Reflections on 2/24/12 class

How fun to talk about designing a library with someone who does it for a living. Just when you think you know of all of the jobs out there in the world, another one pops up. Peg gave great insight into the process of planning a library design or (or redesign). It sure would be helpful to talk to her in person (or hire her) if I ever had to design a school library. She certainly has it all figured out.

I especially appreciated her AEIOU guidelines for library design considerations:

A= Activities: Keep a laundry list of what happens and what you what to have happen in your media center

E= Environment: Be aware off all the factors that affect the feeling, comfort level and effectiveness of the media center

I= Interaction: Think about how the space is used by people, does it provide space for separation and inclusion?

O= Objects: Think of every physical object in the space and what purpose it serves

U= Users: Observe your media center’s demographics and consider how the space serves as a home away from home for many patrons

All this talk of redesign has made me reconsider the layouts of the libraries I have worked in and what I would do (just as far as rearranging the furniture) to make them more efficient, more effective and more user friendly. I imagine that, for most people, you work in a space long enough and you just get used to how it is. Or you start in a new space and are so overwhelmed by everything that moving heavy furniture around is the last thing on your “to-do list”. I am not like that at all. My mother remarked one time while sitting in my newly rearranged living room, “Jennifer, you change around your furniture more than some people change their underwear.” Of course, now that I am in grad school I have better things to do than move my furniture around, but that doesn’t mean that I am not constantly thinking about how things could be improved.

One has to be careful about mixing things up too often, especially when dealing with younger children. Kids grow to expect and appreciate the stability of the library space and when you change things up too much, kids can become uncomfortable. It’s as if their sanctuary has been torn apart. To alleviate this problem it might be fun to include kids in a library redesign, so they can claim ownership of the new space and not be intimidated by it.