Innovative Spaces
Flexibility, multiple use, makes us indispensable, focus on people first (then collections), outside space, fulfills community/staff needs, forward-looking.etc.
Community Engagement
Heart/center/focal point, community ownership, programs, choices, serendipity, community living room, provision of resources too expensive for individuals, win/win collaborations, with buy-in.
How do we bring them together?
Engage community buy-in. Define what a modern library is alongside Google & eBooks. Innovation is scary, focus on community center. Staff buy-in, especially during weeding. Access. 100 million with no Internet, 62 million don't use it. Libraries are the only place for access. Indispensable service, rather than warehouse. Content creation, LibraryYOU in Escondido, YouMedia in Chicago. Sell it as education, efficient use of tax funding. Connecting individuals & the community as a whole. If it's free, they may not value it. Civic pride. What we start may move beyond our walls when it gets too big.
Back to the Future: How library facilities are adapting to better serve the communityDri, KCLS
Choice Overload Cut the amount of choices, put things at eye-level, by the patron path, rather than by front door. 5 items per sf better than 10/sf. KCLS made this change, inspired by The Choice Overload Problem. The paradox of choice. 4 sf/capita is for building.
Patron Path how does the patron move through the space? KCLS interviewed 5000 patrons, learned that most don't want to talk. They want to find it themselves and not be bothered. They may still want to chat. Generous aisle-ways will encourage folks to follow path, run into every collection. Decreases directional questions. Makes it more about the person rather than the warehouse. Can focus on quality reference and RA, rather than "where's the..." KCLS is heavily influenced by Paco Underhill.
No columns under 10,000 square feet, no longer need them.
Furnishings & Decor Milliken carpet allows you to design it yourself. Flexible seating all tables can be 2-person, push them together. Casters, everything can roll. Space, too. Can be a "great hall" design, where the space itself is used for meetings and programs. Classes require collaborative learning, we must accommodate that. Neuro-neutral pattern.
Glass Walls same price as glass garage doors. Don't buy nanawalls. A con-air door system is KCLS standard because it's cheaper & better. Has a flat track, not tripping. Acoustics are sound. The garage door could lead to the exterior, possibly.
Access for All range of furniture options. For different ages. Kids like child-scale. Teens may surprise you: they link wingbacks. older patrons may like the teen stuff. Give them something they don't have (red couches?) Can re-use what you have in a creative way, may require rebuilding things.
Consistent Signage color-coded signage and displays indicate where you are!
Rise of Electronic Collections eBrowser helps folks send link to self so they can get item on device. Helps if it's not on shelf, good to integrate it into collection. On endcaps?
Categorization / Rich Browsing 14 different categories, avoid sign overload. Good for periodicals.
Go to the Community books are donated, put out in places like Seatac (Terminal A). Meant to go with patrons. Put locations in malls. Library is adaptable to its community.
Intellectual Adventure/Fun art in floor of Kenmore library, in 18-inch gap where data and HVAC are. License plate art at Bellevue as well as "green wall." Short window to rain garden. Good colors. Historical photos.
Creative Solutions to Constraints
Make Renovations on a Small Scale
- Improving processes:
- Shelving from carts reduces space taken in work area.
- Paperless ILL.
- Make sure you get buy-in from staff first.
- LEAN Management. There are workshops and books to cover this process. Minimize the amount of times you touch a book before it goes on floor, for example.
- Weeding
- Reducing reference collections by using reference staff.
- The data about weeding is still needed, though, patrons do check out more when there's less stuff. Spokane, KCLS, others have shown this.
- Using space in a different, small, affordable way:
- Storytime space expands to include early literacy, toys, materials, etc.
- Living room space -- no space added, little construction needed.
- Reducing other stuff allows space for self-service, holds, special collections, retail carts, living room furniture, ability to move things around, use portable stage & PA systems, etc.
- Removing fort circulation, replacing with self-check machines, allows customer to fulfill self-service desire, one to help comes by occasionally. Often not needed. Don't need 2-3 people at circulation at all times.
- Cart to shelf shelving.
- Get connected at your library! There need to be outlets and furniture. It will come out of staff or collection budget.
- Rotating art.
- Who helps?
- Local office supply company
- City public works
- Local non-profits for programming, we find each other.
- Libraries (academic, public, special) for countywide programs.
- Bookstores will sell books, expand our reach.
- What does the community need?
- How do we reach non-users?
- Do we need to? Users can reach non-users. It's expensive to reach out. There's a point where we've done enough.
- Census/community use data + retail use data will help us find those people. Try and find the low-hanging fruit, easy non-expensive stuff. Communities Connect is cheap and easy to use.
- Targeted focus groups.
- When is it not a craft program?
- A craft is something that can be copied from directions. A makerspace means you have skills to collaborate and make something new, more imaginative, taking it further.
- How to bring in the community?
- Build it, they will come.
- Provide desired technology.
- Can even be circuitboards.
- Can we mimic what neighborhoods are doing? Should library do this?
- Lending kitchen tools.
- Writing club.
- How to make it work without space & budget?
- Community should be able to tell us what they need.
- We need to be able to allow 10-12 year old's to have that much time in their day to become experts. Or seniors, who also have the time...
- There are studies out there that can help, like this one. But they take work. Also Geek the Library.
- Meetups or Brainspas can be a good program where this develops naturally.
Staff Buy-in
- Present the problem & goal, empower staff to find solution.
- We touch a book 7 times; how can we do this faster?
- Tour other libraries, see how it's done. Dri can help.
- If people are used to change, they'll be less nervous about change in general. A "change is good" culture. How do you get to the culture change? Retirement? Making change the habit. Staff are more limber as a result. Cross-training, so people can understand each other.
- Communication
- ROI/benefit to community.
- Data.
- Stories make it real vs. door count, which is abstract.
- Examples, pictures, stories.
- Community members come in. Lots of people there, only one needs to speak.
- Bring City Council to library. Show examples of what you do before you ask for help.
Resource Guide Contents
- Patron path.
- Great products. Different furniture.
- Before & after photos. Tips for navigating. Regional "marts" where you can try out chairs.
- Interviews on what updaters learned. A checklist to make sure you're doing everything.
- Forms & policy samples for partner agencies.
- How to make a makerspace.
- ADA compliance
- Marketing
- Resources: LJ Library by Design, Demco.
- Regional consultants, how to train architects to work with libraries may be better, since there are few out there. Training them doesn't take long and doesn't cost much. KCLS's design person costs $100/hr, but costs less than a whole team's time would. And you can run the library. Tell them they have to manage their subcontractors.
- Will library/dept be open or closed during renovation?
- Put up signs to the effect of "coming soon."
- Keep communicating while project is underway.
- Weeding to make space for the community.
- Infrastructure: lighting, electricity, acoustics, HVAC.
- Managing stakeholders: library must have VETO power.
- Every 10 years, face-lift/refresh. Continual change (the Safeway/retail model).
- Must decide how to prioritize per budget.
- Make sure furniture has warranty (never on defacement).
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