Getting it together for libraries: designing a collaborative learning centre

Abstract

Designing for libraries is a specialised skill requiring an understanding of the services and functions within them. Particularly, designing library spaces for the 21st century is, I believe, more complex than it was in the past. Libraries are seen as places of learning and knowledge pursuit and should be designed to accommodate these needs. However, contemporary library buildings will generally accommodate more than typical library services, and they therefore need to be flexible and multifunctional. Libraries are more than storehouses or repositories of materials - they need to be wired and cabled for delivery of many types of electronic information resources and access to many types of electronic services. So, we must now design for all types of published formats - not just print - and ensure that power and data connections are robust and extendable.