I picked University of California’s Science and Engineering Library. According to their website the USC Science and Engineering Library convened a task force in 2003 to examine how they were serving their patrons and how best to improve service. Their results found that their space and services were inadequate to students’ and faculty’s needs. The renovations I am focusing on were done on the first floor in 2010, mainly a student-study space (though renovations were also made to other floors in the intervening time). Most of the renovations were completed in August of the same summer and I believe from my reading that all were in place in time for the fall semester. The furnishings were updated, compact reference shelving was added, larger kiosk workstations were added, and the overall seating was doubled. Photos that can be found on the cited websites show the new furnishings (not counting the kiosks) are compact and on wheels, even the tables.
I chose to focus on these renovations rather than the overall plan devised by the task force because these were the most recent and the most obviously focused on student needs, but looking at the task force document offered some interesting insights. Originally the USC Science and Engineering Task Force argued for a need for increased reading space with Ethernet or wireless access, an increased number of subject librarians, graphic/audiovisual equipment, more study rooms, 24-hour library access, and electronic compact shelving and its attendant structural support (USC Science and Engineering Task Force, 1-2). When looking at the description and photos, readers can see that the ‘wish list’ from the task force was pared down a bit. A 2005 upgrade improved the wireless access (but from the site, it appears access is spotty through the building and likely still in very high demand). And rather than electronic compact shelving, they went with manual crank compact shelving – probably more affordable, but not as easy to manage physically. They did add a combination room used for both instruction and for study and what the site calls a ‘cozy book nook’. Photos of all these spaces are uneven and mostly focus on the collaborative learning space that has kiosks and movable seating.
USC Science and Engineering Task Force. (2003). Executive summary: report of the Science and Engineering task force. Retrieved from http://www.usc.edu/libraries/locations/science/history/summary.pdf
USC Science and Engineering Library. (2011, Dec. 12). Retrieved from http://www.usc.edu/libraries/locations/science/index.php
Masters, Nathan. (2010). Inside the USC libraries: Science and Engineering Library. Retrieved from http://dotsx.usc.edu/newsblog/index.php/main/comments/inside_the_usc_libraries_science_and_engineering_library/
Masters, Nathan. (2010). Renovated Science & Engineering Library attracts increased usage. Retrieved from http://dotsx.usc.edu/newsblog/index.php/main/comments/renovated_science_engineering_library_sees_increased_usage/
4 comments:
More and more libraries are using Wi-Fi, which is generally a good thing; it simplifies the services we have to offer, reduces the strain on our dedicated terminals, and makes the library a more comfortable place to be. The problem comes when you realize that a gigantic concrete structure with thick walls that may have been designed to double as the campus nuclear fallout shelter (I've been told this is frighteningly common thanks to a grant package in the 50's and 60's to build shelters that universities used to make library upgrades) is a rather irritating place to transmit a wireless internet signal. We can't always plan for future technological advancements, but it's important that we keep in mind that 20 years out, we might be designing for a very different technology. Flexibility may cost a bit more up front, but it's more useful from a user standpoint and it can save you a lot of money down the road.
It turns out that USC is doing a lot of library-stuff renovation these days, as befits a private university with a luscious endowment and lots of film students with money to burn. I think an interesting comparison can be drawn between this library and the UCLA Young Research Library, which is described in another student's blog. It seems as though the UCLA library has gone much farther in attempting to spin out the User Services idea: The establishment of pods and collaborative spaces appear far more advanced at UCLA than at USC. On the other hand, a third school, Cal State Northridge, which is a partner with UNT for us students attending the program out here on the Left Coast, has a gigantic underground bunker for storage, with robots retrieving books that you might order. I can't say with any surety that the robots help the users particularly -- I don't think they're any faster than using old fashioned shelving systems -- but I would not mind having a robot fetch my books.
It's easy to have a huge wishlist, but unfortunately, budget constraints usually require a significant paring down of the list. It sounds like they did take into consideration the desire of patrons (updating the wifi access), but they also did what they could to increase the usability for the staff as well (new shelving, while not electronic, saves space and makes for easier access).
I enjoyed reading your entry, by staying focus on the purpose of the task force instead of all the little details discussed regarding the task force. You decreased the confusion of the reader and presented the information in a user friendly format.
angela c
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