Background

Libraries are no longer being used as places to store and distribute books, nor do they serve as place for only studying. With changes in technology libraries have been forced to change their ways of operating and instead of closing their doors they are adapting by becoming People-Centric instead of being Book-Centric. They become community resources for collaborating, creating, and making.

Design Brief

The challenge is to redesign your high school library and re-think how your school’s library should, or could, function as technology advances and our notion of study and working changes accordingly. What does a library look like that is designed around a person’s knowledge needs instead of only storing and cataloging books?

You may redesign the interior of the existing library space, expand on the existing space, or design a completely new addition on to your school building. Your design should contain all the spaces and functions required for a typical school library – a variety of seating options for students (inside and out!), as well as book and media storage, space for the librarian, computer areas, audio/visual labs, and meeting spaces. You may also want to include a cafe, information kiosk, or a workshop area. The redesigned library should include ideas for both old and new ideas for a library. You should also consider sustainability issues and the environmental impact of your design.

In the Collect Info step of the design process, you try to gather as much information as possible about your existing school library, along with the students and staff who will use it.  You can't propose new solutions until you figure out and document what the existing problems are.

Try This

Walk around the interior of your school building and take photos or a short video of the existing library. You can upload those photos or short videos here. Be sure to write a detailed description for every image. (If your school grants access to YouTube, check out this short video that some students in Chicago made about the design of their school building.)

• Interview students, librarians, and other staff about what they think of the existing library.  What changes would they make to spaces if they had a choice?
• Make a list of those features that you really like about how your library looks and functions.
• Make separate list of all the ways that your current library is not so well designed (chairs may be uncomfortable or the light is poor, or there are really great outdoor reading areas).
• Take measurements of the overall dimensions of your existing library.
• Take interior photos of the hallways and entrances that lead into your existing library.
• Visit Flickr or another photo sharing site and search for other types of libraries to determine good and bad examples of how libraries accommodate user’s needs, especially teens. 
• Post images of buildings, colors, designs, textures, or other things that inspire you in this step. Make sure you give credit to your source!

Think About

• How many students need to be seated in the library during one period?
• What types of furniture is used in the existing library? Does it need to be movable? Why or why not?
• What are the different pathways that students use to get into the library now?
• What types of media are available in your library? How are they stored? Are books an important part of your library?
• Does your new school library need to look like the same typical library with long stack of books?  What other study spaces around the world are inspiring and interesting?

In the Brainstorm Ideas step of the design process, you put some early ideas down on paper that show what you've found in the Collect Info step.  You also might take more photos to show specific new ideas you have.