2024 Core Forum

As the role of the library continually evolves to serve all ages of lifelong learners, careful consideration and planning in design allows your organization to shine as a true, multi-generational community asset. While the professional world grapples with the nuances of a "five-generation workplace," libraries are uniquely tasked with serving the full population not just as a library, but as a flexible community center. Doing so successfully requires a level of adaptability and creativity that begins with the built environment and supports and enhances programming, planning and services long into the future. Nationally, a number of library systems are adopting hybrid partnership models that further blur this line between traditional library, community center and senior center through blended funding methods and creative wide-reaching partnerships. Whether your system is on the leading edge of pioneering new possibilities or enacting small, incremental changes locally, our team of library and design professionals will inspire creativity and energy to improve the lives of your community members of all ages.   Viewed through the lens of recently-opened and currently in-design library projects, as well as national perspectives on emerging best practices, topics will include diversity, equity and inclusion, accessibility, patron awareness, organizational partnerships and advocacy.

Whether you are working on a small renovation or a new building project, it can be overwhelming. Stress can come from not knowing what questions to ask and the fear of not knowing what you don't even know. In this presentation will help give people the vocabulary and knowledge base to know enough to able to walk the walk and talk the talk when working on facility projects. It will start at the macro level of a project and work down to the micro level, along the way teaching someone the knowledge and process needed to make their project a success.

With building projects, bigger isn't always better. This case study of a library renovation and addition project illustrates how the concept phase help the library organization prioritize needs, re-set the building for decades of service, and create an award-winning, community-beloved asset.

Integrating the information gathered from community engagement processes into the building design is an important part of the community engagement process that is rarely discussed. This presentation will use case studies of engagement processes to demonstrate how the engagement input was integrated into the design process and show examples of how exactly it became a part of the community's library building and programming. Learn how to properly gather community engagement information to be used in the building design how to participate with your design team to integrate it. Community engagement that reaches out to underserved and culturally diverse populations by going to where they already are; where the learn, live, work and play is vitally important. Gathering information in ways that connects with these populations is crucial in understanding their needs will be an important part of this presentation as it connects with and provides direction to each of the audiences own libraries.

How does an academic library balance being an open, welcoming space and creating a safe environment for their community? Are there areas in your building that are always buzzing with activity? Can we protect those students if the worst happens? What is the difference between a quiet space and an isolated space? Academic libraries are consistently viewed as the heart of campus and as the heart, how can we fulfill our mission but protect our people? Who are the on-campus partners available for support? Join us for a frank conversation with academic librarians representing a spectrum of institutions from large public to regional comprehensive Hispanic-Serving to small private, as we discuss these challenges and more. Our panel of librarians, campus safety staff, and architects will share experiences, best practices, and resources.