people who would otherwise not be able to access them. Extending library space, without donor support, and winning various competitive grants from development partners which have successfully been implemented, have led to the reconstruction and transformation of Maklib. These are some of the major achievements between 2004–2014 of the author’s library leadership, which has

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continued to build for the future of Uganda and beyond. Maklib continues to transform itself into a model academic library in Sub-Saharan Africa. These developments have enhanced Maklib’s premier position in the country and the region in the provision of library and information services as well as providing support to other libraries in Uganda, Southern Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania. Innovative library leadership and support from University administration do make things easier. Once quality space is created and/or extended, various other demands from library users, library staff and other stakeholders engage the library administration, usually requiring more funds which may not be easily available after the completion of the building. After building, there is also a feeling of “we could have done this better” and yet the funds are exhausted. Hence, as the Library architect commented “once one starts building, one never stops”. Maklib will continue seeking support to address the financial and related challenges to be able to maintain and sustain the quality library space and facilities. The major lesson, therefore, is that it is indeed possible to mobilize financial resources locally to increase library space and provide the needed quality infrastructure and library services with a low budget. Determination and innovation are important. Whatever route one takes, the end should justify the means.

Acknowledgement The author is grateful to Makerere University administration, students and parents/guardians, all individuals, organizations and development partners who have supported Maklib in various ways. Special thanks go to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for providing the US$2.5m for the information and communication technology infrastructure, new books, capacity building of library staff and partial furnishing of the second half of the new library building extension; the Norwegian government for providing over US$200,000 for the furnishing of the first half of the building and support through the University of Bergen Library for capacity building and setting up of the Digitisation unit; Sida (Sweden) for the third grant of 8 million SEK that supported e-resources, training of librarians at PhD and Masters’ degree levels, digitization and library automation.



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References Alina, Marion. 2014. “Nsibambi commends Makerere Library.” The Observer 17 November. http://www.observer.ug/education/85-education/34972--nsibambi-commends-makererelibrary. Accessed on 31 October 2015. Harrison, K. C. 1968. Libraries in Britain. Harlow: Longman, Green & Co. Holdsworth, Harold. 1960. “The library of Makerere College, University College of East Africa.” South African Libraries 27: 109–111. Macpherson, Margaret. 1964. They Built for the Future: A Chronicle of Makerere University College 1922–1962. Cambridge: The University Press. Makerere University. 2007. Strategic Plan, 2007/08–2017/18. Kampala: Makerere University Planning and Development Department. http://pdd.mak.ac.ug/sites/default/files/ archive/PDD%20Plan%20-%20Final%20Draft.pdf Accessed on 30 March 2015. Makerere University. 2012. Fact book 2011/12. 3rd ed. Kampala: Makerere University Planning and Development Department. http://pdd.mak.ac.ug/sites/default/files/archive/ Fact%20book%202011-12.pdf. Accessed on 30 March 2015. Makerere University. 2015. Vision and Mission.“ http://mak.ac.ug/about-makerere/ our-mission-and-vision. Accessed on 24 September 2015. Musoke, Maria G. N. 2010. Reconstruction@maklib with minimal resources. Paper presented at the World Library and Information Congress, Gothenburg 2010. http://conference.ifla.org/ past-wlic/2010/106-musoke-en.pdf. Accessed on 29 March 2015. Musoke, Maria G.N. 2012. “Makerere University Main library building: 1959–2012”. In Commissioning of the Makerere University Main Library New Building Extension, 5–9. Kampala: Mariannum Press. http://www.mulib.mak.ac.ug/index.php/14-sample-dataarticles/112-library-building Accessed on 29 March 2015. Talemwa, Moses. 2011a “Discover the new at Makerere’s library.” The Observer 10 July. http:// observer.ug/education/85-education/14199-discover-the-new-at-makereres-library. Accessed on 31 October 2015. Talemwa, Moses. 2011b. “Who really uses the library?” The Observer 10 July. http://observer. ug/education/85-education/14198-who-really-uses-the-library. Accessed on 31 October 2015.

Ruvini Kodikara and Ruwan Gamage

9 Rethinking Library Space as an Information Commons From Drawbacks to Solutions and Negotiations in between Abstract: Based on a user needs survey and a series of meetings with the representatives from students and staff, the University of Moratuwa Library in Sri Lanka developed a modernization plan. This included improving the library environment so that it would become conducive for improved access and collaborative learning. A large-scale enhancement to the building, other physical resources, services, and the approach to providing library services was started in 2011. At the beginning, this project faced resistance from the beneficiaries, who considered it to be a cut-down of facilities they had been enjoying over several decades. However, good negotiations and continuous dialogue could avoid further obstacles. The paper presents a case study, highlighting important milestones of the process. The output of the study could be useful for academic libraries planning similar projects.

The University of Moratuwa Library The University of Moratuwa is an urban university majoring in technology disciplines. It has three faculties: Architecture, Engineering, and Information Technology. The University of Moratuwa Library (UML) provides services to its staff and students. Originally an entity scattered within the University premises, UML moved to a proper library building in 1995. It is a six-storey building of approximately 15,000 m2, including an attic area and a basement (Table 9.1). The library collection of books and periodicals has about 120,000 media for 5,000 students and staff members.



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Table 9.1: Floor directory descriptions, as at the beginning of the project in 2011. Floor

Description

Attic floor Third floor

Closed stacks of books and back issues of periodicals less used Technical Services Office (TS), Librarians Office (LO), Circulation Desk (CD), open stacks and new addition book display shelf and office Main Entrance (ME), Study Area (SA), Membership Counter (MC) and Computer Laboratory (CL) Current periodicals (CP) & Reference (R), Special Collections (SC), Photocopy Room (PC) Acquisitions and Bindery sections, Administration Office Lecture halls of an academic department

Second floor First floor Ground floor (GF) Basement (B)

The Problem Based on surveys and discussions, the librarians at the University of Moratuwa recognized several drawbacks in the Library building and its functioning. The entry floor housed the study area which was filled with students but not at all a dynamic place. The space was not attractive. Inside the premises, it was slightly dark even when all lights were on. The humidity was high and the air flow was obstructed. Interior fittings were not ergonomic. Library use was low. This situation called for a significant change in the structure, processes and the work flow.

The Proposed Solution Many of today’s learners favour active, participatory, experiential learning and prefer the learning style adopted in their personal lives. They find great value in being with other people and want their college experience to promote connections with fellow students (Oblinger 2006). The librarians decided that a Learning Commons (LC) could provide the desired environment which would meet user expectations.

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The Learning Commons The Information Commons (IC) has been conceptualized as follows (Bailey and Tierney 2002): –– the world of information, especially digital information on or via the web, as the macro-commons; –– areas, modules or components of an institution with a high concentration of computer/digital technologies, peripherals, software options, and network infrastructure, as a more localized or micro-commons; and –– integrated centres for research, teaching and learning, with a strong digital focus and often housed in or at least inclusive of a library, a more integrated commons. A Learning Commons (LC) is the physical space dedicated for collaboration. It is a component of the IC described above (Spencer 2007). The concept has transformed and extended library services in universities worldwide (Tairi, McCormack, Leihy, & Ring 2008). The library is a logical location for the placement of a Learning Commons because it is already a central hub for information for students. UOM Library was unique in that the main floor of the Library had a large open area that would easily accommodate a commons, allowing for quiet study areas in other parts of the Library. Providing spaces where students, faculty and staff can come together to enhance teaching and learning was determined to be the most important direction that the project needs to work toward. Views and guidance of academic staff, especially on architectural and engineering aspects were obtained in preparing the proposal on the Learning Commons. Input was sought from all stakeholders within the University community. UML submitted a proposal for improving library services to enhance the learning environment of the University of Moratuwa to the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka. The proposal was estimated to cost LKR 50 million (US$ 400,000). Only half of the estimated costs were allocated and the proposed scale of the project had to be adjusted accordingly. The remaining tasks were expected to be accomplished when more funds were available.

The Proposed Changes The library was redesigned to be a commons area. Green architecture and user convenience were considered important. Therefore it was proposed to block



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direct sunlight, which caused increased room temperature with an external canopy (Figure 9.1).

Figure 9.1: An artist’s view from the front showing the proposed canopy. (Graphic by Narein Perera, Dept. of Architecture, University of Moratuwa).

Free flow of air was to be supported by open doors and walls. The colour of the floor, roof, walls and interior would be as light as possible in colour to retain natural light (Figure 9.2).

Figure 9.2: An artist’s view of the proposed canopy cover with direct sunlight, enhanced entrance, light coloured walls and floors. (Graphic by Narein Perera, Dept. of Architecture, University of Moratuwa).

The entrance would be inviting and the furniture designed for prolonged reference and reading sessions. The chairs were to be cane woven, built with treated timber suitable for a tropical climate and simple ergonomic designs (Figure 9.3).

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Figure 9.3: Current reading and work environment with especially designed furniture. (Photograph by Melro Mendis, University of Moratuwa)

Figure 9.4: Homedesigned modular settees encouraging discussion and leisure reading. (Photograph by Melro Mendis, University of Moratuwa)

In line with changing the appearance and streamlining the workflow, some operational divisions had to be relocated (Table 9.2). To facilitate the work of the Learning Commons, we proposed to set up a help desk facing the entrance. It was decided to move the location of the periodicals section to the entry floor to facilitate and improve the reading behaviour of library users (Figures 9.5 and 9.6). This meant the reading area would be relocated to the basement. The third floor lending area was improved with additional seating for reading books and working on laptops and mobile devices. For this, long benches were affixed along the walls. The first floor accommodated the Sri Lankan and Special Collections which were earlier available on the ground floor. In addition, the area was supplied with



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a satellite TV connection. Some walls of this section were demolished to enable free movement of users between sections. Table 9.2: Changes proposed to the floor structure Floor

Description

Attic floor 3rd floor

No change TS moved to GF Study cubicles removed SA moved to B Front desk to be moved here Furnished the Learning Commons A Satellite TV fixed Modernisation of the auditorium CP to be moved to 2nd floor Accommodated TS Accommodated SA Moved lecture halls to the respective department, outside the library premises

2nd floor

1st floor

Ground floor (GF) Basement (B)

Phase – 2 2 2 4 3 2 3 4 2 2 1

Figure 9.5: Part of the layout diagram of the UML Learning Commons. (Drawing by Nareia Perera, Dept. of Architecture, University of Moratuwa).

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Figure 9.6: Current arrangement of the LC at the University of Moratuwa library. (Photograph by Melro Mendis, University of Moratuwa).

Challenges Faced By March 2011, the grant worth LKR 25 million had been approved. However, architectural plans and technical drawings had not been completed by this time. Two major alterations were made to the roof and front door. The maintenance division was instructed to attend. Movement of existing furniture and removing partitions were undertaken as the first parts of the project. Foreseeing possible pressure from unhappy students which might prevent the movement of study carrels from the second floor to the basement, a series of meetings with representatives from the student unions was convened. Even after delicate negotiations, student unrest erupted, with placards, billboards, and posters all over the University, protesting against the modifications to the Library. At the request of the Library, the Engineering Student Union organized an urgent open seminar on 9 November 2011. Here, enough opportunity was given for any individual student to raise questions. Library staff, supported by a presentation by the voluntary consultant architect from the Faculty of Architecture, answered queries. Questions focused on the potential loss of reading space. The librarians were able to show that the seating capacity actually increased. In addition to the facilities moved to the basement, there would be additional reading spaces with a discussion room of 60 seats, work benches accommodating 60 on the lending floor and comfortable seating for 40 in the commons area. The students were finally convinced that the developments would be for their benefit, making the learning environment more flexible with no restrictions on eating, talking or



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storage of bags in the information rich commons area, with free internet access, additional electronic resources and more current reference materials. Negotiations with the academic departments who were occupying the basement area were successful. They left the Library building, leaving more space for library functions. Therefore, the study carrels occupying the entry floor were shifted to the basement. Formalities such as the Bill of Quantities (BOQ), approval of the technical evaluation committee (TEC) and the Tender Board were delaying the processes. Several changes occurred in the University administration. As a result, the new members had to be briefed again. Trade union actions by staff on various other matters impacted on the pace of advancement of the project. In order to expedite the project and to obtain the specifications for each drawing and piece of furniture, architectural assistance and advice of the engineers was sought several times and provided voluntarily by faculty who fitted the work in with other academic commitments. Meanwhile since there was no visible progress or construction, students were nervous and again requested the relocation of the furniture to the second floor. Again, they had to be convinced about the project’s intentions and the results of issues related to “red tape”.

Present Status Phase three of the project has been completed. Additional sources of funding could now be secured. Further developments are being carried out. However, the completion of phase three is an achievement in itself, as students are now enjoying the comfort of enhanced seating capacity. Some teachers use the Learning Commons to teach small groups. Visitation rates are increasing. Many students now use the Learning Commons area to read, work with their own laptops, or even for sleeping. The discussion room is always occupied and interactive group discussions and peer-assisted learning are common activities (Figure 9.7, p. 158).

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Figure 9.7: Students engaging in collaborative learning. (Photograph by Melro Mendis, University of Moratuwa).

Conclusions Although the original plan was much more comprehensive, the University of Moratuwa Library commons project was adjusted considerably according to the budget finally approved. Yet the final outcomes seem to be rewarding. More students visit the Library. Interactions between teachers and students have increased. Collaboration between students is evident. Therefore, it can be concluded that the library commons concept has been successful. This may lead to the integration of macro and micro commons, and finally to the creation of a total Information Commons environment. Library resources and services are passively being promoted, and using resources and borrowing materials is of secondary concern. As the first ever “library commons” in Sri Lanka, the project has attracted much enthusiasm and generated a wealth of experience.

Acknowledgements Photographs are by Melro Mendis, Library, University of Moratuwa. Drawings and graphics are provided by Narein Perera, Department of Architecture, University of Moratuwa.



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References Bailey, D. Russell and Barbara Tierney. 2002. “Information Commons Redux: Concept, Evolution, and Transcending the Tragedy of the Commons.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 28(5): 277–286. http://digitalcommons.providence.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1001&context=lib_publications. Accessed on 24 March 2015. Oblinger, Diana G. 2006. “Space as a Change Agent.” In Learning spaces, ed. by Diana G. Oblinger, 1.1–1.4. Louisville, Co.: Educause. https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ pub7102a.pdf, Accessed on 24 March 2015. Spencer, Mary Ellen. 2007. “The State-of-the-art: NCSU Libraries Learning Commons.” Reference Services Review 35(2): 310–321. doi:10.1108/00907320710749218. Tairi, Kim, Rob McCormack, Peodair Leihy and Peter Ring. 2008. “Fairy Tales and Elggs: Social Networking with Student Rovers in Learning Commons.” Paper presented at the VALA 14th Biennial Conference and Exhibition, Melbourne, 5–7 February 2008. http://eprints. rclis.org/12307/1/95_Tairi_Final.pdf. Accessed on 26 March 2015.

Ursula Byrne

10 Achieving Library Refurbishment Get the Most out of Matched Funding and Careful Design Planning Abstract: University College Dublin (UCD), the largest university in Ireland, with an academic community of 25,000, and its library have had considerable success in developing a phased approach to space development. A carefully developed design layout for wall, flooring and canopy areas that can be used in bright or quiet combinations has been used. It can be extended across different areas. Individual projects meet different user needs, and yet an overall sense of unity has been developed. With a large refurbishment project in mind, and emphasis on the future, planning has focused on movable elements that can be re-configured to meet future needs. Critical to the success of this work is a series of very successful smaller refurbishment projects which opened up a new dimension to how the Library is perceived by the academic community, and how the student community engages with the library spaces. Equally important has been the development of excellent partnerships; the ability to communicate the vision of the library; securing of matched funding; and the building of trust and credibility in delivering on UCD’s promises. Bringing on board library colleagues also provides challenges. This paper will address the themes using examples from the successful small scale refurbishments, which form part of the overall master plan for the long term development, including a high quality social learning space.

Challenges Developing high-quality user spaces that meet changing user needs is a serious challenge for Irish academic libraries when budgets are continually being reduced. When one’s country is in deep recession, the challenge is exacerbated. There is the additional need to balance an incompatible timeline between a major building and refurbishment project of five years with an immediate need to re-imagine and reshape the library’s learning spaces to stay relevant. This is the scenario faced by University College Dublin (UCD). UCD is the largest university in Ireland, with an academic community of almost 25,000. The James Joyce Library receives up to one million visits per year



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and is the largest of the five UCD libraries.1 It is in many ways the learning centre of the University where students gather to read, to study in small groups, and to avail themselves of specialized learning support. The Library Building was designed by J. Hardie Glover of Spence, Glover and Ferguson Architects, a Scottish practice set up by Sir Basil Spence, and built in two phases between 1972 and 1987. It covers over 15,000  m2, and the Library currently occupies c. 13,600 m2 of the space. It was planned originally to support the conventional learning modalities of the last century. Over the years there have been large infrastructural improvements, such as re-cabling projects, and the provision of an energy efficient escalator, but little refurbishment of spaces. Today the library needs to be both refurbished and reorganised to support the changed cultural expectations, new technologies, and the movement of pedagogy away from the dominant lecture model to more diverse approaches incorporating technology. The overall goal is to develop a dynamic, customer-focused 21st-century university library, where spaces and services inspire and support research and learning across all disciplines, making it a destination of choice for students and researchers alike.

Economic Context For almost two decades, in the 1990s and 2000s, the Irish Celtic Tiger economy boomed, and higher-education institutions, most of which are publicly financed, benefited greatly. As the country went into recession, the Irish government imposed severe austerity measures to deal with the fallout from the global economic crisis. Between 2007 and 2009 the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrank by 11%; whereas unemployment rose to nearly 15%. To put the Irish situation into context, the 2011 European University Association (EUA) report (EUA 2011) looking at the effects of the recession on universities in Europe, singled Ireland out as one of the hardest-hit countries, with reductions in higher educational funding over 2009/10 of 15%. In the University, the Library budget was reduced by 27% between 2007/08 and 2011/12. In contrast to these cuts in funding, there has been significant increase in the number of students going into higher education institutions due to demographic reasons and high unemployment figures (EUA 2011, 5).

1 http://www.ucd.ie/library. Accessed on 2 May 2015.

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Solutions In spring 2012 the Library administration approached the University’s Buildings and Services unit to discuss the new vision, and made the case for a phased approach to the proposed space development plans both short-term and longterm. Library staff were very much aware that being able to complete short-term refurbishment projects would open up new opportunities and raise questions about how students would engage with these new spaces, how Library services might be developed, and how the Library, as a space, would be perceived by the academic community. Critical to the success of these projects was the Library’s ability to communicate its vision successfully, influence decision making and make a successful case for matched funding. The budgets for these projects had to be committed and spent within a tight timeframe. The Library’s commitment to the process, along with the reputation and credibility that had been established, helped to build on the excellent partnership with the University’s Buildings and Services unit. This was a critical first step for the Library as there is a much larger building project in the pipeline, which involves the full refurbishment of 55,000 m2 of existing accommodation including a library building and the adjacent building housing the Colleges of Arts and Celtic Studies and Human Sciences, and a new building of c. 5,000 m2, which will be an atrium between the two refurbished buildings. The Library’s approach was successful and the Buildings and Services unit agreed to a matched funding formula, and so it was possible to engage an architecture firm, Reddy Architecture + Urbanism2 in late spring 2012, to work on a range of projects.

Design Brief The James Joyce building. designed in the 1970s, conforms to horizontal lines of concrete and glass. The Library staff wanted the refurbished spaces to feel modern and contemporary. Working with the architecture firm, a carefully developed design layout was devised that includes wall, flooring, seating and canopy areas. This design can be used in bright or quiet combinations, extended across different areas, as funding comes on stream, and allows individual projects meeting different user needs to be developed, while creating an overall sense of unity. A decision was made to use circular patterns in carpets, so phasing does not look 2 Reddy Architecture + Urbanism, http://www.reddyarchitecture.com/. Accessed on 2 May 2015.



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patchy or produce dated sections. It also provides for the scenarios where carpet colours or styles may not be available in the future. Circles were used in a range of ways to bring this design concept into spaces - in wall panels, furniture, signage etc. (Figure 10.1).

Figure 10.1: Circles used in design concept, in furnishings, carpet, signage.

The library staff also took a chance and used a colour palette of strong bright colours, which were popular with some, but not all. Living with risk, and taking chances with design and colour, knowing it can be changed if it does not work, is part of the process and one that was embraced. As UCD Library is simultaneously involved in planning a vision document for the much larger refurbishment project mentioned above, the design brief also emphasised the need for future space planning, and the need to develop movable elements that could be reconfigured or repurposed to meet future needs. Staff also wanted spaces to have a high level of flexibility and convertibility, an aspect lacking in the current library. In the past, Library building projects that could not be completed in good time before the new academic year were not entertained. Therefore from 2012 a new approach was taken. The Library’s decision makers now look at the moneys available, assess the long term benefits to users, and take responsibility for any disruption or noise as needed.

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The Projects The projects included developing a new social learning space; a new suite of offices; refurbishing the Special Collections reading room; the development of a multipurpose learning space; the redevelopment of the service desk and clearing and refreshing the foyer area of the Library.

Project 1: Social Learning Space It was evident to library staff that more learning is taking place outside of the classroom, with an increased emphasis on group work and “team-based learning”. However, there were no informal spaces for this type of work in the Library. The limited number of group study rooms that were available were in continuous use and had to be booked in advance. It was decided to repurpose an under-used “prime space” with natural light, good views, close proximity to the information desk area and the library entrance area into a “social learning space” where students could interact and learn together. When undertaking this project the library management was very conscious of the challenges of bringing library colleagues on board with the idea of introducing a busy/noisy learning space into a previously quiet library. Careful discussion and negotiation were needed to allay fears around noise and student behaviour, as well as to achieve the work involved in clearing the spaces in time for building works. Addressing the noise concerns meant that getting the acoustics right was critical (Figure 10.2). The intention was to have a high quality, durable finish for the space, and yet to provide choice for users. A combination of high booths, acoustic clouds, and carpet finishes were used, along with limiting the amount of seating initially to see if noise became an issue. The Library Hub (Figure 10.3), as it is called, is now a stimulating space with access to technology and electrical power, as well as beautiful views across the campus lake. With over 65 seats, it is available to users whenever the Library is open, and spaces do not have to be booked in advance. With lovely views of the lake, it boasts a variety of comfortable flexible furniture, some of which can be moved to meet user needs. This space has proved extremely popular. A range of seating is provided with some wired for laptop users, some with Library PCs, and some with individual work spaces (Figure 10.4). It also has a glass magnetic board. This space, which is adjacent to the entrance, marked the first step in the re-imagination of the James Joyce Library. It has received very positive feedback from the library user community, and has opened a new dimension to how the student community engages with the Library.



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Figure 10.2: Acoustic panels (top) address noise concerns.

Figure 10.3: Branding of the space.

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Figure 10.4: Variety of seating options, and natural light.

Project 2: Special Collections As a physical space, UCD Library continues to serve the traditional function of providing access to collections, but the nature of those collections is changing and as a higher proportion of the holdings become distinguished for their rarity and their historical importance more materials are falling into the category of “Special Collections”. Continuing with the carefully developed approach to design layout the Library’s Special Collections Reading Room was renovated in summer 2012, upgrading the office area and providing expanded seating capacity for readers of UCD Library’s rare and unique holdings. Generally the reading area was transformed into a far more congenial place for consultation of valuable materials. Small exhibitions are now also held in this space (Figure 10.5).

Figure 10.5: Continuation of circular patterns. Use of glass to maximize use of light and sight lines [Special Collections].



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Project 3: New Service Desk / Multi-purpose Room In late November 2012, UCD Buildings & Services approached the Library with a new proposal: to consider housing, temporarily, the university’s Maths Support Unit. They required a central location, visible from the Library entrance area, and offered to pay for the refurbishment of a multipurpose space to this end. This new proposal fitted in with the Library’s aim to continue the redevelopment of level one, but also to work more closely with University support services. The wish was to continue to develop learning spaces in prominent areas which could be used as learning spaces, for exhibitions, career fairs and book launches. Student Learning Support Services in the University would be able to book the use of this space. The proposed new location of this new multi-purpose learning space provided another challenge for the Library – it was necessary to reduce or reconfigure the old service desk or replace it entirely. So, again, the Library matched the refurbishment funds offered by the University and began planning for a reconfiguration of the service desk that would better support the new model of library service provision, and the growing popularity of self-service options. The old desk which had designated areas for loans, returns and information service, was replaced with a compact modern circular service desk. To save on costs, a part of the old desk was resurfaced with Corian. It is now located opposite the entrance so it is very visible, and self-service options are located in an adjacent space (Figure 10.6).

Figure 10.6: Resized circular information desk.

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The newly built, enclosed collaborative learning space is located just inside the entrance area, in a highly visible location where there is high visitation (Figure 10.7). It is an attractive glass-fronted room, over 50 m2 in size. It is an excellent example of how library spaces can be developed to provide new and important services to accommodate the changing needs of users, as well as providing opportunities to develop synergies with university support services and academic colleagues.

Figure 10.7: Highly visible collaborative learning space.

The first users of this collaborative learning space, the UCD Maths Support Centre, are providing classes and a drop-in clinic for a six-month period, while an alternative space is being developed for them. Their customer base has risen due to the centrality and visibility of their location. In addition, the Library has learned a lot from the experience of temporarily housing university colleagues in library spaces, including of how to negotiate use of the space, maximizing access to the space, and the benefit of using a memorandum of understanding.



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Project 4: Art in Spaces In order to improve the aesthetic feel of the library and to create environments that are pleasant, inviting and inspiring to work in more colour and art work are used in library spaces. The Library both borrows pieces from the University’s art collection and also commissions some work. For the escalator art images from around the university campus built environment were used. They generate a lot of comment and brighten up an otherwise dull area. Additionally, wall panels that illustrate images of literary interest were incorporated. As the Main Library in Belfield is named after James Joyce to honour UCD’s most famous alumnus, the Library commissioned two wall panels relating to the author3 in summer 2012 (Figure 10.8). The panels give a visual indication that they are in the James Joyce Library and explain why the Library was named in his honour. They celebrate his connection to UCD and promote Joyce materials held in the Special Collections Library.

Figure 10.8: Commissioned wall panels profiling UCD’s most famous alumnus, James Joyce.

3 Graphic Panels designed by Ger Garland. E-mail: [email protected].

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Measuring success All of the spaces described above have been planned to be adaptable and flexible, and to meet the future needs of the Library’s users. They are a small part of the much larger planning of the Newman Joyce Precinct project. The Library continues to receive very positive feedback from a wide range of staff and students. Indeed, these new spaces are a talking point in the University, a fact highlighted by a recent visit by the University’s President, and the subsequent promotion of the spaces at the University Governing Authority meeting. One final point, the latest LibQUAL+™ results for Irish universities (McCafferty 2013) noted that library buildings are not meeting users’ minimum standards. The lowest performing area within the core questions was dissatisfaction with “quiet space for individual work”. A lot has been achieved, but more work has to be done.

Acknowledgements All photographs are copyright Richard Hatch.

References EUA (European University Association). 2011. Impact of the Economic Crisis on European universities. www.eua.be/Libraries/Newsletter/Economic_monitoringJanuary2011final. sflb.ashx. Accessed on 2 May 2015. McCafferty, Ciara. 2013. “LibQUAL in Ireland: Performance Assessment and Service Improvement in Irish University Libraries.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 39 (4): 347–350.

Katariina Ervasti and Paula Puustinen

11 Sustainable, Participatory and Low-cost The Redesign Process of Hakunila Library Abstract: The paper describes the redesign process of a mid-sized public library located in Hakunila, a suburb in Eastern Vantaa, Finland. The underlying ideas of the redesign process are recycling, service design and low costs. Firstly, a modern, flexible library space with mainly recycled materials and only some new investments should be designed. Secondly, the customers were to be involved in the process. Service design is a buzzword of today, and service design consultancy can cost a fortune. The library did not have money for expensive consultations, so self-designed customer workshops were introduced. Thirdly, the aim was to spend as little money as possible since the budget was modest. The paper proves that it is possible to redesign a library space based on these ideas. Yet the process is not simple and the paper discusses the pros and cons of the process.

Introduction Hakunila Library (in Vantaa, Finland) was built in 1976 and looked inside and outside like a flashback to the 1970s. The librarians dreamed about a brand new library building with brand new furniture and brand new equipment for a long time but – there was no money! On the other hand, climate change presents the library with a massive responsibility. Everybody is talking about recycling and sustainable development and maybe it is about time to take these words seriously when designing library space. So a decision was taken to test whether it is possible to design a modern, flexible library space using mainly recycled materials with only a little new investment. As the result of an internet search, the Library discovered the interior designer, Minna Haapakoski, who specializes in green interior design. She was very enthusiastic about the project. The Library wanted to involve its customers as well. In the library world, in order to develop the most suitable services, customers’ desires have traditionally been gauged by examining lending figures or undertaking customer surveys. Library staff seldom seriously discuss the development of the library, let alone involve them in its design processes. Why not? Would not the involvement of the

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customers be an excellent way to create trustful, understanding relationships with them, thus providing a starting point for a successful library? At the beginning of the redesign process, there was a question that kept resurfacing: “Is this project too daring?” Maybe it was, but the library had very little money. There was no choice but to try or leave the library as it was. The interior designer cheered staff up with a quote from Sirpa Jalkanen, a professor and an immunologist, “You can never say you can’t if you haven’t tried. And if somebody else can, you’ll learn”.

Background Where Are We? – Finland, Vantaa, Hakunila Finland, a country located in Northern Europe and populated by 5.4 million Finns, is well known for its vast library network, which consists of municipal public libraries, research libraries and school libraries. The capital of Finland is Helsinki, but, to be more precise, the metropolitan area consists of three large municipalities and one small municipality: Helsinki (the largest municipality in Finland), Espoo (the second largest), Vantaa (the fourth largest with approximately 200,000 inhabitants) and Kauniainen. The public libraries of the four municipalities work in close co-operation and are known by their customers as HelMet libraries. The HelMet libraries have a common library system and a digital library.1 Their customers follow the same user regulations and their staff work together as teams and participate in the same training events. Despite all this co-operation, the metropolitan public libraries largely depend on their own municipalities, especially in funding matters, and each municipality has its own library organization. Vantaa City Library consists of ten libraries, two mobile libraries and a hospital library. Hakunila Library is a mid-sized library in eastern Vantaa, the sixth biggest of all the libraries. It was built in 1976, is 586 m² and has a collection of 30,000 items. In 20112 the annual lending was 170,000 and the annual number of library visits 120,000. The number of inhabitants in the area was 28,889 (at the beginning of 2012), and there is also a smaller library (Länsimäki Library) in the area to serve the inhabitants. The percentage of immigrants (13%) and the percentage of the unemployed (10%) are somewhat higher than in other parts 1 http://www.helmet.fi/, Accessed on 8 November 2014. 2 Hakunila Library was closed because of renovation at the beginning of November 2012. This is why the statistics presented here are from the year 2011.



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of Vantaa. Hakunila has a reputation of being a rough suburb, but many of its inhabitants claim that this is by no means true. There are many pubs and blocks of grey flats (dating back to the 1970s), but there are also forests, sports activities, an IKEA warehouse and Håkansbölen kartano, which is an old, famous manor with a lovely park.

Sustainable Development and Green Interior Design “Sustainable development” is a term that has often been used during the past decades and it can be defined in many ways.3 The most popular definition is the one used in Our Common Future (also known as the Brundtland Report, named after the Commission’s Chair of the United Nations, Gro Harlem Brundtland) by the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). It defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The report further defines two key concepts of sustainable development: firstly “needs”, specifically “the essential needs of the world’s poor” and secondly “limitations”, specifically those “imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs”. Thus, this approach of sustainable development aims to meet human needs, including those of the world’s poor and the future generations, but the environment will not be saved for anyone’s needs if we do not protect it. Since the late 1980s and the Brundtland Report, many countries, Finland among them, have sought to promote sustainable development. Finnish municipalities, or at least some of them, have also placed sustainable development high on their agenda. The City of Vantaa, for example, aims to be a trailblazer in sustainable development and has chosen sustainable development to be one of its three values. A concrete example is eco-support, a model originally created in Helsinki in 2006 and now developed by eight Finnish and three Estonian municipalities.4 In this model, each workplace (e.g. Hakunila Library) chooses one of its workers to be an eco-supporter who is trained to promote environmental awareness in the workplace. The questions of sustainable development have also been faced by library people. The basic concept of the library is very environmental friendly: the collection, the ICT equipment, the library space are common property of its customers. 3 It is beyond the scope of this paper to analyse these definitions in detail. 4 For more information, see City of Helsinki Environment Centre’s website http://www.eco-support.net/en/.

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There is a sign on the door of Vallila Library (Helsinki City Library) saying “A visit to the library reduces your carbon footprint”. The Chief Librarian of Vallila Library Harri Sahavirta (2012) is famous for developing the concept of the “Green Library”. A project called Sustainable Development in Libraries5 has surveyed the state of ecological sustainability of Finnish libraries and produced an environmental guide for libraries, customers and decision-makers. Despite all these reports, strategies and projects, there is an important issue that has not been discussed widely. When a new library or any public building is built or an old one renovated, the principles of green building, for example energy efficiency and materials efficiency must be taken into account. However, the principles of green interior design are seldom discussed. Old furniture is considered to be expendable, even though a carpenter could do miracles with old bookshelves or an upholsterer could give new life to a sofa. Yet, a change might be coming! During recent years, Hakunila Library and two other Finnish public libraries have mixed old furnishings with new ones. At the end of the year 2012, the main library of Lahti renewed the children’s department with the interior architect Päivi Meuronen (JKMM Architects) who decided to paint the old bookshelves and added castors to them. Tapanila Library (Helsinki City Library) was renovated and opened in February 2013. Interior architect Markku Liukkonen (Helsinki City) designed the library space by using some new furniture and some old furniture from Kulosaari Library. The old bookshelves were lowered and castors added. Red lamps, red armchairs and small brown tables found a new home in Tapanila library.

Service Design A whole paper could be written about the definition of “service design”. In this paper a short and simplified definition is presented. Basically, service design means developing services with the users of the services as equal developers in the process. There are many kinds of service design tools to involve users in the design process such as design games, various kinds of participatory workshops and prototypes [e.g., Tuulaniemi (2011), a book which provided the inspiration for the project in Hakunila Library]. At Hakunila Library there were two obstacles to a perfect service design process. Firstly, time. At the beginning of 2012, it was thought that the renovation

5 See Sonkkanen, Asikainen & Sahavirta (2012) for more information about the project.



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of the library would begin in September 2012.6 If customer workshops were to be organized, it would have been necessary to organize them before the summer holidays, which meant that the library would not have much time for planning. Secondly, there was no money for expensive consultation, so the customer workshops were planned by library staff themselves. Colleagues from the Netherlands set an encouraging example. The libraries of Den Hoorn7 and Heerhugowaard8 had designed their children’s departments with the children and without expensive consultation. Frankly, the redesign process of Hakunila Library may not be a pure and perfect example of service design, but it certainly is a process greatly influenced by service design ideas!

The Redesign Process of Hakunila Library Since there was little time and little money, the Library could not involve all its customers in the redesign process. A decision was taken to focus on two customer groups: adults, and young people aged 12−15. The number of adult customers and annual lending had been decreasing during the past years. Basically, the adults’ services had to change or vanish. Young people were using the library actively, mainly as their living room and not borrowing much, but there was very little space for them. The design process was started in a traditional way: a detailed questionnaire for both groups about their interests in life and opinions about the library. Then the process continued in a non-traditional and service-design-like way: three workshops with both customer groups to find out what their ideal library would be like. The survey as well as the workshops took place in spring 2012. Questionnaires were distributed in the library, but the questionnaires for the young were also sent to two schools. The library received approximately 200 replies from the adult customers and 300 replies from the young customers. Questionnaires were used as well for advertising the workshops. There was a place for leaving contact information and e-mails were sent or phone calls made to inform the customers about the dates of the workshops. The three workshops for both groups were planned on three different days, at 4 p.m. for the young customers and at 6 p.m. for adult customers. There were about 10–15 customers in each adult workshop. Most of them were pensioners

6 The library was closed for renovation in the beginning of November 2012. 7 http://www.bibliotheekhoorn.nl/projecten/babel, Accessed on 8 November 2014. 8 For more information, see Mosch & Bertrams (2009).

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(aged over 60 years) but there were a couple of middle-aged customers. The young customers were more active. About 20 participants were included at each workshop. Finally, a detailed plan of the redesigned library space was drawn by the interior designer Minna Haapakoski.

Why Are We Here? – The Results of the Questionnaires The Library asked (among many other things) what customers would want to do in the library. The results formed the basis of the redesign process and facilitated the design of the workshops. For the adult customers, the main purpose of the library is to provide books, magazines and other materials that have to be checked out or can be browsed in the library. The adult customers want to spend time in the library, to sit comfortably and read a journal or listen to music while drinking coffee or tea. The library is also regarded as the cultural centre of Hakunila. There are not many cultural events in the area, and in addition to organizing author visits and other literary events, it was suggested that art exhibitions, musical performances and film screenings be provided. Surprisingly, opportunities to use computers ranked ninth among the preferred activities, even though there are many regular customers who surf the internet, print out documents or pay their bills in online banks. The results did not show high interest in e-books, e-music or the latest technical equipment. These may be typical wishes of a public library customer, but for the organizers of the design process it was something to work on. Firstly, there was the question of whether it was easy for a customer of the library to find the right book, journal or other material. In most public libraries in Finland, a system called YKL,9 based on the Dewey Decimal System, is used for categorizing books. If one looks at the main classes of YKL,10 one is reminded of a curriculum guide of a university. A typical customer of Hakunila Library does not see the world like that. Information needs arise from everyday lives. A customer might, for example, be looking for materials dealing with weddings because s/he is getting married next summer. S/he finds the classes 30.8 “Good manners and etiquette” and 30.81 “Arranging parties and celebrations” which are located right next to 31 “Statistics”. S/he does not need statistics for the wedding, but if s/he is clever enough (or asks a clever librarian!), s/he ventures next to 67.3 “Agriculture. Gardening. Economic plants” where s/he finds a book called The Most Beautiful Flower Arrangements (which 9 http://ykl.kirjastot.fi/en-GB?. Accessed on 25 September 2015. 10 http://ykl.kirjastot.fi/en-GB/paaluokat/ Accessed on 8 November 2014.



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is actually part of 67.331 “House plants. Flower arrangements” but not an independent class in a mid-sized library). Then, s/he continues this glorious library adventure to 68.2 “Cooking. Culinary art” where a book called Napkins has been patiently waiting for her. The book is actually part of 68.26 “Serving”, again not an independent class in a mid-sized library. If s/he is not too exhausted after all this, s/he might go and pick a few wedding CDs from the music section. Now, it can of course be asked why all these materials are not part of the same class that could be called “Parties”? Colleagues in the public library in Almere in the Netherlands have faced these challenges and developed a more browsing-friendly way to display books, which is based on customer profiles.11 In Finland, Vallila Library (Helsinki City Library) developed an own classification system in the 1990s, but since then Finnish libraries have not seriously tackled this problem. Secondly, there was the question of whether there were enough seats for customers. No, their number was not sufficient, but it was obvious that it would not be difficult to arrange for more seats. Did the library have a cafeteria or a coffee machine? Unfortunately not. The library extends to only 586 m², so it was agreed that a coffee machine might be a more realistic idea than a cafeteria. Thirdly, was the library the cultural centre of Hakunila? No, it wasn’t. The library had arranged several author visits and other literary evenings, but art exhibitions and musical performances were very seldom organized and films had never been shown in the library. There was no exhibition space for art or a room equipped for film screenings. Musical performances require a lot of space, and the Library was full of unmovable bookshelves. The wishes of the young customers were slightly different and brought more challenges. They, too, appreciate the books, journals and other media, but they are much more interested in computers and other technical equipment (e.g., tablets, gaming consoles) than the adult customers. And what did the library offer them? Three computers, and the same computers were also used by children, together with one gaming console that could be used once a week in the gaming club. It was clear that investment was needed. Like the adult customers, the young want to have music performances and film screenings, but they also ask for guided activities like a reading group and a homework club. A reading group is not difficult to start, and the library is currently looking for a volunteer to run a homework club. It was a bit of a surprise to those involved in the design process that the young customers enjoy the silence and some of them even demand it. In some papers, there is a text saying “throw JONNEs out of the library”. (JONNE is a slang expression for a boy who behaves badly and loudly.) Indeed, there are two customer 11 See Pinter (2010) for more information.

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groups of young people in Hakunila Library. The first group behaves well and is interested in borrowing books and other materials. The second group is the JONNEs, boys and girls who want to spend time in the library, sit in a group and chat, use the computers and maybe browse journals or comic books. The results of the survey revealed that these two groups do not like each other. Why, then, did the library have the teen books so near the area were the JONNEs spend their time? Maybe it would be a good idea to move the teen books to a more peaceful corner in the library.

Redesigning the Library Space with our Customers At the beginning of every workshop light refreshments were served. The intention was to create an informal atmosphere so that it would be easier for the participants to express themselves. In Finland, it can be a challenge to engage people in conversation if they do not know each other beforehand. To quote Susan Cain (2013, 14), “Finland is a famously introverted nation. Finnish joke: How can you tell a Finn likes you? He’s staring at your shoes instead of his own.” In the first workshop, the participants were asked to evaluate the current library space and write down their observations. They received green and red Post-it notes, the green ones for positive comments and the red ones for something that should be changed. Library staff also mingled with the customers and wrote down their spontaneous comments. After that the customers were gathered together and the comments were discussed. A method like this had been used in Turku City Library where customers stuck Post-it notes on their favourite places or places which needed improvement.12 At Hakunila Library there was also discussion, since some of the written comments might not have been understood. Their intention was also to give customers a chance to comment on each other’s comments. The experiences with this method are very good. The young customers gave 116 comments, the adult customers 85 comments. The notes provided them with an anonymous way to write down comments they might have been too shy or polite to voice face-to-face. It was crucial to have a discussion with them during the session, because they might not have written down comments they considered minor. The discussions afterwards were also crucial, especially with the adult customers who were more talkative, with the result that the library staff gained more ideas and information. Some of the comments were very similar to the results of the survey. It is impossible to go through all the details, only the main issues are discussed here. 12 See Tapio, Hannula and Tapio (2012) for more information.



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The young customers wanted more space in the library. Their criticism was completely justified: there was only a table and some chairs, a couple of bookshelves and three computers (shared with children) for them in the library. They also made it very clear that they did not want to be a part of the children’s section. They were no longer children! Based on this criticism, there will be an area for the young people, completely separate from the children’s section, where they can spend time alone or in a group, use computers, tablets or a gaming console and read magazines or whatever they prefer. As already explained, there will also be another, quieter area close to comic books and the music section for those who want to choose their books without meeting the JONNEs. These areas will also be more colourful and stylish, since most of the comments of the young customers were focused on the appearance of the library: “ugly paintings”, “dull colours”, “there should be characters from books, films, games on the walls”, “we want graffiti”. The adult customers were perplexed about the service desks. There were two service desks in the library. There was a desk where customers could check items out and in, get their reservations, pay their fines etc. Opposite this desk, there was a reference desk where customers could get a library card and advice on information search. The staff tried to justify the existence of these desks as well as possible, but the customers just did not understand it. “Why do you have two service desks in a mid-sized library like this?” they kept asking. Since it was so difficult for them to understand, it was decided that the new library would have only one service desk. Besides, if one of the desks was removed, more space for the young people would be obtained. The library had promised them more space, but from where should it be taken – bearing in mind that the library only has 586 m²? Thus, the removal of a desk was a perfect solution. As mentioned above the young customers appreciate the silence in the library. In the workshop, it was found that the adult customers appreciate the silence too. This is a challenge for the library, because there are no walls in the customer area. If a child starts to cry or a group of young people speak loudly, everyone in the library hears it. Building walls would make the mid-sized library a labyrinth, but building one silent room would not. Therefore, there will be a silent room in the new library for those who want to concentrate without disturbance. The second workshop was structured differently for both the adults and the young people. In the first workshop, the young people gave a lot of comments on the appearance of the Library. In the second workshop, staff wanted them to give concrete ideas of what their space should look like. They were handed paper and pens and then asked to draw a library space in which they would like to spend time. If somebody did not like to draw, s/he was asked to write down what they wanted including colours, furniture and equipment. The drawings were wonder-

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ful. Some of them were extremely precise. The most items in demand were a huge TV screen for the gaming console and sofas or bean bags. Customers also wanted colour, pictures on the wall and carpet on the floor. The drawings were handed over to the interior designer who used the ideas in her own design. With the adult customers, the problem of finding the right book or other library material was tackled, as was briefly discussed before. Based on the survey, library staff were planning to organize a new genre category (historical novels) in the fiction section, since it ranked fourth among the most interesting genres. In the workshop, this was discussed and the adult customers reported that it is not easy to find fiction written by Finnish authors. A decision was taken, subsequently to separate Finnish fiction from other fiction. The criteria are very loose, meaning that an author who lives and writes in Finland is included, even if the book itself is translated, for example from Swedish or Russian. These changes are not big compared with those in the non-fiction section. The library staff decided to get rid of the rigid classification system (YKL) and organize books in theme areas. The whole staff of Hakunila Library had participated in designing the theme areas. There were seven of them: Hobbies and Technology, History and Biographies, Home and Well-being, Society and Nature, World and Languages, Art and Music, Science and Textbooks. In the workshop, the library staff wanted to test whether these theme areas were comprehensible to customers. The names of the theme areas were put on the table and the customers got small notes with the names of the books in them. They were asked to locate each book to the theme area they considered appropriate. After this, the choices they made were discussed. Previously, the staff had done the same usability test. There were certain books which raised discussion with both test groups. For example, where should a book about dog training be? Dog-owners tended to think that dogs are family members and therefore the dog books belong to Home and Well-being. Dogless people tended to think that dogs are a hobby and therefore the dog books belong to Hobbies and Technology. Usually, it is a dog-owner who wants a book about dogs. Therefore, “Dogs” will be a subcategory of Hobbies and Technology. All in all, this usability test was very helpful. It proved that the theme areas were understandable to the customers and helped the library staff to develop subcategories. In the third workshop, the interior designer Minna Haapakoski presented her plan. She showed a 3-D presentation about the plan and she had also brought colour and carpet samples with her. It was not the first version of the plan, since the results of the survey and the two workshops had been reported to her and she had made drafts based on them. Neither was it the final version. Customers as well as staff had the chance to ask questions and comment on the plan. There was a lot of discussion, but both customer groups were mainly happy with the design



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plan. There were only minor changes, for example, the young customers wanted to change the colour of the carpet in the young people’s section.

Summary of the Redesigned Library Space The redesigned library space with its theme areas will make it easier for the customers of Hakunila Library to find the right book(s) or other media. There will be only one service desk and one staff member will circulate in the library and offer his/her help to customers. The redesigned library space will be homely and colourful, with more chairs, bean bags and rocking chairs to sit on while sipping coffee or tea. The design plan makes good use of some of the old furniture. Of course, there will also be some new furniture. The bookshelves will be lowered and painted, and castors added. The plan also includes painting walls and old furniture such as chairs, tables, rocking chairs and standard lamps, and covering tables with pages from poetry and comic books. The redesigned library space will be flexible and easily modified for different kinds of events as the customers want the Library to be the cultural center of Hakunila. There will be a room which is equipped for both film screenings and small art exhibitions. Bookshelves with castors can be easily moved if for example, a musical performance has to be organized. There will be a silent room for those who want to concentrate without disturbance. In addition to PCs, there will be tablets to be used anywhere in the library and a gaming console both in the young people’s and in the children’s sections. There will be an area for the young people, completely separate from the children’s section, where they can spend time alone or in a group. There will also be another, more peaceful area for those who want to choose their teen books without meeting the JONNEs. It is impossible to go through all the details of the design plan in this paper. Figure 11.1 (p. 182) is an example from the design plan and its details, a picture representing the young people’s section. On the walls are curtains that muffle the sounds of conversation. On the left, there is a board that has been painted with magnetic paint which makes it possible to hang up posters or drawings with magnets. Below the board are the computers for the young customers only and an old table decorated with pages from comic books. The chairs are also old, but painted navy blue. There are navy blue bean bags, a light blue carpet and a TV screen for the gaming console as the young customers wished. There are four canvases on the right which are hung

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Figure 11.1: The young people’s section for spending time. (Graphic by Minna Haapakoski).

from the ceiling. They separate the young people’s section from the adults’ section, and printed on one of them is a picture made by a young customer.

Conclusion The underlying ideas of the redesign process are recycling, service design and low costs. This paper proves that it is possible to redesign a library space based on these ideas. Green interior design might not be as expensive as non-green interior design, but it is definitely more demanding. If one throws the old furniture away, one can buy new furniture that fits in the new design plan perfectly. If one keeps the old furniture or some pieces of them, interior design becomes a more complicated puzzle. With every piece of old furniture, there is the same question to be asked: “Where would this fit?” If one finds a suitable place for the piece of furniture, there is the next question to be asked: “How can this look like an almost new one?” One needs contacts to arrange for repairs and refurbishment, for example a carpenter, an upholsterer, a painter, a sewer, and one has to make sure that everything goes according to the schedule. Service design offers a complex set of tools that can be helpful when involving customers in the design process. Reading a book or two about it can be inspir-



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ing, whether or not any of the tools introduced in the books are used. The library staff at Hakunila were in a hurry and none of the tools recommended in the books seemed very simple, so they invented their own tools for the workshops. If more time had been available, it would have been possible to investigate the tools of service design more thoroughly and plan the process better. The redesign process described, may be a modest one, but after all that a much better understanding of what customers want has been achieved. This redesign process was definitely not a waste of time. The questionnaires should not be forgotten. They can be very useful if they are designed diligently and the results analysed properly. In the future, Hakunila Library wants to carry on recycling and encourage customers to participate as the guiding principles of the library. The opening party of the redesigned library was held on 30 August 2013 and received brilliant media coverage. Helsingin Sanomat (the biggest national newspaper) published an article about the library, the local television news featured the library and several local papers wrote about the redesign process. The redesign process was of great significance to Hakunila Library and the whole Hakunila area. In 2015, Hakunila was chosen the best borough of Finland and, according to the jury, the redesign process of the library, among other things, had influenced their decision. The annual lending and the annual number of library visits have not increased greatly, but these figures are no longer going downhill – as they did for many years before the redesign process. The redesign process improved the customer relationship and collaboration with customers has continued.. For example, an event planned and organized together with children and teens in 2013 gained over thousand visitors and the library has developed a new service with its senior customers: the library grandmother and grandfather. They visit the library weekly and spend time with children and teens, many of whom are of immigrant background and do not necessarily have their own grandmothers and grandfathers in Finland. The redesigned library space has worked very well in the everyday library life and Vantaa City Library has continued redesigning its library spaces with the same principles: recycling, service design and low costs. In 2014, Pähkinärinne library was redesigned and redesign of Marinloaakso Library is currently being undertaken.

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References Cain, Susan. 2013. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. New York: Penguin Books. Mosch, Monique and Karen Bertrams. “Library of 100 Talents.” Paper presented at the annual World Library and Information Congress, Milan, Italy, 23–27 August 2009. http:// conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2009/103-bertrams-en.pdf. Accessed on 8 November 2014. Pinter, Dave. 2010. “Library or Bookstore: New Netherlands Branch Blurs the Line.” http://www. psfk.com/2010/05/library-or-bookstore-new-netherlands-branch-blurs-the-line.html. Accessed on 25 September 2015. Sahavirta, Harri. 2012. “Showing the Green Way: Advocating Green Values and Image in a Finnish Public Library.” IFLA Journal 38 (3): 239–242. Sonkkanen, Leila, Minna Asikainen and Harri Sahavirta. 2012. “Green@Library: Ecological Sustainability of Libraries.” http://www.slideshare.net/kirjastotfi/green-library. Accessed on 25 September 2015. Tapio, Maila, Terhi Hannula and Raila Tapio. 2012. Käytsä täällä usein: Käyttäjätutkimus Turun pääkirjaston käytöstä. Turku: City Library.http://www.kirjastot.fi/ sites/default/files/content/Loppuraportti_K%C3%A4yts%C3%A4%20 t%C3%A4%C3%A4ll%C3%A4%20usein_asiakastutkimus_0.pdf. Accessed on 25 September 2015. Tuulaniemi, Juha. 2011. Palvelumuotoilu. Helsinki: Talentum. World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. Report. UN Documents. http:// www.un-documents.net/wced-ocf.htm. Accessed on 8 November 2014.

Mohammad Mahdi Jahani Yekta

12 Economic Design of Libraries Based on Visionary Building Plans, Adaptive Architecture, Compact Storage, and Streamlining of Services Abstract: Financial problems have been among the traditional limiting obstacles faced by many organizations during their course of activity. Considering the almost global economic crisis, these problems have been sensed in the recent years more clearly than ever before. Libraries have, of course, not been exempt from these problems. They are experiencing decreases in their annual budget, and therefore have to be rigorous in their budget planning and expenditure control. This chapter aims to address this issue, concentrating on library buildings and their design. It will propose ways through which high quality library spaces can be built with low budgets. Visionary planning for library buildings with an eye on meeting the future space needs of their patrons is the first idea that will be discussed. Secondly, the paradigm of adaptive architecture will be elaborated on. Its different aspects as well as the capability of meeting the diverse needs of different users based on common, but adaptive infrastructures will be highlighted. Considerations to prevent extra costs during the life cycle of the building, cost-saving solutions based on environmental sustainability ideas, and planning for fund raising will also be explained. Further, compact storage as an alternative for traditional storage systems will be discussed, with regard to the high rates of saving in space that can be achieved. The issue of streamlining of services will also be discussed, and the role of buildings in smoothing the road for implementation of libraries with streamlined services will be addressed. Finally, a case study will be presented, in which the practical steps taken in the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) towards the above-mentioned goals will be studied.

Introduction In recent years financial crisis has been among the most important problems faced by many countries. It has led to the imposition of low budgets to a wide range of organizations, among which are libraries. Under this condition, libraries have to perform even more economically than ever before, to provide acceptable

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services to their patrons while keeping the required expenses as low as possible. This economic approach should be followed both in the costs related to the physical assets of libraries such as buildings and equipment, as well as to those of their software and information and communication technology, human resources, etc. (Kaser 2011). This chapter discusses some possible approaches which can be followed towards the goal of economizing. The focus will be on the physical elements of the building and there will be some discussion of financially effective methods which can be used in the physical design of library buildings. The organization of this chapter is as follows. Firstly, the library buildings will be discussed as generally being the most expensive physical property. Next, the topic of compact storage will be highlighted. Following that, the next subject is streamlining of library services and its effect on decreasing the library costs. Finally, a case study about the library of the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) will be presented to give a practical sense about the ideas presented. The chapter concludes with a summary of the paper, which is followed by the list of references.

The Library Building Due to the widespread use of the internet, it was once thought that the use and roles of library buildings would decline. But the course of time showed that this has not been indeed the case. The reason is that while the internet might bring about ubiquitous, 24-hour availability of educational resources, physical library buildings provide users with services which cannot be received from the internet online. Libraries not only act as places for the lending of books and so on, but they can also become meeting places for students to collaborate, enjoy fellowship, engage in healthy debates, create and challenge ideas, and experience learning and discovery in a multitude of meaningful ways (Laws 2009). Considering the large number of functions which are performed in library buildings, it is evident that special care should be taken in their physical design. Library designs should be alive, flexible, and adapt easily to the continuously emerging needs of their users (Balanli et al. 2007; Stewart 2011). Considering the typically low budget of libraries, however, provision of these properties should be organized through a detailed economic plan. Being generally the most expensive asset of a library, smart design of a building can have a major impact in reducing its overall expense, both in its original phase of construction as well in the long-



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term process of its expansion and maintenance. Some ideas in this regard are presented below.

Visionary Building Plans for Economy of Scale Economy of scale is among the main approaches for saving financial resources. This principle can be applied to the architecture of libraries via visionary and future-focused building plans. Designing a library building in its early stages of construction based on this principle, although it might seem more expensive at the first glance, will greatly help to decrease costs during the ensuing years. A major decision which has to be made having this principle in mind is the one regarding the size of the building. During the years, and due to the increasing number of patrons and respective expansion of their services, libraries generally need to have more physical space. If this need has not been foreseen in architectural planning meetings, it would call for the construction of new buildings from the very beginning, and the costs would not be small at all. Visionary design of the library building in its original plans will prevent this problem happening in the years to come. One idea in this context is to construct the building with more space than required. This can be done; e.g., by setting more land aside for the building, or by designing it in such a manner that it would be possible to add more floors to it later. In either of these two cases it is not necessary to complete the architecture of the building before use. It is just important to provide the infrastructures for it to be upgraded and expanded later. If the library were designed with plenty of land in its vicinity, the construction of a new building there and adding it to the previous one would not require continuous delivery of equipment, books, and personnel from one building to the other, which would be inevitable in cases where the two campuses are far apart. On the other hand, if the original building has been designed with a strong enough architectural infrastructure capable of constructing more floors, it would be possible to do this when the need arose. And the required fund for this purpose will be much less than the amount required for construction of a new building from scratch.

Adaptive Architecture Advances in technology allow architecture to become more adaptive towards its environment and its inhabitants. This can occur on multiple levels. Environmental controls such as those to control temperature, lighting, and shade have clearly

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reached the mainstream, while technologies for automation and control are becoming more widespread. Beyond this, there are also much more fundamental developments. Smart materials have the potential to be used on interior surfaces and external façades to make buildings interactive and make use of their surfaces as communication media. Using new technologies, architects are exploring physically dynamic buildings that change shape, orientation and even location. Electronic communication media, such as video conferencing, media spaces, and mixed reality, allow the construction of buildings that are topologically flexible across electronic space, and bring together local and remote physical environments. Much more recently, biometric data sensors have become commercially viable and portable, which would allow adaptive buildings to be controlled by physiological data taken from individual or groups of inhabitants. These developments across multiple disciplines lead to a novel type of building architecture, the spatial and surface properties of which, in physical and virtual space, are dynamic and can act as communication media. They in turn might react to the presence of inhabitants and their physiological conditions. Adaptive architecture in this context can be defined quite broadly as being concerned with buildings that adapt to their environment and to their inhabitants whether this is automatically or through human intervention. This can occur on multiple levels and frequently involves ubiquitous computing technologies (e.g., sensors, actuators, controllers, systems, and communication technologies). Library buildings based on adaptive architecture incur lower expenditure during their lifespan. This is due to the fact that different library patrons have different needs which have to be met, and this can be done as economically as possible only if the solutions to meeting these needs are all based on just one infrastructure. And this would be achieved just via an adaptive architecture.

Actions to be Taken to Prevent Future Extra Costs In many instances ignorance of some issues in the design stages of libraries leads to design inefficiencies, correction of which would call for extra financial resources. In the following, a number of these issues are highlighted and discussed. In this part, the emphasis is on academic libraries; however, similar ideas can be applied to other types of libraries as well. –– Consultation with students and other related people: To design a high quality library economically, consultation with several groups of people should be undertaken in advance. The first group is obviously that of the users, which are, e.g., the students of an academic library. Their opinions about how the library has to be designed should be taken into



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account. Library staff have valuable experience about working in libraries as well. Faculty members should also be taken into account. They are the ones who define projects for the students, and can remark on how the library building will serve best for them to complete their searching for required resources. And finally, considering the place of the IT technology in today’s libraries, IT personnel are also among the people whose opinions should be taken into account. Consideration of technological needs: A modern library should definitely be in alignment with the technology needs of today’s students. A large number of sockets should be provided all over the building for the use of laptops. Wireless links, public computers, printing devices, classes with video-conferencing equipment, and a sufficient number of lockers should be available as well. Ease of change: A modern library should be built in such a manner that change would be an easy act in it to perform. Many modern types of equipment such as computers may be in need of change during the time. The building should be such that delivery of the new equipment to it would be easy. Also, special attention should be paid to the design of walls. Use of partitions instead of rigid walls makes students able to change their work environment suitable for their changing needs. Library as a means for attraction of top students: Today, prospective students often have high levels of expectations of the university they plan to attend. On the other hand, universities are also competing with each other to attract top high school students. Libraries can be a focal point in the attraction of students. Eye-catching graphics and other means of advertisement of the universities can be used in the library space to acquaint the prospective students with the aims, mission, and vision of the university. Optimization of spaces: Many spaces which are typically used just as a means for transportation can have other uses as well. For example, corridors can be used as a gallery of paintings. They can also be designed wide enough to be able to be used as a gathering space for students. Unused wall spaces can also be used for the installation of bulletin boards. All of these ideas can help to make the library an even livelier place. Consolidation of places: Libraries can become more attractive for students to come to if a number of places which are generally scattered all over the campus could be consolidated within the library. Among these places are tutoring and writing rooms, group study and presentation rooms, cafes, and lounges.

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–– Usage of modern technological services: Libraries are even more enjoyable places for students to use if modern technological services can be used in them. Electronic systems used for information gathering, learning, and collaboration such as video-conferencing facilities are among these services. –– Planning for floor usage: In the previous decades planning for the use of the library’s available space was probably not as crucial as it is today. Considering the functionality of libraries today, special attention should be paid to this issue. It is generally better to set the first floor of a library for public functions, library help desk, and collaboration zones. Academic places such as classrooms are better on upper floors. Archives are more suitably situated in the basement, regarding the weight of such collections.

Consideration of Environmental Sustainability The lifecycle cost of the library building would decrease if a “green” strategy were pursued. This would also increase its attraction for the students; since they would have the good sense to see that their library considers what they care about in its design. Deployment of recycled, renewable, and sustainable materials, renewable energy such as the electrical power produced by wind turbines, rainwater harvesting cisterns, efficient plumbing fixtures, day-lighting systems, and natural ventilation, are among the ways libraries can follow in the direction of becoming green.

Planning for Fundraising The challenge of fundraising is an experience common for library managers. This is because libraries are generally infrastructural places, and cannot rely on the budget of any special department. This problem can be to some extent overcome if special places could be designed in the library for special purposes which can attract funds. Planning for an amphitheatre in the library is an example of such design strategies. Such a venue is attractive to many groups, and can be considered as a source of funds for the library.



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Compact Storage Compact storage is another one of the approaches for going green. High-density mobile storage systems compactly store documents on a small footprint, and provide free space for other activities. They are alternatives for fixed shelving, and are available in three types: manual, mechanical, and powered. They have carriages that move along a rail. Usage of compact storage helps libraries economically in three ways. First; as is clear, they lead to a reduction of the space required for archiving purposes. The second way they help is by reducing the energy required for cooling and heating over the life of the building, because of the smaller space requirement overall. It should also be noted that compared with fixed shelves which are generally made of wood, compact storage systems are made of steel or aluminium, and can thus be recycled after their useful life, which leads to their third economic advantage.

Streamlining of Library Service Streamlining of library services (Dougherty 2008) is one of the modern approaches towards decreasing the overall cost of library construction and maintenance. In this section, after some elaboration on the definition and reasons of moving towards streamlining, the benefits of streamlining of library services will be presented and the role of their buildings in pushing them through this direction will be discussed.

Definition of Streamlining Streamlining is defined as construction or design in a form that offers the least resistance to process flow. The overall goals of streamlining are to change a process both for the client and the process owner, to reduce time to complete the steps, complexity, and bureaucracy of the overall process, increase adaptability, and meet client expectations.

Reasons for Streamlining of Library Services Library managers may think that their library processes are fine as they are. They use them every day and they seem to work. Questions are being answered. Prob-

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lems are being solved. Queries are being processed. Clients are being served. Many existing processes are “in motion”, meaning that they were created at some point, and have been amended over the years, but they have not been reviewed and updated from an overall perspective since they were launched. They get the job done but the library managers may not know how well. If one steps back from a library process, the big picture may have changed. Library users have different needs and expectations today than they did previously, and expect different service levels. And the approaches and tools available to complete a process have changed. Library staff may also have lost the focus on the ultimate goals of the process, getting caught up in details. The aim of streamlining is to deviate from this state, and to move towards an efficient work flow without getting trapped in unimportant procedural steps.

Benefits of Streamlining Library Services Streamlining of library services provides a structured approach for revisiting, reviewing and improving the internal effectiveness and efficiency of a library for its managers, while also evaluating and improving its value to the user. Additionally, given the unique approaches used in a library streamlining project, there are additional goals and benefits. Some of these benefits are listed below.

Changing of Management Concepts Change is a planned outcome of service streamlining. But devising and gaining acceptance for changed services can be difficult. The streamlining methodology recognizes this, and incorporates approaches that library managers can use for accepting and integrating of changes. Given that change is getting a part of everyday library work life with each day bringing new challenges, these approaches are valuable to the managers long after a library service streamlining project is done.

Focus on Service and the Client Often those responsible for a library process become so focused on performing the individual tasks involved, they lose sight of the end result of serving a client. The library service streamlining methodology challenges managers to look at library processes from the opposite side of the counter. Many managers take this



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perspective back to their regular jobs, thinking differently about those to whom they provide service and their overall goals.

Focus on the Library Process The library streamlining approach focuses on improving the overall library process by examining and fixing the individual steps constituting it. The client is expecting the delivery of a particular outcome, regardless of organizational structures and responsible individuals. These elements should actually be transparent. The streamlining methodology stresses an overall process, with an end-result focused viewpoint. This perspective is valuable when taken back to the library and applied to every day library issues.

High-level Overview of Library Service Streamlining Library service streamlining is a structured methodology to plan for, design, and implement a chosen library process. Work starts when library managers identify a process that has potential for great improvement. Together, the library administrators craft the case for action, outlining the compelling reasons for pursuing the streamlining, what the benefits will be, and what will happen if the streamlining is not done. They outline end results and a vision of what the service should ideally “look like” (especially from a client’s perspective) when it has been streamlined. A carefully chosen team is then trained in streamlining the process to improve the chosen process to meet the end results. A major difference between streamlining and other approaches in library services is that the team is not told “how” to achieve the end results. Rather, the end results paint a picture of what the streamlined process should “look and feel like”, and what the process should achieve. The team’s responsibility is to improve the steps comprising the process to meet the end results.

The Role of Library Buildings in Streamlining of their Services Library buildings have a crucial role in streamlining their services. The design of library buildings should be such that the access of different staff members to each other should be easy and dynamic. Also, the shelves and desks should have

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been designed in such a manner that a user would be able to have a fluid usage of them along with the soft parts of the library such as its computers and searching systems. The access points of the digital library, one of the fundamental parts of today’s libraries, should have been designed in such a manner that a user would be able to easily switch between the digital library and the physical library throughout his or her searching process. Proper placement of these access points is a major design step which would help to streamline the services provided by the library. Many other practical issues in the design of the building of a library can also be highlighted, which will help in the process of streamlining the library’s different services such as mobile phone, e-mail, and many other electronic facilities, as well as a wide range of physical services. Consideration of these issues in the design phase of library buildings will lead to savings in their future costs.

Case Study: The Library of the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) The library of the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) has considered a large portion of the above ideas in its design. Its building has been built adjacent to a big yard, which makes the expansion of this library particularly economic. Regarding the subjects discussed earlier, this library has also performed most acceptably. But the main point that is going to be discussed in this section is about the issue of adaptive architecture. From this point of view, the design of this library has of course foreseen the typical arrangements for adaptive temperature, shading, etc. But the more important issue has to do with the several research projects that is being carried on in this library. These projects aim to shed more light on the use of the latest technologies in going towards adaptive architectures to be implemented there in the future. A number of these projects are presented below.

Understanding Adaptive Library Architecture The ongoing trend to make library buildings more adaptive involves advances occurring separately across the disciplines of architecture and planning, interactive arts, computer science and engineering. These disciplines have very different



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aims in the development of adaptive architecture, focusing on varying degrees of inhabitant occupation, urban integration, artistic expression, interaction with novel technologies, and new manufacturing techniques. In order to explore commonalities and differences between the approaches associated with the various fields introduced above, the relevant literature and adaptive library architectures are being critically reviewed. In addition, visits to relevant existing libraries with adaptive architectural installations are being conducted. From this work an initial structured framework of the field has been developed, which categorizes projects, approaches, and technologies. It discusses the control, methods, effects, and strategies of adaptation in architecture, in addition to a discussion of what elements are adapted when. The aim of this work is to ground ongoing trends in this library on existing works.

Engaging of Various Library Developers The objective of this activity is to gain an in-depth understanding of adaptive architecture from the perspective of the various stakeholders, to produce a resource that future developers of adaptive library architecture can rely on. To this end, a series of semi-structured interviews has been conducted with experts in the field. The interviews concerned the interviewees’ general research, challenges, and feedback about adaptive architecture; in addition to discussing practical difficulties, theoretical concerns, and collaborations. These are currently being transcribed and analysed. The initial overview of the survey is already being fed into the research framework outlined above. Beyond this, it is clear that the perspectives being discussed are very broad, around adoption, change management, maintenance, and ethics and trust issues. It is refreshing to see a healthy sense of scepticism towards the development efforts within the field questioning the practicalities and usefulness of the ongoing research, while a sense of positive explorative determination and desire to help the approach along clearly persists. The interviews are coupled with visits to relevant research labs and conferences where appropriate.

Development Focus The development work within this part is focused on a core research: the extension of library architecture through communication technologies. Many hot topics in computer engineering such as brain-computer interface are among the fields that are worked on in this context.

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Summary In this chapter several approaches to cost saving for libraries have been presented, either in their main phase of construction, or in their future stages of maintenance and expansion. The main points which were discussed were the library building and its physical architecture, compact storage, and streamlining of its services.

References Balanli, Ayse, Ayse Ozturk, S. Mujdem Vural and Berrin Kucukcan. 2007. “University Library Buildings in Turkey: A Survey and a Case Study of Yildiz Technical University Main Library Building.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 33 (6): 714–718. Dougherty, Richard M. 2008, Streamlining Library Services: What We Do, How Much Time It Takes, What It Costs, and How We Can Do It Better. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. Kaser, Dick. 2011. “On Average: How Your Library Budget Stacks Up.” Computers in Libraries 31 (2): 33–35. Laws, Robert D. 2009. “Better by Design: An Introduction to Planning and Designing a New Library Building.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 35(4): 389. Stewart, Christopher. 2011. “Building Measurements: Assessing Success of the Library’s Changing Physical Space.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 37 (6): 539–541.

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13 Corners

Designing Library Spaces for a New Generation of Users without Library Budget Abstract: From 2004 to 2012 the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Library in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, collaborated with institutions and companies to design library spaces for students of the millennial generation. Five corners or library sections have been developed as spacious and comfortable areas to accommodate reading, library services and users’ activities without spending the library budget. The corners are named American Corner, World Bank Corner, Nation Building Corner, Sampoerna Corner and Hatta Corner. American Corner is a collaborative partnership between UGM Library and the US Embassy to provide space for reading areas, multimedia viewing and programs and activities. World Bank (WB) Corner is a partnership with the World Bank Jakarta that provides space for reading, users’ informal discussions, and WB regular discussions on economic development. Nation Building Corner (NBC) is a partnership between UGM Library, Nurani Dunia and the power plant industry to provide a reading area in the Indonesian style. It is equipped with reading materials and documentary films. Sampoerna Corner is the contribution of Sampoerna Company to provide a reading area, reading materials, online access to databases and internet as well as movie viewing. This was done through Sampoerna’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. Hatta Corner was built to preserve archives and rare collections that belonged to the first Vice President of Indonesia, Mohammad Hatta. This corner was a collaborative project between UGM Library and Meutia Hatta, the daughter of the first vice president of Indonesia and former minister of social welfare. Besides providing reading spaces that are relevant for the millennial generation, most partners also support various library activities such as literacy instruction, presentations, outreach programs, and staff training. By opening these corners, UGM Library did not spend its budget for the library interior. One third of the library space has been developed as comfortable areas for library users without using the library’s budget.

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Introduction Corner In Indonesia the term “corner” was first coined around the year 2004 as a small space within a library building for a special library section or collection. A corner is usually a collaborative unit created jointly by a library and an institution (a non-profit organization, a company, an embassy etc.) to accommodate both the library’s needs and the institution’s interests. Corners are in fact similar to learning commons in general. Learning commons is a user-centred library space to support collaborative learning (Hunter 2006). A corner, however, is also designed for two missions – the missions of the library and the institution. The institution’s mission usually relates to promotion; while the library’s main mission is to provide a user-centred space for learning instead of a system-centred one. Learning is a social activity (Crawford and Irving 2009) and students use the library space as a place to learn outside of the classroom (Head 2007; Marshall, Burns and Briden 2007; Walton 2006). The “corner” concept attracts institutions intent on realizing corporate social responsibility in libraries as the institutions will be recognized as contributors or supporters of education in Indonesia. In this way the institutions can allocate their social responsibility budget for educational purposes. It is very common that they do not just make a single contribution for library facilities and collections, instead they continue supporting the library activities and librarians. They also organize annual meetings to share problems and solutions as well as best practices developed by the libraries. There is a growing number of corners in libraries in Indonesia, especially the academic libraries, for example American Corner, Canadian Corner, Iran Corner, Korean Corner, Middle Eastern Corner, World Bank Corner, Sampoerna Corner, Hatta Corner, Nation Building Corner, Pojok Baca (Reading Corner), and Difabel (Disabled) Corner. As we all know, academic libraries have traditionally been a place for students to study and to do assignments or group projects outside the classroom. Students usually need information technology (IT) facilities in the library and expect to get connected to their classmates at any places including in the coffee shops and book stores (Steiner and Holley 2009). The library as a place and its IT facilities contribute to the comfort of physical commons for them. The library becomes a place that offers access to information and knowledge in traditional and digital formats as well as comfortable IT space to access the information. In fact, the early commons were named information commons, although some were given different names for example media union and information arcade. In



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Indonesia, however, the preferred name is corner and some libraries use the term pojok which is the Indonesian term for corner. Typically, a corner provides library collections such as printed resources, databases, and library reference. A corner also includes, but is not limited to many types of work spaces, such as, for example soft seating, tables, group study rooms, study carrels, and multimedia facilities. In that sort of environment, students can work together with their classmates using a computer, hold a discussion in casual lounge settings, or work together at project tables (Holmgren 2010). They can also make use of library resources and other media or engage with library staff. As stated earlier, a corner is similar to a learning commons. The recent development of the learning commons in academic libraries is a way for a library to remain relevant in the changing environment and to be viewed as innovative and flexible (Steiner and Holley 2009). Steiner and Holley further state that creating a learning commons will show that the library focuses on the students’ learning process in higher education institutions. To develop a learning commons or a corner, librarians should (Casey and Savastinuk, 2006; Steiner and Holley, 2009): –– identify potential partners and key stakeholders; –– manage both library and user expectations; –– understand the user needs; –– incorporate the concept of library 2.0; –– remain flexible to users, partners, and stakeholders; –– be open to unconventional and unexpected use; –– encounter challenges in a constructive manner; –– welcome any feedback.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Academic Contribution Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been defined as the partnership of a corporation and a community in which the corporation resides or operates (Crowther and Aras 2008, 10). Small companies usually do CSR for the communities in their areas, while for national companies, the CSR is conducted nation-wide in various environments: social, emergency, and even academic. Meanwhile global companies usually do CSR world-wide. In both the corporate and the academic world there is uncertainty as to how CSR should be defined, but some companies practice the CSR in the academic environment by way of providing scholarships, buildings, or sponsor programs

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for students (Dahlsrud 2006). In the past, companies and institutions conducted CSR mainly through scholarships or building classrooms and support facilities for education. The emergence of corners is an interesting phenomenon in Indonesia, and the corners can be the means through which a company and other institutions conduct continuous corporate social responsibility in the academic environment. Corners not only build social reputation for the companies and institutions, but also continuously support students’ learning. While scholarships are provided for only a few students, corners help many students to study and acquire knowledge.

Development of Corners in Indonesia Corners in Indonesia began after 2000 with the establishment of an American Corner in Jakarta in 2003. UGM was the third to open an American Corner in 2004 and it is the biggest American Corner in terms of space and collection. Currently there are eleven American Corners in Indonesia, spreading through Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Sulawesi. Typical American Corners in Indonesia have reading resources, comfortable seats, group discussion space, video viewing, and computers. The US Embassy also supports the librarians by holding annual meetings and training. There are also activities for students at the American Corner, for example presentations by American experts, outreach programmes, and celebrations of events. After the introduction of American Corners, there have been more corners established in academic libraries for example the World Bank Corner, Canadian Corner, and Iran Corner. These foreign corners were established as a partnership between the academic institutions and the embassies, except the World Bank, which is a collaboration between the World Bank and the academic institutions. Besides providing budgets for developing a corner, the World Bank provided facilities such as computers, bookshelves, and publications. Meanwhile Indonesian companies and institutions have also been interested in opening corners. The Sampoerna Foundation, a foundation related to the Sampoerna Company, has opened Sampoerna Corners in seven academic libraries since 2007. The Sampoerna Foundation built corners with technology, comfortable seating, and collections of printed resources on management and entrepreneurship. The foundation also holds annual meetings for the librarians to discuss library activities and provides experts to speak to students, especially experts in the fields of management and entrepreneurship. The foundation sometimes also invites successful individuals to speak and to motivate students.



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An institution named Nurani Dunia had the idea of opening corners in some academic libraries. However, the funding is not from the institution, instead the institution looked for another sponsor to support the establishment of Nation Building Corners. These corners are dedicated to the country. They provide publications from Indonesia and hold activities by Indonesians about Indonesia. Several corners have been established in universities, each with local characteristics.

Corners at Universitas Gadjah Mada Library There are five corners at UGM, namely American Corner, World Bank (IDIS) Corner, Sampoerna Corner, Hatta Corner and Nation-Building Corner. These five corners reflect the plan that the library would accommodate both national and international partnership. The first two (American Corner and World Bank Corner) reflect a partnership with foreign institutions while the other three are partnerships with an Indonesian private individual, a national private institution and a company.

American Corner Universitas Gadjah Mada began building its corners in 2004 when the American Corner was established in the library. The plan was initiated in 2003 when the delegation from the US Embassy visited Universitas Gadjah Mada and took a look at the American Studies collection at the library. During the meeting, it was agreed to build an American Corner at UGM. The design, equipment, and other facilities were then discussed together in 2003–2004. In order to get the American library sense, one librarian was sent to the United States to learn about American libraries prior to its opening. Since its beginning, American Corner has seemed not a corner as it occupies an area of 600 m2 for the collection, a reading area, a discussion room, and a movie viewing room. However, due to the library’s expansion of buildings in 2011, the American Corner was moved to the new library building and now occupies a slightly larger space for discussion, movie viewing, and reading areas, as well as the e-conference room. Figure 13.1 shows part of the American Corner seating area where students can share ideas with each other. The US Embassy again supported this move to the new space and added some more furniture. Most facilities were also funded by the US Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Besides providing library services, American Corner UGM also holds activities such as outreach pro-

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grammes and presentations related to US matters. Due to its increasing number of users, the American Corner was moved to the new building in 2012 and is now even bigger in size. More sofas, casual seating, and other facilities were added for the new room and they were all funded by the US Embassy instead of being a call on the library budget.

Figure 13.1: American Corner UGM. (Photo­ graph by I.F. Priyanto).

World Bank Corner With the success of American Corner, UGM Library got an offer from the World Bank Jakarta to open the World Bank (WB) Corner in 2006. The discussion of the mission and plan of partnership was then followed by the opening of WB Corner at UGM Library. The library offered a smaller space of 96 m2. The corner was designed by UGM Library and approved by the WB and was fully funded by the WB Jakarta. It consisted of spaces for movie viewing, internet access, and a reading area. The WB Jakarta also provided financial support for the collection and shelves. Due to the library expansion at UGM, the WB corner was moved to the new building adjacent to the previous location and now has a wider space and more facilities. Supported by the WB Jakarta, the WB Corner at UGM hosts activities concerned with economics and development which include seminars, discussions and training. The WB Jakarta provides several speakers annually to present current economic information for students and the public. The programme is held within the corner. In addition, the librarians are also encouraged to make use of the resources. The WB Corner at UGM has been designated as the



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depository for the WB publications that are directly sent from the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C.

Sampoerna Corner Sampoerna Corner is a partnership between UGM Library and Sampoerna Foundation. The foundation was interested in doing corporate social responsibility for libraries besides providing scholarships for undergraduate students in Indonesia. The establishment of Sampoerna Corner in seven universities in Indonesia marked Sampoerna Foundation’s contribution to learning. The foundation provided a budget to design a corner in each of the seven universities. The design team was established by Sampoerna Foundation and they worked on planning, designing, and establishing the corner by consulting academic librarians. The foundation provided the whole budget for the space design, equipment, and collection. Even when the space had to be moved, the foundation paid all the expenses of redesigning. Figure 13.2 shows the seating arrangement at Sampoerna Corner. To keep up with with technological developments, the foundation also provided a budget to replace the old PCs. What is interesting is that the foundation also offers databases for students, besides providing printed resources. It also organizes an annual meeting to discuss problems and to provide training for the librarians. Sampoerna Foundation also spends some budget for librarians to run activities for students such as presentations and talk-shows.

Figure 13.2: Sampoerna Corner. (Photo­graph by I.F. Priyanto).

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Hatta Corner A different type of corner appeared in 2008 when the daughter of the first vice president of Indonesia donated her father’s collection of rare books to the library. The donation was then managed as a special collection and was named after the name of the first vice president – Mohammad Hatta – and it is called Hatta Corner. This is an exception. Hatta Corner consists of special collections dating back to 1561. With more than 33,000 rare and old books as well as maps, it is a historical section and due to its huge, but precious collection, the corner is now running a digitization project. Instead of providing comfortable seating, Hatta Corner uses refurbished tables and old shelves for the rare books. It modified some tables to display the rare books (Figure 13.3). The shelves and the collection of books are from Meutia Hatta, the daughter of the first vice president of Indonesia. This is really special as it is only Mohammad Hatta, the first vice president, who had the huge collection of books while other vice presidents never had such a big collection.

Figure 13.3: Hatta Corner rare book display desk. (Photograph by I.F. Priyanto).



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Nation Building Corner Nation Building Corner or NBC was established following a discussion between a professor of Sociology from the University of Indonesia, who runs the social organization Nurani Dunia, and librarians at Universitas Gadjah Mada. The discussion saw the increase of foreign corners in Indonesia and the importance of keeping documents and publications from and about Indonesia. It was then decided that Nurani Dunia would help to develop a corner for Indonesian documents and publications, while the government-owned energy plant would provide the budget for its establishment. The interesting point of this corner is that it was designed by students from Universitas Gadjah Mada with the help of, and in consultation with, librarians. The budget spent for the establishment is totally from the energy plant and both Nurani Dunia and Universitas Gadjah Mada did not spend any money at all. However, to run various activities, the library had to find support from different institutions and companies in Indonesia. Luckily there have always been contributions from several institutions to run book reviews, discussions, and other presentations. The NBC was later also supported by another social organization that donated a collection of videos about Indonesia. As an Indonesian corner, NBC is designed to accommodate the seating style of Indonesians – sitting down without any chairs (Figure 13.4). Therefore, half of the space of this corner does not have chairs but there are some tables to read. A set of table and chairs is provided for some users who cannot sit down on the mat (Figure 13.5).

Figure 13.4: Nation Building Corner. (Photograph by I.F. Priyanto).

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Figure 13.5: Seats at Nation Building Corner. (Photograph by I.F. Priyanto).

Design of Corners The design of corners in Indonesia is usually part of the missions of both parties: the library and institution that provides funding for the corner. Some points to consider in developing a corner include: –– a Memorandum of Understanding between the library and the company/ institution; –– the amount of the library space dedicated for the corner; –– the budget from the company or institution interested in establishing a corner, or the use of the corner; –– the corner’s contents; –– the company’s mission that is reflected in the logo or symbol put in the corner. Although the establishment of a corner is usually based on the Memorandum of Understanding, discussions are usually held prior to the establishment. Sometimes it may take more than one year before the corner is ready for launch. The discussion relates to the design, the contents, and the facilities included in the corner and, most importantly, the budget allocation. The size of a corner affects or relates to its use. A company may request a small space for the corner due to a limited budget allocation, but some other institutions require a larger space because of the mission and activities proposed. The corner incorporates several elements of a conventional library, such as books and a reference desk. It also provides useful services for both the library’s



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users and the university as a whole. Corners in a library challenge the architects in Indonesia to design spaces that meet the following requirements: –– making it easy for groups of library users to work together and allowing both planned and unplanned activities determined by the users; –– allowing users to work both online and offline, besides allowing users to do traditional library activities such as reading books; –– fostering the ability to find and act on information – online and offline; –– applying and integrating the latest technologies so that users may use them. In the corner, “everyone learns from everyone else” is expressed in how faculty members help the digitization project at Hatta Corner. Faculty members learn how useful the resources are and librarians learn the digitization process. At the WB corner, students may learn aspects of economic development of the country. Students learn from Americans and other students at the American Corner. Students learn entrepreneurship from others at Sampoerna Corner and students learn about Indonesia at Nation Building Corner. Librarians help users access the wireless network, provide basic library skills such as information searching and access to databases. In addition, the corners at Universitas Gadjah Mada are designed to meet the needs of the Google generation of learners: the corners have wireless access to accommodate students who use mobile devices. Partnership with companies and institutions to design library space enhances the comfort of library use. Librarians need to know people and organizations outside the institution if they want to develop comfortable library space using the lowest library budget.

Conclusion Libraries always have problems with their budgets, especially in the developing countries. Although a budget for a library is available from the institution, most of the budget is usually allocated for the library collections such as books, serials, and databases. Providing comfortable space for library users is always the dream of most librarians, but many libraries have to struggle to get a sufficient budget and they do not always succeed in achieving it. By establishing a collaborative partnership with other institutions or companies, libraries will be able to develop more comfortable space for users. Corners have been an example of how a library can have enjoyable and comfortable spaces and facilities without spending any budget and enable the library to have better facilities and space for the new generation of users.

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References Casey, Michael E. and Laura C. Savastinuk. 2006. “Library 2.0: Service for the Next-generation Library.” Library Journal 1 September. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2010/05/technology/ library-2-0/#_. Accessed on 29 May 2013. Crawford, John and Christine Irving. 2009. “Information Literacy in the Workplace: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 41: 29–38. doi: 10.1177/0961000608099897. Accessed on 28 May 2013. Crowther, David and Guler Aras (2008). Corporate Social Responsibility. London: Ventus Publishing. Dahlsrud, Alexander. 2008. “How Corporate Social Responsibility is Defined: An Analysis of 37 Definitions.” Corporate. Social Responsibility. Environmental Management 15: 1–13. doi: 10.1002/csr.132 2006. Accessed on 28 May 2013. Head, Alison J. 2007. “Beyond Google: How do Students Conduct Academic Research?” First Monday 12(8). http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/ view/1998/1873. Accessed on 28 May 2013,. Holmgren, Richard A. 2010. “Learning Commons: A Learning-centered Library Design.” College & Undergraduate Libraries 17 (2/3): 177–191. Hunter, Bob. 2006. “The eSpaces Study: Designing, Developing and Managing Learning Spaces for Effective Learning.” New Review of Academic Librarianship 12: 61–81. Marshall, Ann, Vicky Burns and Judi Briden. 2007. “Know Your Students: Rochester’s Two-year Ethnographic Study Reveals What Students do on Campus and How the Library Fits in.” Library Journal 1 November. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6495191.html. Accessed on 28 May 2013. Steiner, Heidi and Robert P. Holley. 2009. “The Past, Present, and Possibilities of Commons in the Academic Library.” The Reference Librarian 50: 309–332. Walton, Graham. 2006. “Learners’ Demands and Expectations for Space in a University Library: Outcomes from a Survey at Loughborough University.” New Review of Academic Librarianship 12: 133–149.

Contributors

Contributors

Bostick, Sharon, PhD, MA, AMLS, Dean of Libraries, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA; working experience on numerous library building projects, active member of professional associations, including the American Library Association, IFLA Library buildings and Equipment Section, Academic Library Advancement and Development Network. Byrne, Ursula, DLIS, Head of Development & Strategic Programmes, James Joyce Library, University College Dublin, Ireland. Coordinates capital improvement projects, space development; identifies initiatives of strategic importance. Clevström, Stefan, Head of buildings and facilities at the National Library of Sweden. He has been the National Library’s project leader for a major refurbishment project since 2007. Prior to this position he worked with regional library IT development. Cribb, Gulcin, BA, Grad.Dip.Lib.Sci, Grad.Cert, Management; AALIA; University Librarian, Singa­ pore Management University, Singapore; member of IFLA Academic and Research Libraries Standing Committee since 2012; worked in nine different academic libraries since 1977 in Australia, Turkey, UK and now Li Ka Shing Library, Singapore Management University; experience in numerous new library and renovation projects, including master planning of a new university campus in Istanbul, Turkey. Ervasti, Katariina, MA, Partnership Manager of Vantaa City Library, Finland. Former Hakunila District Library Director. Gamage, Ruwan, PhD (Wuhan), MLS (Colombo), BSc (Colombo). Senior Lecturer, National Institute of Library and Information Sciences, University of Colombo. Convenor – IT Committee of the Sri Lanka Library Association. Contributed to library building and planning projects with IT and information skills. Thought leader and networker. Received the ILIG Award 2009 from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) for making a difference in libraries and information services outside the UK. Jahani Yekta, Mohammad Mahdi, received the BSc, MSc, and PhD. degrees in Electrical Engineering (communication systems) in 2005, 2007, and 2010 respectively, all from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. From 2010 to 2012 he was a researcher at the Cyberspace Research Institute (previously Iran Telecommunication Research Centre), Tehran, Iran, as well as an instructor at Sharif University of Technology. He joined the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (Iran Doc) as an assistant professor in 2012, where he is conducting research on several infrastructural and technological aspects of digital systems. Kodikara, Ruvini Champa, BA (Kelaniya, S.L.); MLS (British Columbia, Canada), librarian , University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka 15 years in the position – 30 years’ service, Life Member of Sri

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 Contributors

Lanka Library Association, Committee member of Conservation and preservation Committee of the National Library. Kugler, Cecilia, BA (Interior Design) University of Technology, Sydney. Founder of CK Design International in 1999. Extensive experience on numerous library projects, specializing on library space planning and design for the past 26 years. Member of the Australian Library Association and NSW Public Libraries Association. Committee Member: IFLA Library Buildings and Equipment Section 2001–2005. Legerton, Graham, BA Hons, Dip Arch RIBA (Part III Distinction); Group Director Education+Communities, Group Design Director ThomsonAdsett, Brisbane, Australia, Member Royal Institute British Architects – (RIBA); Member Council of Educational Facility Planners International – (CEFPI); Member School Library Association Queensland – (SLAQ); Fellow of Australian Institute of Management. Murman, Hans, Architect, MSA/SAR; Founder Murman Architects; Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts; Architect, The Swedish National Library. Musoke, Maria G.N., PhD, MLib&Inf Sc (UK), Post Dip LIS, BSc & Dip Ed (Mak). Professor of Inf Sc at the East African School of LIS and University Librarian from 2004 to 2014 at Makerere University, Uganda. East Africa. During her term as University librarian, she raised funds from local sources to construct a modern new library building that doubled the main library space and, among other things, catered for the special library user groups such as persons with disabilities, pregnant women and other female library users. She is a corresponding member of the IFLA Library buildings and Equipment Section, a member of the Health and BioSciences Section of IFLA, member of the Uganda Library and Information Association. O’Brien, Linda, MPA, Gd. Dip. Lib. Sc., B.Ed, Pro Vice Chancellor (Information Services) Griffith University, Australia. Linda is currently a board member of the Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation, Chair of the Council of Australian University Librarians Research Advisory Committee, Director of the Open Data Institute Queensland (ODI), member of the Queensland Public Records Review Committee and a member of the executive of the Australian Open Access Support Group. Poling, Jack, Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, AIA, LEED AP; Senior Principal/ Architect Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle (MSR). Jack has led MSR teams on more than 40 library projects. His work has received numerous awards, including a national AIA Honor Award for Interior Architecture for the new McAllen Main Library. Priyanto, Ida Fajar, BA, MA, Drs. PhD Candidate in Information Science, University of North Texas, USA; Chair of Yogyakarta Library Council, Indonesia; faculty at department of Information and Library Management, Gadjah Mada University; and member of American Library Association. Former director of Gadjah Mada University libraries (2002–2012).



Contributors 

 211

Puustinen, Paula, Bachelor of Business Administration); Librarian at Hakunila Library, Vantaa City Library (Finland) Scherer, Jeffrey, Bachelor of Architecture, FAIA; Founding Principal/ Architect Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle; Member: American Library Association, Public Library Association; Library Committees: Past-Chair, American Library Association, LLAMA BES Architecture for Public Libraries; Committee Member and Information Coordinator: IFLA Library Buildings and Equipment Section 2011–2015. Schmidt, Janine, BA (Qld) MLib (UNSW) FALIA AM: Director, Mukurta Solutions, Brisbane, Australia and Trenholme Director of Libraries Emerita, McGill University, Montreal, Canada: Formerly Trenholme Director of Libraries, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; University Librarian, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Director, Collection Services, State Library of New South Wales; Senior Lecturer, School of Information Studies, University of Technology, Sydney; member of ALIA and corresponding member of IFLA Library Buildings and Equipment Section. Sommer, Dorothea, Dr. phil., MScEcon MLIS, Acting Director of University and State Library Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle (Saale), Germany, Committee member and Chair of IFLA Library Buildings and Equipment Section 2007–2015, Co-editor of ABI-Technik, professional experience relates to library design, Library building advisor.