BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF LIBRARY BUILDINGS
All small libraries have somewhat similar architectural requirements, whether they are located in separate buildings or in rooms
in larger buildings. Some of the most important requirements include:
• The right amount of space of the right type in the right
arrangement. This is where a building program is essential, for it gives you a yardstick for evaluating proposed
designs.
• Strong floors. Books are extremely heavy, and floors designed for typical office use are seldom strong enough for
book storage. For this reason, many small corporate libraries end up in basements, where floor strength is less
of a problem. Libraries are usually designed to hold a minimum of 150 pounds of contents ("live load") per square
foot. Compact shelving running on rails requires substantially more floor strength.
• High-quality light. Libraries require bright, even, low-glare
lighting. Usually this means careful control of daylight
(north light is best and west light worst) and the use of
lighting systems specially designed to reduce glare. As a
general rule, the best results are obtained by using reflected
uplight, bouncing all light off white ceilings. Some workable quick specifications include (a) fluorescent fixtures
using 4-foot T-5 or T-8 tubes with a CRI (color rendering
index) of at least 85 and a color temperature of 3500°
Kelvin, (b) electronic ballasts, (c) strip fixtures directing
100 percent of light upwards, and (d) fixtures spaced to
provide at least 60 footcandles of illumination at tabletop. Unfortunately, bad lighting is common in even new
libraries. Among the things to avoid are recessed down
lights (can lights), skylights, and task lighting.
Creating excitement with light in a library is like creating excitement with steps in a nursing home.
• High-quality HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning) systems. HVAC systems should meet current standards for air exchange and efficiency of operations. They
should keep the meeting room comfortable when it has
20 people and when it has 100. HVAC systems also need
to control relative humidity. Humidity in libraries should
not greatly exceed 50 percent. Except in old buildings,
where condensation from humidification can be a problem in very dry weather, humidity should not fall below
30 percent. Because relative humidity changes as temperatures fluctuate, HVAC systems designed to lower temperatures at night can lead to destructive levels of humidity if
they do not include humidity sensors. For example, if temperatures are lowered from 70 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit—
just 10 degrees—and the moisture content of the air does
not change, relative humidity can increase from a bookfriendly 50 percent to a mold-friendly 70 percent. Far too
many libraries have seen mold develop on books when
temperatures are lowered. Mold also flourishes happily
in school libraries when carpets are steam cleaned just before buildings are shut down for the summer.
• Pleasant acoustics. Libraries that echo or reverberate are
unpleasant to occupy. Library rooms that transmit sound
easily can lead to serious compromises with user confidentiality. And library offices that fail to provide a place
for private conversations can cause major problems.
Among the worst sources of acoustic problems in libraries are hard-surfaced ceilings and floors, large areas of
glass, and office walls that do not continue past suspended
ceilings. Cathedral or barrel vault ceilings (or any other
shapes that are not flat) often transmit sound in impressively distressing ways, but they are usually acceptable if
they have acoustic surfaces. If your suspended ceilings are
installed before partitions between rooms are built, conversations in one room can frequently be heard in the room
next door. Architects frequently do not hire acoustical
engineers to review designs, and clients sometimes need
to insist that they do. The list of readings at the end of the
chapter includes an excellent review of library acoustics.
Adequate ceiling height. Most book shelves are high (typically 7' or 7'6"), and 8' ceilings are almost always too
low. Suspended uplights (the only satisfactory way to light
small libraries) usually hang down at least two feet from
the ceiling, so ceilings need to be a minimum of 10 feet
high to keep the lights 8 feet off the floor. Most libraries
do better with ceilings 11 or 12 feet high.
Good sightlines. The easiest way to maintain good security in libraries is to maintain good sightlines. If a single
staff member at the service desk can see all areas of the
library (including the front door and the entrances to the
restrooms) operating the library will be far easier. (In an
effort to provide the best possible sightlines, a number of
libraries have been designed with stack aisles radiating
from service desks like the spokes of wheels. This has
proven to be a disastrous idea.) One of the best ways to
improve sightlines is through internal windows and glass
walls. It helps to provide windows between offices and
public areas, and to create study rooms that are essentially fish tanks. (It's also a good idea to watch out for
unfortunate sightlines, particularly when restroom doors
are open.)
Clear internal arrangement. As libraries grow larger and
more complex, keeping their floor plans simple and
straightforward becomes more and more difficult, but
small libraries should be easy to understand. The floor
plan discussed at the end of this chapter provides an example of a clear and straightforward design.
Pleasant internal spaces. Most libraries want to encourage users to stay in the library to read, use computers,
consult library staff, and (increasingly) socialize with other
library users. To be successful, therefore, libraries need
comfortable, well-lighted spaces with good acoustics
and—wherever possible—views of the outside world. One
of the great challenges in library design is providing cozy
spaces that do not lead to supervision problems. Interestingly, one of the most successful solutions has been to install a few diner-style booths, which appeal to people who
come to the library in pairs or groups, and which feel far
more private than they really are.
Parking. School libraries and corporate libraries usually
rely on parking provided for the entire building, and libraries on small residential campuses may expect students
to arrive on foot, but all public libraries need to be concerned about where people will park. Local codes may
specify minimum off-street parking. A good first rule of
thumb is that your parking lot should be at least as large
as the floor area of your library.
Provision for after-hours return of materials. Every library
needs to provide a way for users to return books and recordings when the library is closed. A wide variety of return bins is available. Library users particularly like bins
that they can reach from the windows of their cars; this
requires one-way driveways, heavy bollards to protect bins
from collisions with cars, and a long, straight run that
allows drivers to pull up closely to the bins. Return slots
can also be built into walls, but the receiving bins must
be in fireproof spaces. (In many new libraries, return bins
or wall slots are located on driveways that curve too much
to allow users to pull sufficiently close.)
Good sites. All libraries need convenient sites. For public
libraries, this means sites next to other destinations, such
as stores. Most campuses seek central locations for their
libraries. For corporate and school libraries, this means
sites in the middle of buildings, not in remote locations.
There are also sites you may not want. If you build a new
public library across the street from a homeless shelter,
you can expect that all of your comfortable chairs will be
occupied by sleeping non-readers much of the day. If you
build a school library next to the gym, you can expect to
have problems with noise. Most good sites, of course, are
sought after by other organizations or departments in addition to yours, and you may need to be very aggressive
to protect workable turf.
Provision for expansion. No matter what people say, all
libraries run out of space sooner or later. For this reason,
all separate library buildings should be designed for later
expansion. However, corporate libraries that require more
space may be easier to relocate to larger areas in the building than to expand in their original quarters.
Inexpensive maintenance. Some buildings can be extraordinarily difficult (and therefore expensive) to maintain.
Keep your life simple (and inexpensive) by avoiding light
fixtures you cannot reach (or that fill with visibly dead
bugs), wall surfaces that are hard to clean, light-colored
grout in ceramic tile floors (when you say "dark grout,"
be sure your designer doesn't decide that means "pastel
grout"), cut pile (rather than tightly woven loop) carpeting, high-maintenance exteriors (such as wood or EIFS
[External Insulating Finishing System] rather than brick),
highly complex mechanical systems, etc. (See the section
below on "Major Design Problems to Avoid: Difficult
Maintenance" for detailed suggestions.)
Good security. Security needs vary with the type and size
of the library, but all libraries have security concerns.
Among the issues you will need to confront are limiting
the number of entrances, providing alarms with time delays on fire exits, installing appropriate systems for fire
detection and control, supervising restrooms, controlling
who can open windows, providing panic buttons for staff
members at service desks, and determining whether you
need a theft control system. Each of these issues has design and space implications. For example, the security gates
for magnetic theft control systems cannot be directly adjacent to door hardware, computers, or bookshelves.
TYPICAL LIBRARY CONTENTS
Almost all libraries have similar needs for interior contents:
• Service desks. Most small libraries have single, multipurpose desks. Even if several people must be on duty at busy
times, there will be other times when a single person is
sufficient to meet users' needs. By limiting your library to
a single desk, you can correspondingly limit the number
of people it takes to operate the library. Service desks need
extraordinarily good sightlines. As the plan at the end of
this chapter demonstrates, it is possible to set up a 6,000square-foot library so a single person can oversee the entrance to the building, the entrances to the restrooms, reader
seating, stack aisles, and people using the program room.
• Shelving. Most libraries use steel cantilever shelving with
decorative end panels. Cantilever shelves hook onto support posts. They are more sturdy and reliable than shelves
supported by pins at their ends, and vastly better than
shelves that slide into slots. Cantilever shelving for libraries is made by half a dozen specialty manufacturers, and
you are always better off sticking with one of them. Libraries that purchase low-cost shelving designed for other
purposes quickly regret the decision. Many libraries purchase shelf end panels with slat wall sections to enable
displays of books at the end of stack ranges.
Storage for other parts of the collection. Hardbound books
are easy to store if they are not too large, but everything
else is challenging. Library furniture and shelving catalogs are full of special equipment for storing atlases, unabridged dictionaries, newspapers, paperbacks, graphic
novels, CDs, DVDs, kits (book/cassette sets and all sorts
of other combinations), and so on. Librarians tend to have
strong opinions on much of this equipment, so you will
be better off watching it in use in other libraries before
making a selection.
Reader seating. Most libraries provide a mixture of seating at tables and in upholstered chairs. Tables come in a
variety of sizes. I prefer four-person tables, because they
work for both groups of students and for individual users
who like to spread out their work, but some libraries purchase smaller tables for two readers or even for one.
(Single-person tables are called "carrels.") Upholstered
furniture is essential if you want to encourage people to
linger in the library, but avoid couches in any area except
children's departments. (Adults aren't comfortable sharing couches unless they know each other, teenagers are
occasionally too eager to share, and you probably have
some adult users who are eager to turn your couches into
beds.) Furniture varies tremendously in quality, and library
furniture is more expensive primarily because it is sturdier. If you buy your reading tables and chairs from a discount furniture store, they may not last out the year.
Placement of furniture also matters. By and large, for example, users do not like sitting with their backs to the
action.
Program rooms. Most libraries have spaces for programs
or for meetings. In a public library, a program room will
be much more successful if it and the restrooms can be
reached directly from the entry foyer, enabling the program room to be used when the rest of the library is closed.
For this arrangement to take place, it must be part of the
building planning from the very beginning. (Be sure that
fire exits from the program room lead to the outside world
and not into other areas of the library, or your plan to
separate programs from the rest of the library will be defeated.)
Restrooms. Public restrooms are essential in many libraries, but they can be a royal pain. Be sure your restrooms
have floor drains and that all surfaces are easy to clean. It
helps if the entrances to the restrooms are clearly visible
from the service desk. Unless you plan to keep restrooms
locked at all times, issuing keys to your users as needed,
you will be better off with restrooms with stalls and with
outer doors that do not lock. For all but one-person
restrooms, be sure that the fixtures and their users are
not on proud display to patrons of the opposite sex who
happen to be walking by when the door opens. (Check
your plans for both direct views and views reflected in
mirrors.) Many larger libraries have installed airport-style
restrooms, with zigzag entry passages rather than doors.
Staff workrooms. All libraries need staff workrooms with
doors that lock. Even if staff members do most of their
work at the service desk at slow moments, they still need
a place to store materials in process, leave complex projects
spread out, keep purses, coats, and belongings. One of
the sad mistakes many libraries make when money is
tighter than they hoped is to begin space reduction by
eliminating staff workspaces.
Storage. Most libraries have massive quantities of stuff
that needs to be stored somewhere. If you build a new
library without a good-size storeroom, you will be in the
market for a large garden shed within a few months.
Circulation space. In architectural language, "circulation
space" is walking around space, not space for lending and
receiving books. (To avoid confusion when you speak with
your architect, you may want to use the term "lending"
for the latter.) All libraries need open space for people to
move about. Fitting in all the tables and chairs and desks
isn't enough.
Support spaces. All libraries require hallways, entryways,
electrical rooms, mechanical rooms, and custodial spaces,
and two-story libraries devote a substantial amount of
space to stairways and elevators. For many school and
corporate libraries, these spaces are not part of the library
itself, but almost all academic and public libraries need
to plan for them.