The online catalog, commercial discovery layers, the open Web, and books available for browsing in libraries all aid in the process of discovery of resources. An absence of books means one fewer discovery method available. It is important, therefore, that libraries retain physical books in open stacks to offer communities a hands-on opportunity to…

This article describes the planning process and implementation of a single service point at Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library. While much recent scholarship on single service points (SSPs) has focused on the virtues or hazards of eliminating reference desks in libraries nationwide, this essay explores the ways in which single service…

Although the quality, performance and future of public library services in the UK is a matter of debate, there is little doubt that in recent years, despite claims relating to the emergence of a cyber-society, interest in library buildings and the library as "place" has been intense, almost matching that seen during the Carnegie era of…

The American Library Association says that the arrangement of library facilities should motivate students to use the materials to learn. Believing that changing the library facility can bring about important changes in the program, this author shares how she became a "decorator" and changed the library media center in an elementary K-6 school. The…

Georgia Tech Library has undergone two learning space renovations in the past six years, with a third in 2009. This work is grounded in techniques that elicit user input. Library staff hope one day to completely renovate the entire 220,000-square-foot main library facility. Until that day arrives, library staff are making incremental improvements…

As campus renovation projects go, the Ohio State University's plan to turn its main library into "a library for the 21st century" is ambitious. The author describes the decade-long, $109 million transformation of the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library. The overhaul calls for a complete replacement of all mechanical and electrical…

The reference desk at Indiana State University's (ISU) library offers an excellent view of student work areas on the first floor. From this vantage point, the reference librarians noticed students, especially in the evening and on weekends, huddled together in small groups, with one student at the keyboard of a laptop or desktop computer. The…

Describes the development of the Young People's Library in Las Vegas (Nevada) as a symbolic and literal bridge to the Lied Discovery Children's Museum. The roles in the design process of library administration, library personnel, and the architect are explored, and how this project addressed differences between the architect's artistic vision and…

Relates experiences of University of Rochester's main library during complete renovation of the central reference department including the addition of a full-service reference station. Topics covered include planning the reference station, solutions to seven design requirements, increase in staffing and reference questions after one year, and…

Developed for use in library building projects--whether they involve remodeling, expanding, or erecting a new structure--this handbook discusses the roles of the library administrator, the board, the librarian, the architect, the library building consultant, the interior designer, the building contractor, and others. It also addresses the major…

Discussion of the approach taken by librarians at the Denver Public Library to improve their children's library facilities includes descriptions of (1) a conference on multidisciplinary approaches to facilities design which focused on creativity, education, and child advocacy; and (2) the use of focus group interviews in which children shared…

Discussion of theoretical considerations and practical factors relating to use of library reference service highlights factors involved in desk approachability--need, communication and promotion, physical arrangement of department, positioning (which gives the product a clear image communicating its purpose or use), psychological cost (personal…

For many librarians, the selection of furniture for a new building or the major refurbishing of an existing facility is a once-in-a-lifetime task. The furniture selection process now involves much more than considering what products are available. The acquisition of furniture and shelving includes the following steps: look at the existing library…

Now that fewer libraries are being built, it is particularly important to maximize space in the buildings available, and to ensure that library plans are determined by the needs of users. This book introduces the concept of space as a resource available to the library manager, along with stock, staff, and finance, which need managing in the same…