Kathleen Darby

701-03

Dr. Perry

11/29/11

Due in large part to the incredible technological advancements that have taken place, even within in the past ten years, academic libraries have been forced to redesign and reevaluate the physical library space. Image retrieved from: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/re

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Reader-centered paradigm, which devotes large spaces for individuals to connect with books.

Book-centered, in which most of the library’s spaces are devoted to books and other printed materials.

The most recent space planning paradigm is learning-centered. It is more concerned with educating the users and having librarians think like educators rather than solely providing a service and treating students like patrons.

Information Commons have been brought about because of the fact that libraries have been evolving to meet their user’s needs as they change, colleges and universities have taken their own point of view on what exactly that area represents and what they should be called. Image retrieved from:

http://hoover.mcdaniel.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Jackson-Comm-Coll.jpg

Necessary features: *user-driven design*technology is key to the commons

*IT staff must be available to the users *librarians must be on hand to help students with accessing digital information.

What’s in a name?

Image retrieved from: https://www.iun.edu/~lib/videos/

Dissemination of knowledge

Promotion of literary and scientific learning

The athenaeum model is a more recent concept for design than the commons and is less service-oriented. It is more concerned with engagement in scholarship and providing structure Image retrieved from:

http://latefruit.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/will-paradise-be-a-kind-of-library/

Athenaeum library. St. Johnsbury, VT

In a recent study, it was found that study rooms – both for groups and individuals -- were consistently very popular, and carrels were more often used when there was a surge in capacity in the library.

Another study asked: Can virtual space for group collaboration make up for lack of space at urban academic libraries?*A study’s results found that physical space is desired more than virtual space when it comes to group collaboration.

Image retrieved from: https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/123846/standard/Frost-interior-L3-group-study-

room-20060130-03.jpg

Works CitedApplegate, R. (2009). The library is for studying: Student preferences for

study space.

The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35(4), 341-346.

Bennett, S. (2009). Libraries and learning: A history of paradigm change. Portal, 9(2), 181- 197.

Bonnand, S., & Donahue, T. (2010). What's in a name? the evolving library commons concept. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 17(2), 225-233. doi:10.1080/10691316.2010.487443

Caniano, W. T. (2010). Academic library design: A commons or an athenaeum. Library

Philosophy & Practice, 12(2), 1-9.

Cocciolo, A. (2010). Alleviating physical space constraints using virtual space?: A study from an urban academic library. Library Hi Tech, 28(4), 523-535.