By observing students at Leeds Metropolitan University, Katherine Everest, Debbie Morris and colleagues were able to provide library spaces for the way they actually work, not the way we think they ought to work

Everest, K

Morris, D

English

Leeds Beckett Repository

FURNITURE & DESIGN  7Gazette 16 May - 29 May 2008Library as placeThe Library Visual Scan© is a feature ofCILIPs The Library as Place ExecutiveBriefing on 23 October. Its a systemdesigned by Aaron Cohen Associates,experts in library planning. It evaluatesspace needs as they relate to services,operations and the potential for change.In a very hands-on workshop, via avirtual library tour, delegates will get tograde spaces, and consider how theywould improve them. The findings willthen be analysed in an open discussion.The company has completed more than1,000 library projects over 40 years.Alexander Cohen leads the workshop,supported by Diana Edmonds, Head ofLibraries at Haringey Council. www.cilip.or.uk/libraryasplaceSafer seatsThe Furniture Industry ResearchAssociation (Fira) is to launch acertification scheme to help specifierschoose better furniture products  and tomake pupils more willing to learn and lessprone to back pain. The average heightand weight of 10-16-year olds hasincreased since the 1970s, when the lastmajor study was conducted. However,much of the furniture used in schools takesthe one size fits all approach. Recurrentback pain in school-age children isincreasing, with one UK study finding 36per cent of 11-14 year-olds experiencingthe condition.www.fira.co.ukFabulous displaysA fun, practical course which shows youhow to produce eye-catching displays isbeing run in Lincoln by CoFHE EastMidlands. Creating Fabulous Displays:the Alternative Display Company is on 9June and guarantees many ideas forhow to make your library collectionsmore appealing including 3-D effectsand suspended displays, using coloursand different types of materials. You getthe chance to put your skills intopractice. Non-CoFHE members arewelcome. The venue is BishopGrosseteste University College Lincoln.Details: Emma Sansbyemma.sansby@bishopg.ac.ukNEWS…HEADINGLEY LIBRARY IS ON threefloors of a listed, turn-of-the-centurybuilding. It caters for approximately 8,000students and recently it has been trans-formed from a traditional library into aninnovative, student-centred library for the21st century. We wanted an innovativelibrary where, above all, the students comefirst. Our inspiration was taken from theway students work and learn.For example, many students work whiletalking to their colleagues, using manytechnological devices simultaneously –and eating. Group work is now verycommon, so we decided to create asmuch group study space as possible. Wediscovered that, while they wanted tostudy in groups, students did not neces-sarily want to study in a private room. Sowe turned the whole of the ground floorover to an open-plan group study area.Sets of large tables and brightly colouredtub chairs are available and studentsstudy in pairs or groups, talking, sur-rounded by laptops and mobiles. Thefirst impression of a lively, vibrant buzz isstriking as one enters the library. It chal-lenges traditional assumptions of what alibrary should be. Previously students were confrontedwith three different help desksdepending on what services they wantedto use. The new library incorporates asingle point of help which is located onthe group study floor. With fewer staffneeded to support the desk, staff nowhave the opportunity to offer help in dif-ferent ways which include ‘roving’throughout the library and helping stu-dents at point of need.Not all students want to work in a noisyspace all the time so we provided a largeroom on the first floor with individual studycarrels for those looking for a quieter envi-ronment. Bookings for group study roomsused to be continuously oversubscribed,but the open-plan ground floor area hasmet the demand. A few bookable studentmeeting rooms are still available for groupswho want to work away from other stu-dents, for example to practise presenta-tions.The library was designed as a 24-hourstudy environment. Our observation alsoshowed that students like to eat and drinkwhile they are working. There was a roomthat we were unable to house resourcesin, so here we created more group studyspace where eating and drinking werepermitted. Extra bins and a more rig-orous cleaning regime have kept theroom a pleasant environment to work in.FlexibilityWe took a policy decision not to purchaseany more fixed PCs. Instead, we providewireless laptops for loan. This means thatany space is multi-purpose and studentscan read, write or use IT in all of them.Another decision was to disassociate col-lections from specific spaces or areas. Wehad collections of books, AV materials,language materials, school practice mate-rials and printed journals all in designatedareas and we wanted students to feel theycould use them anywhere in the library. The main bookstock was moved to onefloor, where previously it had been split,making it easier for students to find whatthey wanted. Similarly, the other collec-tions were housed in smaller rooms,freeing up the study space they had beenassociated with. Students are nowencouraged to take materials to the kindof study space that suits them. As for printed journals, a decision wasmade to move the collection to an open-access compact rolling stack. This hasmeant that the large space that it previ-ously occupied is now available for mixeduse – students can still take printed jour-nals there to study if they wish to, andthey may be working alongside a studentlooking at e-journals on their laptop.  Future-proofingWe wanted to have as little fixed furnitureas possible. Our furniture was relativelytraditional and low-cost, and is heavilyused. Carpet colours change on eachfloor to indicate a different type of space.With the flexibility designed into eachspace, in the future the library couldpotentially have a completely differentlook and feel without the need to recon-figure the building. Indeed, we are nowlooking at transforming one of our moretraditional teaching rooms into a hi-tech,inspirational learning room in which stu-dents can work outside their classroom.Because the library provides learningfacilities outside the classrooms (lan-guage students, for example, have accessto self-service language resources 24hours a day) students on all courses passthrough the building, some on their wayto specific classes, some to stay and learnindependently. The redesign has been agreat success. It has a ‘lively, vibrant buzz’said one student. And other appreciativecomments are: ‘I like the big space whenyou come in. It’s a lot more welcoming,’and ‘It’s just like studying in your frontroom.’  Katherine Everest is ProfessionalStream Leader: Library Services &Operations, and Debbie Morris isLibrary Systems Developer, LeedsMetropolitan University.This is an abridged version of thearticle which is to appear in SconulFocus, Summer/Autumn 2008.By observing students at LeedsMetropolitan University,Katherine Everest,Debbie Morris and colleagueswere able to provide libraryspaces for the way theyactually work, not the way wethink they ought to work.Visibleevidence School furniture testing at Firas worldleading facilities‘With fewer staff needed tosupport the desk, staff nowhave the opportunity to offerhelp in different ways whichinclude ‘roving’ throughout thelibrary and helping students atpoint of need.’LIG16Mayp7  5/7/08  6:15 PM  Page 1

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