University libraries typically occupy prime real estate in the heart of campus, so it’s important to ensure that they meet students’ needs. As educational materials move from print to online, libraries are changing to offer better connectivity and more space for modern uses. This Midwestern university recently gutted an entire three-story library and repurposed the space to provide amenities like connected classrooms, powerful computing labs,...
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Like many university campuses, this state university was facing a space crunch. In particular, the Department of Art and Design wanted to offer students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, but they lacked space for specialized computer labs for animation, digital photography, and other design courses. The main library on campus, meanwhile, had an entire floor of underutilized space. Microfilm cabinets, along with audio recordings and...
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Many college and university libraries serve as repositories for their institutions’ archives and special collections. Items of historical interest can include architectural plans, works of art, programs and tickets from stage productions and sporting events, professors’ notes and journals, and rare books. These items need to be documented and properly preserved. Faculty and staff at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, worked with their architect and...
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Faculty and staff wanted to create adaptable and aesthetically pleasing spaces on the main floor of this new college library, so they opted for Spacesaver’s A-Frame carts and cantilever carts. The shelving units have the appearance of stationary shelving combined with the flexibility of mobile carts. Upper floors were fitted with taller stationary cantilever shelving, and a compact mobile system was installed in the archives...
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A growing number of university libraries are staying open 24 hours a day to meet increased student demand for study areas and collaboration space. Because circulation desks typically aren’t staffed around the clock, libraries need a secure way to store materials that have been requested for pick-up. The circulation desk at the University of Louisville is situated between the library’s public areas and its on-campus...
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Spacesaver created a compacting kiosk for a small bookstore located inside the entrance to the downtown public library in Vancouver, Washington. The shop is operated by volunteers with the local Friends of the Library group, so the system needed to be straightforward and easy to use. The clerk opens and closes the kiosk by sliding the shelving units along rails installed in the floor. The...
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Libraries are changing. In a digital age where information is at your fingertips on a touchscreen instead of just through words on a page of a book, many libraries are transforming into centers that invite younger generations to collaborate, study, explore and more. Millennials in particular are catching on and grabbing hold of these unique neighborhood nooks. “Relatively high library use by Millennials might be...
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The new Riddell Library and Learning Centre at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, is filled with modern amenities such as technology-enabled classrooms, a makerspace, and a variety of collaborative work areas. In addition to these contemporary features, members of the project planning team also wanted to provide on-site access to the institution’s entire book collection. The planning team wanted the bookstacks to be as...
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In an effort to encourage instructional innovation and make the best use of space and staff time, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is repurposing underutilized areas in on-campus libraries to create new learning spaces. The new spaces support active learning by “flipping” the traditional instructional model: instead of lecturing in class and assigning homework, instructors often ask students to watch online lectures before each class session...
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Wake Forest University was using an off-site storage company to house their library overflow material. This company not only charged by the linear foot to store the books, but there was also a cost associated with each time a book needed to be retrieved from the facility and brought back to the library. The university knew that they wanted to continue to open up space...
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