At a sixth-form college in Wigan, they actually wanted a smaller, more compact and manageable, learning resource centre. But faced with a blank sheet of paper, how do you transform your vision into reality? Christian Stretton has some tips.
In 2004, the Learning & Skills Council agreed a grant towards a £4m project which included a brand new, purpose-built learning resources centre at St John Rigby College, a sixth-form college in Wigan. The new centre opened on 27 February this year.
When I began working for the college in 1999, the library was contained in one ex-gymnasium, and one ex-assembly hall – two huge spaces separated by a tiny corridor, and further complicated by two mezzanine floors. Immediately, I made my voice heard, suggesting to the senior management team that this was not an ideal space for independent learning. I was lucky – the Principal of the college agreed, and so, when the college received funding for an extension in 2004, a new LRC was top of the list of priorities.
Once the decision to build had been made, I was faced with a daunting task – to design a new LRC which would fit into an empty rectangle of space (14x19m). I had visions of myself sketching shelves on an old piece of A4, but, of course, there was a lot of help and advice available from colleagues, librarians and library designers.
Speaking from The Light At The End Of The Tunnel, there are some tips I can offer those about to undertake a similar project.
Get your foot in the door
It sounds ridiculous but, if you don’t shout to make yourself heard, the centre will be designed without you. Architects will try to convince your management team that they know best.
Make sure that the project manager knows that you are keen to be involved in the project. You know what currently works, what doesn’t, and what your users need. You are the best resource they have.
At St John Rigby, I was quick to introduce myself to the project manager, and let them know I wanted to be as involved as possible. I became a member of the project team, and took on responsibility for liaising with the library design companies.
Speak with other library professionals
Are there any similar colleges near you that have recently built a new LRC? If so, get in touch with them, and ask if you can visit to talk about their experience.
I had contacts at Holy Cross College, Bury, and knew that they had recently moved to a new LRC. I visited their campus very early on in the project. The LRC team there were able to give me a great overview of their project, including ideas of costs, details of the planning, and how they orchestrated the move.
What works/doesn’t work in your current LRC?
Make a list. Involve all your learning resources staff: What bugs them about the current LRC? What would they like to change? What would improve services?
In our case, we had problems with noise because of the size of the old rooms. It was such a big space, we couldn’t supervise every area. So we wanted the new LRC to be smaller, where we could see every workspace from the helpdesk. To achieve this, we planned small areas of desks, broken up by low shelving.
Check CoFHE guidelines
CILIP's Colleges of Further & Higher Education Group produce Guidelines for Colleges.1 This includes really useful statistics such as the minimum strength of a load-bearing floor and recommended space per FTE (full-time equivalent student), and pointers on lighting and ventilation.
You don’t need to be an expert draughtsman
Don’t feel that you need to come up with the design yourself. There are some very good library design companies that will draw up a design for you (see a selection, left). Only contact them once you have the architect’s drawing of the new building (If the new LRC is to be put in an existing building, you will still need a scale drawing of the space). The design company will visit you on site to discuss what you want, and to take a look at the plans. It then takes about two weeks for them to post through their design.
They will not charge you for their initial visit and design, and they will expect that you will get more than one quote. If you would like to make changes to the initial plan, they will redraw for you. Once you are happy with the design, they will give you a more detailed quote.
We got three designs, and eventually decided that we preferred the Demco design. All three quotes were similar in price.
Check the design on a practical level
Once you have chosen a design that you like, just check the practicalities before you go ahead:
- How many metres of shelving do you have now, and how many are on the new plan?
- How many individual workspaces?
- Are the power-sockets/network points where you want them?
- Is there enough room behind the helpdesk for your staff and your administrative resources?
Know when to back down
It’s easy to become territorial. Remember that sometimes the decision will not be yours. I was lucky enough to deal with the library design companies, and even to choose the final design. But, after that, I was happy to pass the final decisions on textiles and colours back to the project manager.
Moving – removals firm or in-house?
Think about how you are going to move your stock into the new library. It is best if this can be done during vacation time. If not, it is possible (with a lot of help) to do the move over a weekend.
We used the removals firm Smooth Move, which had previous experience in the sector.2 Once the shelving had been installed in the new building, my team labelled each shelf with a number in both the new and the old library. The removals firm then had to move each shelf of books to their corresponding number in the new library. The move went smoothly! You need to allow a little time after the move to check the order of the books, and set out the helpdesk as you would like it.
We did consider moving the stock ourselves. This would have involved employing student helpers, and would have taken considerably longer. When we worked out the costs, there would not have been much difference between this and bringing in a removals firm.
Stressful but satisfying
My part in the process took about 18 months. Sometimes it involved a lot of work, at other times weeks would pass when nothing would happen. Planning a new LRC can be frustrating, stressful and difficult at times but, if you can keep involved, and if your input is valued, then it can be one of the most satisfying professional experiences you will ever have.
Project planning: a step-by-step guide
- Get friendly with the project manager
- Visit new LRCs in your area
- Make a list of what works and what doesn’t
- Ask for a copy of the architect’s plans
- Invite library design companies to draw up a design (based on the architect’s plans and your own ideas)
- Choose a design, and check the practicalities
- Try to agree a move date that falls in vacation time
- Sort out a plan for the move
- Once the stock has been moved, allow an extra day or two to check the shelves, set out the helpdesk, put up displays etc.
Things that work well
Everything on one floor
A separate silent-study room
Low free-standing shelving
A single exit/entrance
Display space near the entrance
Things that don’t work
Mezzanine floors
Desks with 5 or more chairs
All wall shelving
Two or more entrances
Cluttered entrance
Resources:
Some library design firms
A & D Architects 01992 554983
www.ad-architects.com/
Demco Interiors 01933 445300
www.demcointeriors.co.uk
J2 Interiors 01767 318100
www.j2interiors.co.uk/
Zika 01274 870300
Books/websites
Project Management and Project Planning by James Gordon and Keith Lockyer. FT Prentice Hall, 2005.
Project Management: tools and techniques for today’s ILS professional by Barbara Allan. Facet Publishing, 2004.
Checklist of Building Design Considerations, edited by William W. Sannwald. American Library Association, 2001.
www.designinglibraries.org.uk/
www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/librarydesign.html
References
1 Guidelines for Colleges: recommendations for learning resources. Colleges of Further & Higher Education Group. Facet Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1 85604 551 X. £22.95 (20 % discount for CILIP members). Available from Bookpoint, 01235 827794.
2 Smooth Move (0151 236 7666; www.smoothmove.uk.com/ ).
Christian Stretton is the Learning Resources Manager at St John Rigby College in Wigan, Lancashire (christian.stretton@sjr.ac.uk).
Updated: 17 September 2007