libraries must also be buildings

134 Pages·2003·3.2 MB·English

LIBRARIES MUST ALSO BE BUILDINGS?
NEW LIBRARY IMPACT STUDY

MARCH 2003

JARED BRYSON,
BOB USHERWOOD,
RICHARD PROCTOR

THE CENTRE FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES
AND
INFORMATION IN SOCIETY
(CPLIS)

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5

IMAGE CREDITS 6

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 12

CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 15

CHAPTER 3 PLANNING 20

CHAPTER 4 PARTNERSHIPS 31

CHAPTER 5 DESIGN 41

CHAPTER 6 MARKETING 57

CHAPTER 7 SOCIAL CAPITAL 65

CHAPTER 8 LESSONS LEARNED 74

BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES 81

APPENDICES 85

APPENDIX 1 MISSION STATEMENT OF NORFOLK
& NORWICH MILLENNIUM LIBRARY 85

APPENDIX 2 STRATEGIC VISION OF NEWHAM LIBRARIES 86

APPENDIX 3 LETTER TO NATIONAL SURVEY RECIPIENTS 87

APPENDIX 4 SAMPLE NATIONAL SURVEY 88

APPENDIX 5 NATIONAL SURVEY RESPONDENTS 95

APPENDIX 6 NATIONAL SURVEY TABLES KEY 98

APPENDIX 7 NATIONAL SURVEY DATA TABLES 102

APPENDIX 8 NATIONAL SURVEY RESULTS:
PUBLIC CONSULTATION, PLANNING PROCESS, &
PARTNERSHIPS 121

APPENDIX 9 INTERVIEW GUIDE—ARCHITECT 124

APPENDIX 10 INTERVIEW GUIDE—LIBRARY PARTNERS 126
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APPENDIX 11 INTERVIEW GUIDE—STRATFORD
INTERIOR DESIGNER 127

APPENDIX 12 INTERVIEW GUIDE—ELECTED OFFICIAL 129

APPENDIX 13 FOCUS GROUP GUIDE—STANDARD 131

APPENDIX 14 FOCUS GROUP GUIDE—LIBRARIANS 132

APPENDIX 15 FOCUS GROUP GUIDE—BUSINESS LEADERS 133
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The research team wishes to extend its appreciation to Briony Train, member
of the Centre for Public Libraries and Information in Society, for her advice in
developing the national email survey. We also thank Anna Stevenson and
Claire Craig for their work in creating the database for analyzing the national
survey results.

We also wish to thank Professor Jeremy Till, Head of the University of
Sheffield's School of Architecture and Professor of Planning Theory and
Practice, Heather Campbell at the University of Sheffield's School of Town
and Regional Planning, for offering their time and valuable insights into their
professions and their application to public libraries.

We also appreciate the assistance given by the staff in the libraries where the
case studies were conducted. In Norfolk County Council: Jennifer Holland,
Jan Holden and Annie Gore. In Newham and Stratford: Mark Blair, Adrian
Whittle and Zainab Jalil.

We thank all of the local library authorities that participated in the national
survey.

Thank you to all those elected members and officials from partner
organisations, as well as members of the respective design teams and focus
groups that participated, and who gave so generously of their time and
without whom this research would not have been possible.

Finally, this project would not have been possible without the funding and
support of Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives, and Libraries and
their research programme manager, Margaret Croucher
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IMAGE CREDITS

THROUGH THE KIND PERMISSION OF:

THE FORUM, INCLUDING THE NORFOLK AND NORWICH
MILLENNIUM LIBRARY
The Forum Trust
http://www.theforumnorfolk.com/

STRATFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY
Newham Council
http://www.newham.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/librariesmain.htm
Miller Bourne Partnership, Chartered Architects
http://www.millerbourne.co.uk/recent.html

BOURNEMOUTH LIBRARY
BDP/Martine Hamilton Knight
http://www.bdp.co.uk/news/2002/a0206_bournemouth.asp

PECKHAM LIBRARY
The Public Libraries Group of the Chartered Institute of Library and
Information Professionals
Public Library Building Awards
http://www.cilip.org.uk/groups/plg/award_2001/peckham.html

IDEA STORES
Tower Hamlets Council
http://www.ideastore.co.uk/

MACHEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
Caerphilly County Borough Council
http://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/learning/libraries/index.htm

PAPWORTH LIBRARY
Cambridgeshire County Council,
http://www.camcnty.gov.uk/library/ver1/papw.htm

MUIRHOUSE LIBRARY
Edinburgh City Council,
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/CEC/Recreation/Leisure/Data/Muirhouse_
Library/Muirhouse_Library.html

WATERSIDE LIBRARY
The Western Education and Library Board, Derry Council, Hazel
Philson, Photographer
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

The study was undertaken by the Centre for Public Libraries and Information
in Society (CPLIS) in the Department of Information Studies at the University
of Sheffield, and funded by Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives,
and Libraries. It aimed to assess the impact of a new library building on local
communities, questioning the institution as a physical space and the role it
plays in the wider community. In particular the project set out to examine a
series of questions that are as follows:
(cid:1)(cid:2) How and to what extent potential user needs were identified in the
advance planning for the building?

(cid:1)(cid:2) How the new library fits into the local authority’s overall strategic
planning?

(cid:1)(cid:2) How the perceived aims and role of the new library differ from the old
one?

(cid:1)(cid:2) Whether co-operation with new partners has been achieved?

(cid:1)(cid:2) The impact, if any, on local shops/businesses?

(cid:1)(cid:2) The impact, if any, on the use of other library services?

(cid:1)(cid:2) What changes to services (ICT access, materials, display etc) were
offered?

(cid:1)(cid:2) Users views on the library as a physical and or virtual space?

(cid:1)(cid:2) Issues of physical and psychological access?

(cid:1)(cid:2) What publicity has been achieved locally/regionally/nationally? (How
the library has been promoted/publicised within its perceived
catchment area?)

(cid:1)(cid:2) If the public's image/expectation of libraries has changed as a result of
the new library?

(cid:1)(cid:2) The extent to which new library buildings can help ameliorate the
breakdown in the social connections of British society? (c.f. Putnam
Bowling Alone)

(cid:1)(cid:2) The impact, if any, on the use of the library service by various
categories of users?

(cid:1)(cid:2) The views of users, potential users and other stakeholders?

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METHODOLOGY

The approach was predominantly qualitative in nature, and a variety of
sources provided data for the study. A literature review examined the existing
views inside the library profession as well as current thinking about
architecture and social policy. The Norwich & Norfolk Millennium Library and
the London Borough of Newham's Stratford library were the subject of
detailed research. The case studies involved an examination of planning and
strategy documents, semi-structured interviews with key staff, partners, and
the design team, as well as a series of focus groups with an array of social
groups in the community. Data from these two case studies were amplified by
the results of a broad, nation-wide email survey to all of the United Kingdom's
Library Authorities.

STUDY THEMES

Five broad themes emerged from the data. These relate to the situation of
the new public library buildings within their communities. The five themes are:
planning, partnerships, design, marketing, and social capital.

PROCESS OF PLANNING & CONSTRUCTING A NEW LIBRARY
BUILDING

The data suggest that the strengths and weaknesses of a new public library
within a community are established with the initial conditions of planning and
construction. A thorough consultation process before the brief takes
irreversible physical form can give the client and design team critical insights
from a wide range of stakeholders. Both the Norfolk & Norwich Millennium
Library and Newham's Stratford Library undertook an extensive consultation
process before initiating their development. Nationwide the extent of the
consultation ranged from postal and telephone surveys and questionnaires, to
analysis of geographical information system (GIS) data, road shows and focus
groups. Visits to other successful libraries in the UK and abroad presented
library authorities considering a new building with an opportunity to see
particular designs in operation. The use of architectural competition in some
authorities offered a number of design options that might be best suited to the
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community's specific needs, including the condition and character of the site,
and budgetary and time constraints.

IMPACT OF PARTNERSHIPS & OTHER LIBRARY SERVICES

Public libraries are being asked to deliver an assortment of services. In order
to meet these demands more fully they are teaming up with other
organisations, and placing the delivery of an array of services under one roof.
This creates a "one-stop-shop" for users and increases access for all
involved. The Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library is sited within the Forum
building and shares space with the regional BBC, a heritage visitor attraction,
tourist information service, local educational consortium, and an eating
establishment. The Stratford library operates with a local cafe and is sited
within a development that includes a grocery superstore, a hotel and a video
rental shop. All of these elements were seen to work together to add value
and achieve strategic aims for the authorities concerned.

DESIGN, FACILITIES, RESOURCES & SERVICES

Design is at the nexus of both the social and material, and it forms a
fundamental aspect of a new library's impact on the community. Good design
according to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
needs to be: fit for purpose, sustainable, efficient, coherent, flexible,
responsive to context, good looking and a clear expression of the
requirements of the brief (CABE 2002b). The investment in ICT by public
libraries has brought about a need to accommodate the new technology and
maintain space for established services. Retail techniques that focus on
customer service are being applied to the library setting, including display and
promotional areas, lounges and cafes with comfortable seating, clear signage
and inviting layouts. The Disability Discrimination Act now requires physical
for disabled people to the public library building, however, many of the new
libraries exceed these basic requirements by providing enabling equipment.
The best library buildings also provide for other dimensions of access
including psychological, sensory, financial, as well as provision for socially
excluded groups such as ethnic minorities and the mentally disabled.

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MARKETING & AWARENESS

Both case study libraries generated a high degree of attention during the short
term (with visitor numbers nearly trebling in Stratford's case). However,
recent research suggests that the high levels of use are not a forgone
conclusion, and considerable effort needs to be expended over the long term
to keep the community interested in the services provided or the events
hosted at the library. The data indicate that the libraries that achieved greater
success used a sustained and multi-component approach to marketing their
service. This involved the placement of the building in high footfall areas, and
the use of a variety of media to target specific audiences for their messages.
The frequency and quality varied with the types of methods employed,
although the Norfolk & Norwich service noted the value of "drip-marketing"
over the long term.

BUILDING ACCESS AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

Observations in this study indicate that library architecture and management
styles both work together to enable the public, giving them access to
resources that they might not otherwise be able to afford, not only in the
traditional media, but also via digital formats. Communities often have
members who are socially excluded for one reason or another; and in a
society that places a premium on the possession of information and skills to
communicate and use it, the local library allows individuals to operate on a
global level. The new libraries facilitate the connections between people and
resources that can help to ameliorate the breakdown in the society.

CONCLUSIONS

The new public library buildings in this study demonstrated the value of a
fresh start. A new public library can have an impact on the community in a
variety of ways. The nature and extent of that impact can be enhanced
through:
—Appropriate planning, including extensive public consultation and creation
of a clear design brief.
—Partnering with complementary organisations to share the workload and
multiply the beneficial effects of the library service.
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