[Publib] Re: advice for an architecture student

[Andy Barnett]

>Visiting area libraries and asking staff what works is a great way 
>to build a 1990s library. You might end up with a library built 
>around a circulation desk, just as the library was getting ready to 
>move to a model where <10% of circulation runs through a desk. If 
>you want a building fit for the future you're going to use it in, 
>look at models that reflect what is new, not what was state of the 
>art a decade ago or even last year.

My advice - large flexible areas with a minimum of wasted space. 
Don't count on shelving, desks, etc. being where the architect drew 
them once you settle in. We opened a renovated 5,000 sq. ft. area in 
2005. We have moved almost every piece of furniture to a new location 
since then. Wider aisles, more task oriented spaces, more zoning and 
sub-zoning.

My favorite program at PLA was Karen Hyman (handout at 
http://tinyurl.com/59z2fv) her section based on the concept of active 
inertia (Donald Sull). Building a library based on current best 
practices virtually guarantees that it will not meet your future needs.



Andy Barnett, Asst. Director            McMillan Memorial Library
490 East Grand Ave. Wisconsin Rapids, WI  54494
                 www.mcmillanlibrary.org
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that 
matter.  -  Martin Luther King, Jr.