Week 3 Readings

The Quiet Plug Crisis

This article discussed the increasing need for electrical outlets in modern libraries, without overloading the library's electrical capacity or causing any inconvenience/danger to patrons. Some current solutions include furniture with electrical outlets or raised floors, but future solutions might be "longer-lasting batteries or inductive charging mats".

The lack of easily accessible plugs was the main reason I almost never studied at the library when I was in undergrad. (That and the lack of easily accessible coffee.) Since coming to IU, I have fallen in love with the tables with outlets up in the West Tower, just because I can keep everything contained in my space and don't have to perform acrobatic feats of wonder to get around everyone else's laptop cords. For that reason, I like the furniture with outlets, but that is more of a personal preference. The raised floors might be a better option for libraries, because it seemed to offer more flexibility in terms of circuitry and layouts, making it easier to reorganize spaces without redoing a ton of electrical work.

Shifting Spaces

This article summarizes the discussions at Library Journal's Design Institute, looking at collaboration between architects, designers, building planners and librarians, and how these groups incorporated green technology and solicited community buy-in for their projects.

I thought this article was fascinating, especially the information on the various participating libraries and how they involved all, or at least, many of the stakeholders in the planning process, as well as looking more closely at the changing physical needs of libraries (outlets, meeting spaces, study areas, computers, layout) and combining that with cost-effective measures. I was especially interested at how some of the designers used methods to allow multiple groups to put forth their own ideas, like the game boards or Legos, in order to get the best ideas from everyone and get everyone on board with the project.

A Whole Systems Approach

This article expanded on the Integrated Building Design process that was mentioned in the Shifting Spaces article. IBD involves collaboration between the various parties involved in a building project from the very beginning, taking the view that looking at the system as a whole will give everyone a better idea of how it works, instead of focusing only on those parts that affect them. It is also more cost-effective, because design changes are easier and cheaper in the beginning stages of a project than later.

I was surprised when the article said this approach was relatively unpracticed right now. I took a Systems Analysis class last semester that was very focused on the idea of teamwork and diverse teams, so that a project could benefit from multiple approaches and viewpoints, and it seemed like a strategy that is widely used in IT work. I really like the idea of IBD and getting as much input from stakeholders before beginning a project, so that everyone has a sense of ownership and everyone's concerns are heard and addressed before too many resources are invested.