Reading Journal 1/24

The Quiet Plug Crisis by Michael Kelley

Kelley's article concisely affirms the existence of and offers solutions for an overlooked but growing library problem: lack of outlets.

The structure of Kelley's article was very clear and the variety of outside sources used lent credibility. I thought it was wise that he emphasized that it is the "'simple things that present the biggest challenge,'" while noting that this issue is not "'sexy or exciting'" (24). My own experience at MCPL does not show patrons complaining about a lack of outlets, but I have been amazed at the number of people who come to the desk to ask their locations. This is probably because MCPL has done an excellent job installing numerous outlets in the floors, leaving patrons free to sit away from walls. As a patron at my hometown library and the main branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, I have experienced frustration over where I had to sit in order to plug in my laptop. This is a complicated issue, though, as it is sometimes impossible to meet the demands due to budgets or the physical inability to have power access in a portion of the building. Tables with the outlets built into them are a good idea, but are expensive and still require electricity run to their location in the room, thus limiting rearrangement possibilities.



Shifting Spaces by Raya Kuzyk and Francine Fialkoff

Kuzyk and Fialkoff present an overview of the sessions from the day-long LJ's Design Institute, SC, touching on the subjects of greening, teams, people spaces, and technology, especially in rural settings.

I thought the authors did a good job summarizing this even in such a small space. Having been to journalism conferences, I can imagine how difficult it was for them. I liked the emphasis placed on team work for certain parts of the projects, and the specific recommendation to have the program planner, architect, contractor, and engineer selected together. I do think it is interesting that there was a lack of emphasis on making sure to closely guide the architects, who may not be familiar with the functionality concerns of libraries. After designing a library for my Branch Libraries and Programming class over the summer, there are so many issues with a building (sight-lines, ADA compliance, adequate storage, etc.) that can easily be overlooked by those unfamiliar with the inner workings. While it may not necessarily be due to this lack of input, MCPL has had issues with signage and clear directions since remodeling. Probably the number one question I am asked on the reference desk is where to go get a library card/check out because the signs are not obvious. It is nice that the different areas (circ, fiction, nonfiction, reference, etc) are supposed to be color-coded, but the average patron will no notice this detail the architect thought would be great.

I did like their discussion of "Skyping rooms," which are a great idea if space allows. But my favorite suggestion was adding "a dose of whimsy for adults, not just children" (19). Public libraries have a special purpose to be a blending of education and fun, and so many times it is easy to overlook that the space can also reflect this "fun" element. It was also interesting that this article touched on the outlet problems, further reinforcing the importance of the issue.


A Whole Systems Approach by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich

Aldrich advocates for using a process called Integrated Building Design, which has all the partners in a building project working together from the very beginning in order to maximize innovation, deliver on goals, and possibly decrease costs.

This article felt muddled to me, as it was no sooner than the second page that I realized Aldrich was trying to talk only about green projects. Yet there were times she would throw in ideas that were about broader library projects, making it feel jumbled. Even after just one semester of library school, one would be hard-pressed to escape the talk heavily in favor of teamwork in our profession. While there are certainly benefits, I do not think Aldrich did a good job arguing for this system to be implemented more widely. One of the biggest barriers she mentioned was that many states do not allow projects to be bid out in one group, instead relying on individual bids by people who may have never worked together before. Regardless of whether a library can work around this in the way she explained, I question whether it is wise to allow the appearance of favoritism -- by the library toward the contractors or the state toward the library.

Ultimately, this brought to mind an article I read recently in the New York Times about whether the rise of teamwork is actually stifling creativity in some cases. The author of that article asserts that "decades of research show that individuals almost always perform better than groups in both quality and quantity, and group performance gets worse as group size increases" (Cain). Teams often serve different purposes in a library setting, allowing more people to be informed and offer input into what are community problems, but it also seems worth a look at all alternatives before leaping headfirst into a complete remodeling of the approach to building design.


Cain, Susan. "The Rise of the New Groupthink." The New York Times 15 Jan. 2012, New York ed.: SR1. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. .