Collections to Connections: Changing Spaces and New Challenges in Academic Library Buildings

Abstract

The article looks at changes in information provision and their significant impact on the development of the design of academic library spaces over the years. The history of the academic library as a building type is examined, and the move from the collection-dominated library buildings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to the service-rich, user-focused ones of the twenty-first century is explored. Recent trends are identified, drawing on a number of mainly UK and other European examples. The effect of increasing availability of e-resources, new technology, and changing methods of teaching, learning, and research on design is also considered. Other issues covered in the paper include the importance of the design brief or program, interior space, fittings and fixtures, and finally the need to reflect on the success or failure of building projects through post-occupancy evaluation.