The architectural and interior design planning process - Library Finance: New Needs, New Models

Library Trends, Wntr, 1994 by Elaine Cohen

Abstract

Libraries' resources, services, and programs depend upon the space layout and installation of certain types of furniture and equipment. Operating costs depend in large measure upon how well the facilities are designed. This article explains the planning process and focuses upon library building requirements wrought by the advent of electronic information technologies.

An Overview

Libraries are object-intensive facilities. Their resources, services, and programs depend on the installation of certain types of furniture and equipment. Without shelving to house hard copy, there would be no place to put books, journals, documents, and other artifacts of the print world. Without microcomputers or terminals, CD-ROM players, printers, microfilm readers/printers, and photocopiers, it would be difficult to provide online services, CD-ROM information, or hard copies of micro media. Staff need service desks, workstations, and work areas to perform their jobs. Patrons perusing hard-copy resources also need places to sit.

Of course, where patrons sit depends on their personalities and how in-depth their browsing will be. Some people prefer to read or study in an attractive area and others couldn't care less. In any event, lounge chairs and sofas and chairs at tables or carrels are important library items. Few people are willing to stand for more than a few minutes while leafing through a periodical, studying a reference book, or researching a specific topic. Chairs have also become essential aspects of a large percentage of the online public access stations being installed today.

When OPACs first appeared on the library market, library planners believed that patrons would stand while performing quick searches. Although many patrons do not mind standing, many more prefer to sit. Besides, today's terminals are constantly being loaded with host databases. Browsing through these takes such a long time that sitdown stations are showing up everywhere. It is not uncommon, for example, to find a large academic library's reference area outfitted with four stand-up and twenty-six sit-down OPAC stations.

The problem is that each additional chair costs money, and construction budgets tend to disregard this fact. Funds are often encumbered for construction only, and monies for "loose" furniture must be garnered elsewhere. The same is true for electronic equipment (e.g., microcomputers and CD-ROM players) and general supplies (e.g., wastepaper baskets, pencils, paper, and desk sets). The construction budget ignores these completely.

Where plans for construction of new facilities are concerned, knowledge of the architectural contract and the resulting contract documents (blueprints and specifications) is essential. It is imperative to know exactly what these do contain. In some instances, all "millwork" or custom built woodworking is to be designed and constructed under the architectural contract. Millwork of ten includes custom built service desks, built-in display cases, and similar aspects of interior design. On the same project, shelving may also be considered part of the architecture This is often the case on very large installations; for medium to small installations it is not. Funding for shelving falls into the loose furniture category, which also includes all library technical furniture (tables, carrels, chairs, atlas stands, etc.) and office workstations and chairs. Surprisingly, carpeting is nearly always part of the architectural contract because it provides the finished floor.

Sometimes the budget contains all the items necessary to build and operate the facility - construction, loose furniture, supplies, and electronic equipment. The library administration and staff are informed that a certain amount of money is available, and it is up to them to divide the sum logically. If the renovation/new addition comes in over budget, there is less money to spend for other items.

Having enough money to spend on the proper furniture, supplies, and equipment is not enough, however. The idea is to be cost effective and maintain a low overhead once the project is complete. The building must be able to operate relatively efficiently. Here, the design of the interior architecture is extremely important. That is one of the reasons why library consultants are kept on projects beyond the programming stages. They critique the interior architecture and, later, the interior design space plan.

For example, a proliferation of dividing walls promises operational inefficiencies and thus more staff. Walls impede traffic flow which, in turn, forces employees to waste considerable time getting from place to place. Additional floors or more than one entrance also demand more staff. Too many libraries have had to add more service desks/control points - and employees - to prevent security problems.

It is logical to assume that the interior architecture affects any building's space layout possibilities. An old school converted into a library may have long corridors and a variety of cinderblock walls that once delineated classrooms. An award-winning public or academic library building may feature a vast central atrium, "flying" staircases, and many attractive but unusual areas. In both cases, interior architecture is rather inflexible and limits layouts. The spaces that are created within the envelope are usually characterized as fixed function; these tend to resist logical rearrangement.