[Libs-Or] New Space Planning Guide

[HANNING Darci * SLO]

Greetings everyone,

I'm forwarding along this announcement that may be of interest to those of you working space planning projects at your library:

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is pleased to announce the release of Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians<https://mblc.state.ma.us/libraryspace>, a guide to planning new or reconfigured public library spaces. "This space planning guide will not only help plan flexible and efficient library buildings that meet a community's unique needs; it will also save communities time and money as they begin exploring options for a new or reconfigured library," said Lauren Stara, Library Building Specialist.

Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians creates a formal set of best practices for designing library space that may be applied to libraries across the nation. The guide empowers librarians, administrators, space planners, and architects with tools for the planning and design of public library buildings. It takes the user through the step by step process of determining what to consider when designing a new library for their community, and includes illustrations of different room types, adjacencies, shelving, and seating that can be considered for a building project.

A Zoom session to explain the document<https://mblc.libcal.com/event/7298786> and how it can be used will be held on December 10, 2020 from 10a - 11a PT.

The link to download the resource is https://mblc.state.ma.us/libraryspace.

Because library services are changing so rapidly, formal standards for space planning have been lacking for many years. For many years, the Wisconsin Public Library Standards<https://dpi.wi.gov/pld/boards-directors/library-standards> have been a widely-known and used set of guidelines derived from statistics from public libraries in Wisconsin, but they do not address facilities beyond collection size and number of seats. MPLCP staff worked closely with the Boston-based global design firm Sasaki from June 2019 to November 2020 to develop Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians.  The process included a series of site visits to recently constructed or renovated public libraries across the Commonwealth, an in-depth analysis of thirteen selected case study libraries, and a focus group with the directors of the case study libraries where we discussed the successes and shortcomings of their completed buildings and the planning process. The information gleaned from these activities was used as the raw material for the best practices presented.

Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians is in part derived from an earlier project undertaken by the MBLC and Sasaki called the "Ecosystem Study<https://mblc.state.ma.us/ecosystem>." The study surveyed library users and library staff across Massachusetts to learn how and why they use the libraries in the state. The study provides statewide recommendations that have implications for many programs and services offered by the MBLC, including the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP).

Regards,

James

James M. Lonergan
Director
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
90 Canal Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02114-2018
(800) 952-7403 (in-state)
(617) 725-1860, ext. 222
james.lonergan at state.ma.us<mailto:james.lonergan at state.ma.us>
www.mass.gov/mblc<http://www.mass.gov/mblc>

Cheers!
Darci Hanning, MLIS (she/her/hers)
Public Library Consultant / CE Coordinator
Continuing Education Resources: https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/conted
NEW: darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov<mailto:darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov> | 971-375-3491 | www.oregon.gov/library<https://www.oregon.gov/library>
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