lecture presented by Lourdes T. David at PAARL Forum, Marina G. Dayrit Lecture Series on "Making Things Easier: New Design Ideas for Better Library Services," held at National Book Store Superbranch, Cubao, Quezon City on 22 February 2013

1. Making Things Easier: New
Design Ideas for Better Libraries
Presented at the Marina G. Dayrit
Lecture Series with the theme
“Library of the Future: Changes and
Challenges, at the National Book
Stores-Cubao’s Superbranch, on 22
February 2013.

2. Why Design Better Libraries?
• To make it a meaningful
place for the 21st
Century Customers
• Competition with the
Internet
• Competition with
Starbucks, McDonalds,
etc.
• Competition with the
times

3. The Information Environment
• Blended: Digital and print
• Online vs. onsite access
• 24x7 access vs. limited access
• Available in the Internet
– Credible sites
– Social Networking sites
– Direct access to peers

4. Why do Students go to Starbucks or
McDonalds to Study?
• They provide
– Access to the Internet via mobile devices—
Wifi
– Food, coffee
• They allow
– Individual study
– Group study
• Many are open 24/7

5. The Challenge to Libraries
• Making the customers come to the library to
use the physical space by meeting their library
visit meaningful.
• Retaining customers—Keeping them satisfied

6. What do Libraries have that are not
available in places where customers
hangout?
• Books—Print and e-books
• Journals-Print and e-journals
• Multimedia collection
• Online databases
• Facilities for quiet study
• Competent and customer oriented library staff

7. Libraries Must
• Examine those places where members of
the community hangout
• Plan to provide an environment that would
engage students to come to the library
instead of to those areas.
– Internet Access via LAN or Wi-fi
– A good collection—Print and e
– Individual and group study areas
– Customer oriented and competent library staff
– If possible, Food/coffee

8. New Paradigm for Library
Design
• “What is needed is acceptance of a new
basis of academic and research library
design that speaks to the needs of users,
is energy efficient, and assumes zero-
growth collection of physical collections.
Such a building will have a future on any
campus.” (Loder, 2010) .

9. Design Considerations
• Respect different styles of learning
• Provide facilities for access to digital
resources
• Provide rooms for librarians/teachers to
hold learning activities
• Make the library areas and facilities diverse,
flexible, convertible, multipurpose,
accessible, pleasant and inviting and
memorable.

10. Other Design Considerations
 The accreditation standards
 User size and seating capacity
 Collection size and shelving capacity –
Think digital too
 Librarians office—accessibility
 Functional areas
 Green technology principles—Energy
cost

11. The key to Design
• Make it easier for the customer to
– Create content
– Share content
– Collaborate--Share ideas, expertise
– Study
– Discuss

12. The key to design
• Making it easier for the library staff to
– Provide good efficient service
– Sustain operations through green technology
principles

13. Importance of Benchmarking
• Actually seeing how other libraries did it and
adapting best practices to one’s environment
• Become aware that in designing libraries,
there is no need to build a new facility but you
can work on existing space.

14. Individual Carrels

15. Individual Study Space

16. Group Study Area

17. Discussion area

18. Learning in Twos

19. Relaxed seating

20. Relaxed Seating

21. Other Seating Spaces

22. Presentation rooms

23. Group Presentation Space

24. Wi-fi Access

25. Wi-Fi Access

26. Internet Access Laboratories

27. Pleasant Atmosphere

28. Convertible Space

29. Applying Green Technology
Principles

30. Green Environment

31. Individual & Silent Study
Cubicles

32. Accessible One Stop
Transaction Counter

33. Accessible OPACs on all floors

34. Accessible and easy access to
study areas and stockrooms

35. Today’s Students eat on the go:
They need access to food

36. Printed books and Journals

37. Competent and Customer Oriented Staff

38. Role of the Library Staff
• Library staff play a key role in making the
library experience pleasant.
• Library staff should
be friendly and
approachable. Gestures
and tone of voice are
important
2/24/2013 Ateneo de Manila University 38

39. Library Staff today must
• Build a strong working relationship with
customers by treating them in the
manner that you want to be treated.
• Have good product knowledge.
• Have good professional Attitude.
• Be Adaptable and Flexible
• Be Relevant to the community.
•
2/24/2013 Ateneo de Manila University 39

40. “Satisfied customers tell three friends,
angry customers tell 3,000”
(Blackshaw, 2008)
Good Experience Bad Experience

41. Thank You!
• Lourdes T. David
• Director, Rizal Library, Ateneo de Manila
University
• Contact Numbers
– Tel: 4266001 ext 5550; telfax 4265961
– Email: ltdavid@ateneo.edu;
lourdesdav@gmail,com;
lourdestenmatay@yahoo.com.ph
– Facebook

42. References
• Blackshaw, Pete (2008). Satisfied customers tell three friends, angry
customers tell 3,000: running a business in today’s consumer-driven
world, N.Y: Doubleday
• Freeman, Geoffrey (2005). ―The Library as Place: Changes in
Learning Patterns, Collections, Technology, and Use‖ in Library as
Place: Rethinking Roles, Rethinking Space. Council on Library and
Information Resources Washington, D.C. p. 1-9
• Loder, Michael Wescott (2010). ―Libraries with futures; How are
academic library usage and green demands changing building
designs?‖ College and research libraries, July 2010 vol 71 #4,
pp348-359.
• Mulford, Sam McBane and Ned A Himmel (2010). How green is my
library? Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.