Week 3 Readings Reactions

Michael Kelly

The Quiet Plug Crisis

Kelly discusses how the popularity of portable electronic devices has created a need for more usable outlets in libraries.

I can easily relate to the plight of the users in this article, having often been in a situation when I needed to recharge my laptop/iPad/cellphone/camera and been unable to find an outlet. Making more outlets available does create some concern however. The article mentions the high cost of adding more outlets to a space, but I also wonder how much higher the electricity bill would be with the addition of so many outlets. Overall though, if having more outlets increases the usability of the library for patrons, then more outlets and better electrical infrastructure is what we should provide.

Raya Kuzyk and Francine Fialkoff

Shifting Spaces

The authors’ report on the Library Journal Design Institute details how to meet user needs while keeping in mind new technologies and sustainability. They emphasize the need to partner with the community in planning and construction to keep the library relevant.

The ideas presented in this article all emphasize the need for libraries to adapt to both changing user needs, as well as changing economic and technological environments. I like the idea of the library as a communal place that is more of a portal to information and entertainment than a storage container. The amount of innovation provided by the group collaboration sessions is something that could be easily replicated in any library with the help of their community. I think the biggest lesson from this article is that brainstorming and collaborating can pay off in a number of ways, from lowering energy costs to creating usable and changeable spaces.

Rebekkah S. Aldrich

A Whole Systems Approach

Aldrich praises the concept of Integrated Building Design as a way to use early and continuous collaboration in creating and constructing a library to avoid costly design flaws.

Conceptually this process makes such good sense, that I wondered why it wasn’t more widespread. Of course having every collaborator present from the beginning of the project would prevent mistakes that would have only been spotted later when that particular collaborator was brought in and noticed said mistakes. But as the article went on to detail how different laws hinder the ability to begin a project in collaboration, I saw that it might not be so easy. Aldrich says this process is “a fairly intimidating one for the uninitiated,” and I have to agree. I am overwhelmed at the thought of figuring out how to accommodate all of the applicable laws, creating contracts that encourage collaboration while preventing a power imbalance, all while keeping in mind community and financial needs.

As a side note, I have worked in a library that had the very problem described of windows letting too much heat in, creating an uncomfortably warm atrium. As a consequence the AC was always on as high as possible in the summer to counteract this, which led to the rest of the library being very cold. As I read this article I kept wondering what building and design method that library used.