LLAMA webinar – Library Space Planning – Using Knowlege Management Principles for Success With Alexander Cohen. Over 10,000 library projects worked on by the consulting firm.
Share knowledge and build communities – Knowledge Managing Concepts
1. Develop Social Capital – What is a learning organization? How do we encourage continuous improvement and supporting Antifragile Management (no more annual performance reviews).
How do we measure communities of practice? Look at libraries from a behavioral aspect. Look at modes of learning: touch point (service desk), reflective (quiet space), presentation (learning lab), collaborative (cafe or computers), social (cafe, bookstore, maker space, art space). What are the physical, communication, and human interactions/needs in those spaces. How do we communicate in a 2-D and 3-D environments? Uses of the spaces based on these modes of learning.
Service Desk as a touch point: How does it flow, What are the attributes of the community and how does the service desk reflect those? Self-service v. Human interactions
Another way to measure project attributes for the touch points is to look at see/hear/touch. For example, at the reflective space, how important is sight, hearing or touch? You probably don’t want human staff, want little sound, but maximum sight in quiet reflective space.
Use emotional intelligence methods for planning and operating services. A flexible service desk is a touch point that is physical and highly visible. Example, a student-staffed service desk at the entrance of an academic library so there is a peer-to-peer exchange upon entering the space.
User Space Needs – how much space do users need?
Social space – a person’s behavioral bubble, or personal space, may be larger and have different needs than in a reflective space or a collaborative space. How do you measure library services – and how do you design for those service needs. Justify the space for the users needing it. Pendulum swinging back to 1-2 person use of the space away from 8-16 person collaborative spaces.
Library as incubator – how does it fit this model? Great flexibility with wheeled furniture. Students create hives within the space as needed. Expand to include technology like augmented reality, music recording, broadcasting, and 3D printing.
Library Planning Approaches
- Dialogue and tour with the users – see what they see, hear what they hear.
- Needs Assessment: Space
- Needs Assessment: Service (future needs)
- Summary of Findings as a pre-planning tool and money generator
Methodology for Change:
- Discover: What is? What are the best parts of the existing library we want to maintain? Make sure they are retained
- Dream: What might Be
- Design: What should be
- Deliver: What will be
Focus on the desires of the user community – stay focused on what the community truly wants. Keep the process transparent.
An accurate, insightful list of program attributes is as important as a clear vision. Creative Tension and Emotional Tension oppose each other. Work with communities to understand where the vision and reality match or there are gaps.
Need clear goals, objectives, and vision for the community based on studying the user needs and wants. This helps keep the project vision from being diminished.
Corners as collaborative space, edges for reflective space, and central flexible central space. Example has pivoting walls that can create large, small, changing spaces.
Design Modes – ‘breakthrough for today’
Touchpoints are service desks. They can be expensive and a barrier to service. Or it can be inexpensive and flexible. Important part – must have a human for it to work best 😉 Service desk is key to library service – customer service, technology sharing, interactive space full of disruption. The desk should be open, near the entrance, safety conscious. The human touch of this space – how do humans fit in it comfortably.
Example: Ask Us, touchscreen interactive environment next to an interactive space for staff/patron interactions
Interactive map! How cool would that be. Space age touch point. Search technology on book ends – also space age touch point. Launch pad iBeacon transponder sends information if opted in by the patron. Student art show ap as an example.
Reflective Space – scholarly space, comfortable, light, big tables, nooks for reading and study. Volumetric physical space – open, semi-enclosed and enclosed, quiet seating. Communication/hearing: is it tech space, has wifi, includes augmented reality. Human touch in reflective mode you have seat size for the behavioral bubble, lighting and power controls. How to break you library down into pieces and these elements that are important for the environment.
Presence of books on the shelf helps give the feel of reflective space. Mobile reflective space – bar space to perch. Take photos of your library to analyze what you see. If everyone has headphones does that mean the library is too loud?
Living edge idea – run seating perpendicular to the wall with quiet environment with natural light. Personal zone, dividers or book walls to break up the space.
Collaborative space should be flexible, writable walls for example. More pronounced in academic library settings. Include technology, headphones, light, open space. Conference rooms that foster parallel play. Know that ideal number is 4-7 max and then the space morphs into presentation space. Virtual tech to aid collaborative space – webinars, conference calls, telepresence, etc.
Social Space = new need for libraries. Started with Applestore/Starbucks phenomenon. Flowing environment without noise control. Includes eating areas, near entrance, semi-enclosed or open, security, cleaning, flexible AV, odor control, Flexible human space, behavior bubble and ‘personal space’, cafe style. Cafe needs a garbage strategy to be successful. Browsing is still a social activity, but need hang out space and open study environments. Genius techie bar at the library. Barista as a touch point at the library. Coffee and check out your books ;-O Gaming spaces.
Presentation space – open to expand? Small group or large and flexible space. Bring in privacy screens or large video wall. Maker space and present new ideas. Ideabox with windows as a live presentation. Screens and dividers with stacking chairs – flexible.
What benchmarks do we apply to understand our library service? Door count, tech use, program attendance, active patrons, e-resource use
Writable walls in staircase as a way to communicate.
Phase plan overview pre-plan… <end notes>
My Township Manager called, so I had to mute my webinar. I’ll get the archive and see what the Q&A said.
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