User-Centered Spaces
As some of you may realize, in addition to working as the science librarian at Baylor, I’m taking classes towards my library degree. We’ve been discussing innovative or renovated STEM libraries. I am particularly interested in the Applied and Engineering Technology (AET) Library at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA). I’m interested in this library because I am thinking about how the libraries at Baylor can have a presence in the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC). I’m hoping to use information from the UTSA library websites, newspaper articles, what I remember from a tour during Summer 2011, and an IM chat with someone from the UTSA library as the basis for my discussion.
After a soft opening in June 2010, the AET library had its grand opening in Fall 2010 in converted labspace the Applied and Engineering Technology Building. The most notable feature about the library is that it is bookless. It is this aspect of the library that prompted an article about the library in Inside Higher Ed which was then picked up by both USA Today and the New York Times.
The emphasis of this library is to provide spaces that students will use. Two large group study rooms seat six people and have 42″ LCD monitors and whiteboard and glass walls that students can write on. A smaller study room seats four people and also has whiteboard and glass walls. All study rooms can be reserved in advance and are available on a first-come basis if not reserved. In addition to numerous personal study spaces for students with laptops are 10 public computers, a scanner, and a color printer. White boards for individual use are also available throughout the library.
But a bookless library is not devoid of information. The AET library has a reference desk that is staffed while the library is open by STEM student assistants who answer basic reference questions and refer more complex questions to either the science or engineering librarian. These librarians also spend time in the library helping students. In addition, all of the online journals, databases, and e-books available through UTSA libraries are also available at the AET libary. The AET library even has a pilot e-reader program where 2 Kindles, 2 Sony e-readers, and 1 Nook which are pre-loaded with a number of STEM books. Students can request that a book be bought and downloaded to the e-readers (although this has happened only once).
Because the AET libary is user focused, the librarians have made a number of changes even in the short time the library have been open. Most of these changes are to encourage group work among students. They have added stools to take advantage of the old lab benches that were original to the building; they decreased the number of overstuffed chairs that had very small attached desks; and they added more tables and white boards.
The AET library is an excellent example of a library that has made the most of the space they were given to serve users. I would love to set up a similar space at Baylor in our new BRIC facility.
Wow this is sure a look into the future. It was a little shocking at first to envision a bookless library but after reading about the user centered space design, I am beginning to warm up to the idea. One thing that was comforting to me was the fact that the real live librarians are still very much a part of the picture. I hope that libraries never lose that human connection in serving the user community. The user space seems to function nicely for tasks that students require and that is also important.
I noticed that you commented on loss of casual chairs seemed to coincide with what Karla said in her blog. Is that a new trend that students do not study at all in a more casual setting? I’m from an older generation and I like to study in a variety of ways. Even younger students use IPads and e-readers-do they still want more formal seating?
I enjoyed the blog very much.
Joanne Y.
Joanne:
When we were gathering student feedback for our renovation, the most common request from the students was for comfortable chairs and couches, and I think if we were to survey them post-renovation, they would list the new furniture at the top of their list of what they liked about the new library space, even though they don’t use it much. I think the overstuffed furniture makes the library feel more informal and inviting, and it adds to the aesthetics of the space. However, like Christina mentioned in her reply, the type of work students usually are engaged in now requires the use of tables, whiteboards, projectors, computers, etc., so even though they like and want the informal seating, they actually make more use of the formal seating and the small rooms. What we do see fairly frequently is students dragging the “comfortable” chairs over to a large work table, creating their own blend of comfortable and functional!
Great point about students dragging comfy chairs over to tables. I think it is important to have flexible furniture that can be used in a variety of ways.
We have movable whiteboards and tables. It’s amazing where they end up. The night staff tries to get them back to approximately the right places before they close up but sometimes they move them to different floors and different buildings (the library is in 2 connected buildings).
Joanne,
I think it might be the difference between reading and studying. Comfortable seating is fine for reading (if it’s not to dry because comfy chairs are easier to fall asleep in), but not so good for taking notes on your computer or in a notebook or for working on a problem set. My personal preference is studying (including typing on my computer) is lying on the floor. My legs are really short so most chairs are very uncomfortable because my heels don’t come even close to touching the floor.
The librarians I talked to about the AET library told me that the architect chose the furniture without any consultation with the librarians. So the chairs looked pretty but were very uncomfortable. The stools he originally picked did not allow for enough leg room under the benches. The students are much happier with the furniture that the librarians chose.
Christina:
I really enjoyed both of your posts on user-centered spaces. I took a look at both the AET library at UTSA and at the BRIC and was very impressed with both facilities. You mentioned the AET library study rooms with glass walls the students could write on. That was one of the first things I noticed when I visited their site, just because of my library’s experience with trying to increase vertical work surfaces. We have been talking about how to preserve as much natural light as possible while creating new individual study rooms in our downstairs renovation and that idea of having a writable glass surface might be a perfect solution! I was really impressed with Baylor’s BRIC, and I think you have some great ideas for designing a user-centered space for that space.
The idea of a bookless library is an interesting one. In my 5000 class we had a discussion centered around the question of bookless libraries and whether or not they are truly libraries (and not just technology-rich study halls). I think Joanne made a great point that the presence of librarians at the AET library is a key component of a bookless library retaining its “library” credentials. I think this is especially important in how administration perceives the value, role, and relevancy of the library (so critical when it comes to funding…..)
I agree it seems impressive, but I imagine more of an exaggerated study center than a library. I don’t consider a few e-readers and access to online journals a library. The librarians being available only part of the time also makes it seem more like a designated study space than a library. I do think that having a space located within a library designed as AET would be a great asset to any library.
Great work, Christina! I was especially interested in the ebooks preloaded with STEM books. I’ll have to look into this. I’m actually working on reducing the space for books and print journals (the cancellation project helped with this!) to make more study areas for patrons. Very cool how they found space in an academic building – this would be great! Good luck with BRIC!
Ellen said that they’re thinking of canceling the e-reader program. The readers are rather “old” (like 2-3 years) so there’s not much interest. But I’m thinking if you can pre-load them with good reference texts with 1-day checkouts, they would be popular. We don’t buy textbooks, but we’re piloting an e-textbook program so maybe the library could get a few if the program goes through.