Photo essay illustrates library interiors of 20 newly built or renovated libraries ranging from renovated Carnegies to multimillion dollar university pantheons. Facilities represent academic libraries, public libraries (including children's and young adult's sections), a history library, a medical library, and a corporate library. Names and…

Some tips for humanizing school offices. (JF)

When planning an office renovation, a manager should design an office layout that is efficient and should consider the psychological aspects of office design, including sound level, color harmony, and lighting. The manager must also have a good understanding of all phases of the project plan and the timing involved. There are basically five phases…

Intended to aid in the building or purchase of a home suitable for use by a handicapped individual in a wheelchair, the booklet provides detailed design guidelines. Included is information on the decision process, finances, ramps, a car shelter, doors communication devices, electrical needs, windows, elevators and chair lifts, the kitchen, an…

Fifth in a series on planning and designing media facilities discusses how to select furniture and furnishings. (Author/MLF)

A multilevel, child-sized area was built into an existing classroom to provide for more efficient space utilization and to brighten up the room. (EJS)

This paper, a summary of a document created for a Master of Arts degree in Interior Design at Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois, discusses research on "wayfinding" and the need for designers and planners to recognize its importance in order to provide more user-friendly environments. Orientation is the first step in…

Identifying psychological and sociological design considerations is a difficult matter. So much is hidden behind our normal, but biased, level of perception. The importance of psycho-social considerations can be drawn from an examination of the quantity and types of buildings produced today for human occupancy--office buildings, libraries,…

Renovations providing an 86 percent increase in space as well as expansion of merchandise offered have increased overall sales at the Dartmouth bookstore by 29 percent in the first nine months of operation. Details on all facets of the modifications are reported. (LBH)

Discussion of Andrew Carnegie era in American public library history focuses on library buildings financed and built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The building design which Carnegie developed, surviving Carnegie libraries in Philadelphia, procedures for obtaining a library, and comparison of architectural attractiveness of Carnegie libraries with…

Describes three examples of the adaptation of an existing structure to meet library needs in Pennsylvania--a supermarket in Brookville, a Victorian residence in Franklin, and a bank in Haverford Township--noting location considerations, architect assistance, and library usage. Illustrations provided include floor plans. (EJS)

Argues that the key to a successful move to a new facility for a library is advance planning, and suggests practical ways to make a smooth library transition to a new or newly renovated space. (LAE)