The Renaissance of the Library

Sarah E. ThomasCornell University

March 17,2004

The Deserted Library

Nineteenth Century Monumental Libraries

The New York Public Library The Library of Congress

The Last Monumental Libraries?

At the End of theTwentieth Century

21st CenturyLibraries

High density storage in aremote location

Library of Congress Ft. Meade (Maryland) and Culpeper (Virginia) Facilities

U.S. Library Construction and Renovation, 1992-2001

• 4.5 Billion dollars• 2,800,000 square feet annually• 1,100,000 square feet new construction

annually

Trends

• Space for public learning and discovery takes precedence over collections and staff .

• Consolidation and integration for productivity and support of interdisciplinary work

• Collaborative spaces increase in importance• Flexibility a hallmark

Lesser-used materialsShared storagePreservation toolSecurity assetIndustrial document delivery

High-density Storage

Yale University

YaleSoutheast Ohio

Indiana

Yale

Shepley Bulfinch Richardson Abbott

Yale-Gilmore Music Library Cornell-Kroch Library

Space constraints

Harvard filled in a light court at Widener to create a “medium-rare” reading room

ARCHITECT: EINHORN YAFFEE PRESCOTT ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING, P.C.

Yale’s Sterling Library

Shepley Bulfinch Richardson Abbott

Inspiring spaces

Task lamps with power and data

Changing Library Services

The Card Catalogwas the startingpoint….

.

Information Commons replaces the card catalog and indices.

Technical Services (before) Widener Library, Harvard University

625 Mass Ave, Harvard Technical Services

Widener Library’s treasure roomTaken over by cataloging…Returned as a periodicals reading room

Cornell’s Periodicals Room was hardly used by 2001.

Transformed into a wired café, the space is now one of the campus’s most popular study and meeting places.

Free Speech Movement CaféUC Berkeley Library

ARCHITECT: PERRY DEAN ROGERS & PARTNERS

Drink Library, Marshall University, West Virginia

Rochester Institute of Technology Idea Factory

RIT Idea Factory

Photos: Jen Freer

Morrison Reading RoomDoe Library, Berkeley

UNC’s House Undergraduate Library, Prior to Renovation

UNC House Library Study Room

MIT Hayden Library

Secure, 24-hour study zones are in demandUnified services available opposite 24-hour study

TappéAssociates

A locked carrel at Ohio State in 1951

Cornell 2002

Carrels in Cornell’s new addition to Mann Library have power, data connections, and locked doors.

Dartmouth’s Baker Berry Library

”Photo:J. Mehling

Shepley BulfinchRichardson and Abbott

NCSU Learning and Research Center for the Digital Age

• Cybercafé WebStations• General Computing• Multimedia Wall• Collaboration Booths• Seminar Area• Visualization classroom• TA’s desk• Computing Assistant• Print Station

University of ChicagoCrerar Library

University of Chicago Crerar Library, Networking Services & IT

ARCHITECT: FRANK GEHRY

Princeton Science Library

Consolidation of branch libraries into a single interdisciplinary resource

Library embedded in teaching andlearning process

Education Research Clinical CareSelf-directed, interactive learning, medical scholars

Translational medicine, genomics, computational biology

Clinical decisions, innovative diagnosis and treatment

Clinic Sites

BioX

Stanford Institutes of

Medicine

Learning Commons Immersive Learning

Embedded Learning

Enriched Content

Integrated Services

Personal Consultant

Stanford Hospitals

VA Hospital

The Library & Knowledge

Management Center

•• Explode the traditional libraryenvelope

• Anywhere, anytime access

• Mobile working & learning

• Distributed service points in learning commons

• Integrate knowledge into point of use

• Informationists partnered with labs, departments, clinics and institutes

KMC

Lane

SMILE

LANE

A Distributed Knowledge Environment

• Casual Atmosphere

Quiet Zones

Casual Collaborative Core

• Personal Service

• Wireless Access

Expert Bar

Consult OfficeLive Consult

Visualization Computation Zone Interactive Teaching

Spaces

Distributed Learning Commons

Inspiration

Collaboration

Social networking

Scholarly communication

Intellectual discovery

Symbol of learning

Exhibits & Events

Cafe

Classroom

Repository

Information Experts