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The chance to change the form or character of a library space doesn't come along often. The need to get the most out of a project opportunity is palpable. Figuring out what to do, who to include in the process and what makes it into the project can be as simple or complex as you want. Better yet, it should be as simple or as complex as the project requires.
Design the process. We see several approaches. Some start by asking library users what they want from their library. Others look to their staff to evaluate the wide array of possible futures, seeking the experience, perspective and depth of vision that professional librarians bring to the table. Some libraries seek to incorporate both approaches: partly to broaden the inputs (you never know where a good idea is going to come from) and partly to engage the citizenry and thereby build support for the project and awareness of the library's efforts to remain an essential service. A twist on either approach is to bring in planning and/or design consultants. The consultants can help the Library be both broad and deep in the efforts to identify and evaluate opportunities, as well as assess the impact of proposed changes.
As architects, we fall into this last strategy. In our endeavors with various libraries, we have been engaged in the staff focused, public focused and combination approaches. Each has been successful because the process and the individuals included in that process were the right combination of practicality, and vision for that community. There are few inherently bad approaches, just poor fits between approach and community. So our first recommendation is to design the process before you design a space.
Vision comes next. Our second recommendation is to err on the side of inclusion and open-mindedness. These may be conflicting options depending on your community. If the public you serve is already at the leading edge of what is being done, it may not be easy to imagine what is coming. In some areas the public may be comfortable with the library of their childhood. Occasionally it is the staff that carries these restraints with them. In any case, if it comes down to a choice between "more inclusive" or "more forward thinking", go with the forward thinkers. It is easier to have the vision and scale back or work incrementally toward something "practical" than to start out with a group mired in the status quo and then try to add vitality.
Practicality cannot be overlooked. In the excitement of creating a space one cannot loose sight of the service aspect that each portion of the library must serve. No gratuitous design features! Similarly, no mundane spaces either - Libraries must energize, enthuse, evoke, epitomize! In this effort of imagining the revitalized library the function and form should be in harmony. If you cannot express the character or purpose of a particular space/feature/element, then you should move on to another idea.
In the end there is a balance between these urges, so wherever you start, be sure to consider the competing perspectives. If you can get this combination of vision and practicality in house, great! If you want or are compelled to go out and engage others but fear chaos, negativity or a lack of understanding, relax. Here are a few success stories that may assuage your fears and show why it was all worth it. The process may even be enjoyable!
Highland Park Adult Services Renovation
Looking to refresh the character of the 1973 Adult Services Room and incorporate a Teen space, the library supplemented its rigorous collection analysis process and technology evaluation with a series of user group meetings with the target users, primarily from the local high school. This group met with staff and designers over pizza to describe what they liked about the current building and service, what they wanted but couldn't get in the building, and how they saw the library helping their educational, recreational and social needs.
The results were interesting:
"Don't limit us to a Teen Room. We use the whole building now and think of the whole thing as ours."
"We have the same wide array of reasons to come to the library as adults: sometimes we need quiet, sometimes we are here as a group, sometimes we need technology, other times we are just here to see what's on the shelves."
"We know we can be disruptive at times. Make some "project rooms" that we can use. But don't make them exclusive to us. These are just rooms anyone can use when they want to work as a group and not worry about disturbing others."
All in all quite insightful. These comments reinforced some sense of the Teens needs, advanced the notion of what the new Adult Area should become, and formed the basis for an edgier expression of library.
Waukesha Youth Services Expansion and Renovation
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BEFORE (we have all seen this!) |
Limited in collection space and missing program/activity space, the Youth Services staff saw clear need to support programming and other activity-based library use. In addition to weeding the collection, improving the display and accessibility of the collection with user friendly shelving from LFI, and expanding the foot print of the department, the library implemented a makeover that changed how people thought of the space. Part of this came from the staff. A program of integrated art, focused on the power of story telling and the magic of first lines from favorite tales entices young and old into both memories and new adventures. These first lines also invite you to write your own ending. What a great way to remind us all that we write the story of our own lives everyday. This playful educational device echoes a large array of interactive emerging literacy elements. A collection of these elements form a new preschool/early leaning space designed by the Burgeon Group, and have strong educational constructs behind all the fun.
Much of the artistic expression for the space though came from a set of "play shops" (kids don't have workshops) with kids from area schools. Different age groups came to eat cookies, drink lemonade, and talk about their library. They proved to be keen observers of the environment and willing critics. We showed a selection of images of libraries, schools, playgrounds, other kid-focused spaces and furniture to focus and encourage the conversation. We also asked their teachers, their parents and their older siblings to comment on the same images. 
The results: > The kids spaces the kids liked were not the kid spaces their parents liked. Kids of today have different touchstones than their parents did at the same age! > Very young children and parents of the very young like the literal item - a tree in the library should look exactly like a tree. Quickly though abstraction seemed to enter the picture and room for imagination became important. What today seems like a tree trunk can be my rocket ship tomorrow, and my farm silo the next. > The kids recognized that they want to share their space. A variety of child or child and parent size spaces/tables/chairs or window seats with cushions, writable or tackable walls in addition to places to spread out and play (learn) were desired by many age groups.
As a result, the new children's area is a space full of colors (and none of them primary), lots of open floor area, open doors that say come in to draw and color, play with the puppets, or lie on the floor and read.
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AFTER |
Brown County Library - Weyers-Hilliard Branch This is the story of an entire community as the user group and their participation in a public meeting to talk about image and funding. The library was building two branches of the same size in different communities within the county. One was in an area with a clearly established architectural character, the other in a developing area that had no clearly established patterns. Both would be funded by a 50-50 public/private partnership. The library had to find the private half. 
We prepared four image options for the library in the developing area for review by staff. One, based on imagery reminiscent of the agricultural heritage of the area, was thought by the staff to be a bit too rural in its connotations and was almost left out of the discussion with the public. At the public input session it was the hit of the evening. Comments and the "voting" for a preferred image were resoundingly in favor of this option.
At the end of the evening, two individuals who had founded a large business driving development in the area, and who had built a quite contemporary building for themselves, came up to the library director and personally committed half of the private money needed. The power of the image reached beyond these two individuals: others came forward to run the fundraising and the concept became the theme of subsequent campaign that quickly secured the remaining donations. Would the funding have come anyway? Probably. Maybe. But the opportunity to participate, to help shape the form of the community in which you live is very much appreciated by many, including donors. It makes them feel a sense of ownership in the project. I think it made a difference here. Some may still not have been happy with the "barn" concept, but were happy with the donations and their new building.
Harnessing chaos. So how did we get the input without losing control?
> We remembered that we were asking for input and not decisions. Decision making remained with the library.
> We set a clear short time frame for the sessions. No one had to commit to 16 meetings of 3 hours each with homework in between. > We made it fun. There were snacks. Participants got to draw pictures. They got to vote.
> We kept it conversational. Everyone got a chance to talk. No one got to monopolize the conversation. We listened, they talked. While it was fun, it was also informative, much like play itself. > We had specific goals in mind for the sessions. Know what is on the table for discussion and what is not. Was it about the service, about image? .... Three items max! 
At the end of these sessions, we went back to the staff, committees, and boards and nested the input in alongside the more rigorous planning components, needs assessments, vision statements, pro formas and long range budgets to produce a complete vision.
After some further refinement, we went back to the various groups. They could see the impact they had on the design and knew that their contributions were valued. Today the Highland Park project is out for bids. Waukesha Public Library's children's area has been open for about a year, to rave reviews from its youngest designers and their parents alike. Weyers-Hilliard is celebrating 12 years of service. Happy library users have made sure their city leaders know of their happiness with this latest improvement of the library.
It's not for everyone. There is nothing to guarantee you will get anything more than good will out of the public input process. In some communities, you know that opening the process might even set you back. In that case, DON'T DO IT! But if you have a sense that it could help, and you are just a bit reluctant, give it another thought. It may be the extra measure that leads to something special. | 
