 Last
updated:
September 16, 2003
|
Library Spaces
|
LIBRARY SPACES FOR STUDY, RESEARCH, COLLABORATION, AND REFLECTION The Libraries of The Claremont Colleges offer services in four buildings: Honnold/Mudd, located on CUC property; Denison, on the Scripps College campus; Seeley G. Mudd, on the Pomona College campus; and Sprague, on the Harvey Mudd College campus. One of the Libraries' strategic goals is to "ensure that [all four] library buildings are comfortable, inviting places for students, faculty and staff and that they provide accessible accommodations for our collections and services." We continue to see significant numbers of users in the Libraries, a testament to our commitment to providing cutting edge technology, outstanding resources, and excellent services in welcoming library spaces. When these libraries were built, they were meant to house traditional print collections and to allow study space mainly for individual users. Today, resources and users' needs have changed. With the rapid proliferation of electronic resources, the vast increase in varied formats of media materials, and the changes in the ways students learn both individually and collaboratively, we must now consider the use of library space with more thoughtful and creative attention. We know that there are conflicting priorities for use of space: collections continue to grow and demand space, while students want to utilize space to work with various types of equipment as well as with each other. Although increasingly students are able to access the resources they need from outside the Libraries, many choose to come to a library for their research and study. We strive to make the Libraries welcoming, pleasant places where students may come for assistance and services, and we strive to better understand how the Libraries' physical spaces can best meet users' needs. Many of the building use issues confronting us are similar for all four libraries, while some concerns are specific to an individual library. In addition to our observations and research into the purposes served by our library spaces, equipment, and furnishings, we have employed a variety of tools and methods to assess our users' needs. We have surveyed our users, conducted focus groups and gathered use data for our buildings (Exhibit E1). We continue to analyze the results for insights into what configurations of space would best suit and accommodate our users. This essay discusses both general and specific concerns as well as our reflections on some options for resolving problems or difficulties. |