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Redefining the library: current trends in library design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Karen Latimer
Karen Latimer*
Affiliation:
Queens University of Belfast Medical Library, NI Health & Social Services Library, Mulhouse Building, Mulhouse Road, Belfast BT12 6DP, Northern Ireland, UK
*
email: k.latimer@qub.ac.uk
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Abstract

The planning and design of library spaces is changing radically in the light of increased expectations, developments in teaching and learning, and the growth of electronic resources. The need for physical space in the age of the virtual library has been questioned, but in recent years there has been a plethora of bigger and better library buildings. This paper considers the drivers for change in library building design, the importance of good communication between librarians and architects, and the underpinning criteria for good design both of the building as a whole and of the fixtures and fittings within. Modern libraries must respond to social, pedagogical and technological changes, and librarians, in collaboration with architects and institutional administrators, must design inspirational and practical buildings fit for 21st-century use.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , 2010 , pp. 28 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2010

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References

References

1. Brawne, M., Library builders (London: Academy Editions, 1997).Google Scholar
2. See Nicholas, David, ‘The behaviour of the research of the future,’ on p. 18–21 of this issue.Google Scholar
3. Schmidt, J., ‘Unlocking the library: library design from a marketing perspective’ in IFLA library building guidelines: developments and reflections, ed. Latimer, Karen and Niegaard, H. (Munich: Saur, 2007), 55–67.Google Scholar
4. Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), Better public building (London: DCMS, 2006), http://www.cabe.org.uk/files/better-public-building.pdf.Google Scholar
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6. McDonald, A., ‘The top ten qualities of good library space,’ in IFLA library building guidelines: developments and reflections, ed. Latimer, Karen and Niegaard, H. (Munich: Saur, 2007), 13–29.Google Scholar
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Select bibliography

Dewe, Michael, Renewing our libraries: case studies in replanning and refurbishment (Farnham, England:Ashgate, 2009).Google Scholar
Edwards, Brian, Libraries and learning resource centres, 2nd ed. (London: Architectural Press, 2009).Google Scholar
Khan, Ayub, Better by design: an introduction to planning and designing a new library building (London:Facet, 2009).Google Scholar
Latimer, Karen and Niegaard, H., eds., IFLA library building guidelines: developments and reflections (Munich: Saur, 2007).Google Scholar

Websites

Designing libraries, http://www.designinglibraries.org.uk/.Google Scholar
JISC infoNet, http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/learning-space-design/.Google Scholar