The chatter of the internet and digital revolution replacing the importance of the library is false.  Libraries are more important today than at anytime in history.  That can be proved by the record number of patrons visiting libraries for their online services, internet connections and new catalog systems that have simplified the ability to search for books, magazine and other periodicals. 

Title:  Renewing the Library in the Internet Era

Original Post Date: American Libraries Newsletter June 23, 2010

Author:  Charles Buchanan

Source:  UAB Magazine (http://www.uab.edu/uabmagazine/2010/june/libraries)

Here is a post byT. Scott Plutchak and Jerry Stevens (both of UAB) regarding libraries in the digital age and their increasing relevance during the digital revolution that is engulfing the world.   Below I have provided some notes that both commentators touched upon.  For a big picture view on how libraries are  maintaining their importance as a knowledge source and I would click the “Source” link above and read the complete article.

The Five Ways In Which The Digital Revolution Has Made Libraries More Accessible, Personal, And Relevant Than Ever:

1. The Web offers choices and challenges.
2. The library wants to be your friend.
3. The library is open when your laptop is.
4. Plugs are popular.
5. The library is a reliable resource.

Before reading the article I thought it might be relevant to see other library spaces from around the world.  The pictures below are from recent BCI Eurobib installations in England, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands.  BCI Eurobib’s consultants work with architects to design spaces that reflect today’s desire for increased natural light, improved mobility of shelving, and increased access to OPAC stations throughout the library.  Take a look…

Together, UAB’s Sterne and Lister Hill libraries hold more than a million items, from books and journals to CDs and videos. But the Internet and e-books are quickly expanding those collections. Sterne was among the first libraries in Alabama to begin replacing some reference books with a computer database. Today, Stephens says, Sterne can digitally deliver full text, images, and audio to desktops or laptops—and video is in the works. The library also counts approximately 60,000 e-books in its collection.

At Lister Hill, the state’s largest biomedical library, “we collect almost nothing in print now,” Plutchak says—including academic journals. Digital versions of those periodicals enable easy access, but they also present a challenge. “We have to protect the archival sense of the resource,” Stephens says. “E-versions began as a supplement to the printed journals; now we can purchase an electronic subscription and then buy the print as a supplement.” That ensures that past issues are readily available, but it also increases the cost of doing business—forcing libraries to choose carefully. “Getting a better idea of exactly what people need, how they use materials, and how we can best spend our limited resources is a very high priority for us,” Plutchak says.

2. The library wants to be your friend.

UAB’s libraries know how to network. They’re on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and blogs. Stephens says that social networks offer new outlets for library services in a student-rich environment. “These networks are basically where students live and work,” he says, “and we can embed links directly to us or to our collection.”

“They’ve increased the ease with which people can get in touch with us for assistance, as well as the ways that we can put information in front of people,” adds Plutchak. But face-to-face networking still plays a crucial role, he says. Lister Hill librarians spend “significant time” outside the library, meeting with students and faculty in their classrooms and offices to let them know about library resources.

3. The library is open when your laptop is.

Thanks to the Internet, students and faculty can use UAB’s libraries from anywhere in the world—and even interact with librarians via real-time chats. “It’s just like they’re sitting here on campus,” Stephens says. Both libraries’ Web sites allow visitors with an official UAB Blazer ID to find materials, access research databases, read journal articles, and even access special collections that include letters from famed nurse Florence Nightingale, student films, and oral histories featuring figures from Birmingham’s past. Another benefit: Multiple users can access the same information concurrently; there’s usually no waiting for a book to be returned. “We’ve eliminated the barrier of physical distance,” Plutchak explains.

  4. Plugs are popular.

UAB’s libraries “are no longer just a place to store printed books,” Plutchak notes. Instead, they’ve become busy spaces where the digital generation can connect with information—and each other.

As part of its renovation, Sterne Library made a point of adding plenty of electrical outlets. While both libraries were among the first UAB facilities to offer wireless Internet, “every student wants to charge their laptop, iPod, and phone at the same time,” Stephens says. “We’ve redesigned common space and shelf space into an area that is more technology-friendly.” Sterne study rooms have been outfitted for group interaction, enabling a student to plug a laptop into a large video monitor so that everyone can work together. Wheeled furniture encourages students to congregate. And then there’s Starbucks, which opened in Sterne last year. “It extends the social network, where students can sit and talk and collaborate,” Stephens says.Libraries serve a key role in providing access to technology, Stephens says. “A lot of students may not have computers at home. They may not have a fast enough Internet connection that allows them to download information they need readily and in a way that they can reuse it.” Computer terminals at the libraries enable students to download information on flash drives, which they can take home to help them work offline. It’s a long way from the days of notecards scribbled with research references, Stephens notes. “Their navigation of the information resources is much different now, and we help support that.”

5. The library is a reliable source.

While answers now come easily thanks to online search engines, accuracy does not. “Most people believe that everything they touch on the Internet is factual and free,” Stephens says. “That’s a big misconception. The Internet doesn’t use standard vocabularies; you can’t be sure you’re dealing with validated sources.”
Plutchak concurs. “Much more content is available electronically. The downside is that it is more difficult to find exactly what one needs when it’s needed.” But, he adds, librarians develop programs, systems, and services to help users locate accurate and useful information. Libraries also cover the costs of that data. “High-quality information required for learning and research has to be paid for,” Plutchak says.

For those reasons, libraries will always be around, say both directors. They don’t foresee a final chapter for printed books, either. “Digital products and readers are not going to replace every single book,” Stephens says. “The book is still the best instrument for reading. You don’t need any special software, an Internet connection, or electricity. You can sit on the beach or in a park—you can do whatever you want—and take a book with you.

BCI Eurobib encourages architects, interior designers and library directors to email (info@bcieurobib.com) their floor plans for a free evaluation and library planning suggestions. Our consultants will provide their expertise to advise on library furniture interiors, space planning ideas, and adherence to shelving & equipment budgets. 

Architects, interior designers and library directors currently planning library construction projects should contact BCI Eurobib’s library representatives Longo Associates (www.longolibraries.com) to arrange an appointment. Longo’s experienced staff will be able to assist in evaluating library plans, design/drawings, budgeting, project management, furnishings and installation services.  Longo’s library consultants can be reached by emailing (info@longoinc.com) or calling 800-635-6646.

Title:  Transforming Teen Spaces @ ALA Annual Conference

Original Post Date: 07-01-2010

Source:  www.Ypulse.com (http://www.ypulse.com/guest-post-transforming-teen-spaces-ala-annual-conference)

Here is a post by Margaret Sullivan of H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture LLC about the current trends in teen libraries and how to make your library more appearling to your teenage patrons.   Below I have provided some notes that Margaret touched upon.  For a big picture view of tranforming teen spaces in libraries, I would click the “Source” link above and read the complete article.

There is no “trend” growing faster right now in the library world than teen programming. Thus, librarians are begging for guidance in providing appropriate, comfortable, flexible and “non-traditional” spaces (like… how much room does the Wii really need?) to provide an enriching environment for their teen patrons.

This was the impetus for my committee’s program, “Capturing Kapow! Transform Your Teen Spaces to Transform Your Teens” co-presented with Denelle Wrightson, Director of Library Design at Dewberry Architects, with panelists Amy Wander, Teen Librarian at the Lafayette Public Library , Louisa Storer, Teen Librarian with the New York Public Library in the Bronx and Lambert Shell, Coordinator of Youth Enrichment Services for the Queens Public Library. The program set out to answer the following questions:

1. Commercial forces geared toward teens are strong and effective. What are marketers doing to engage the teen and tween demographic?

2. What can the library do to appropriate these techniques and stay true to their mission?

3. What do teens want?

4. What are some of the most progressive teen librarians doing in response to these factors?

5. How can we turn this information into the nuts and bolts of space planning?

The easiest question to answer is “What do teens want?” Like all of us, they want respect, and it is the most successful marketers and librarians know how to offer this through multiple techniques.

1. Let teens curate their identity
Phone-based applications like Foursquare allow users to “unlock” and collect badges based on going to different locations. Individuals have an identity that can be shared with friends based on a unique collection of badges. You have the opportunity to become “Mayor” if you frequent the location the most. And because many of the places are businesses, it is excellent retail marketing. In addition, VH1 and MTV have recently teamed up with Foursquare to feature their reality star celebrities as members, giving us all the opportunity to know how the cast of “Jersey Shore” curates their identity!

2. Allow for customization
Teens are critically aware of the nuances of appearances and what it signifies. A company in the Bronx, da Bakery, has tapped into this by offering custom-designed silk-screened t-shirts that represent the teen’s identity. But that is not all! The company also purchases the exact paint color of new sneaker models before the sneakers even come out, so that the color in the t-shirt can match the sneaker color precisely!

3. Provide platforms to stay connected
From Harper Collins’ The Amanda Project to Scholastic’s The 39 Clues, to Twitter feeds announcing Flash Mobs (at the New York Public Library’s “alternative prom”, a Flash Mob occurred based on a twitter feed rumor that Lady Gaga would be attending!), the opportunities to engage teens through multiple channels is endless!

Most importantly, “join their space; don’t expect them to join yours.” The panelists of teen librarians were emphatic that parents should be discouraged from being in the library with their children. The most successful teen programming is when teens can take ownership of their space, their bodies, their minds and their activities.

Librarians whose mission is to enrich the lives of their patrons need to know: What makes for a happy and healthy teen anyway? The Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets for ages 12-18 provides a prescription. Librarians know which assets their programming can and can’t support, but the assets I always quote when working with library building committees, especially the ones who don’t understand why the teen space needs room for a gladiator fighting ring, a rock concert, a fashion show or a sleepover, is that teens need at least three hours a week of recreational activity and three hours a week of creative activity in addition to at least three hours a week of reading for pleasure.

And finally, what does this mean for designing teen spaces in public libraries?

1. Involve Your Teens in every step of the design process. From programming to space planning, to color selection to furniture selection. What better way to provide a platform for teens to “curate their identity” and “customize” than the opportunity to design their own space.

2. Provide for a variety of activities Teen programming can encompass “traditional” library activities such as reading, group study and reference gathering, but it can also encompass poetry reading, movie night, gaming and, really, whatever programming your library is willing to offer! So… assume that at any time, the entire space can be transformed. The more flexible the furnishings (i.e. select furniture on casters) the more successful your space can become.

3. Let the Teens design their own piece of furniture… and build it! One teen designed a four-person group study table that has a retractable piece in the middle that transforms the piece into a ping-pong table – a perfect combination of the traditional and non-traditional library space.

4. Buy a “wow” piece of furniture The best way to show respect to the teens is to invest in a couple of pieces of furniture that represent what they consider the trends of their time. It doesn’t have to be expensive either. Because in the teen world, trends can change as rapidly as one-three months, it is okay to think about “recycling” furniture.

5. Be Creative (Cheap!) with Paint It is amazing how simple color and wall graphics can transform a space.

Ultimately, what we set out to answer was what we all should have known from the start: that the best way to engage a teen audience and enrich their lives is to provide an environment where they are respected, listened to and valued. And when the physical environment can reflect that a library truly understands its teen patrons, then the library’s mission of enrichment can be rewarding for us all!