Utility of Space and Furnishing Needs
To build, renovate, or move a physical library, the hospital librarian should first think about what functions should be housed in the library and what kind of space and furnishings that will require.
Resource List
Journal Articles:
Four major themes from this 2009 Conference:
1) Models or best practices in libraries’ reduction of print collections
2) Models and best practices in libraries’ reduction of space and/or repurposing of existing space
3) Emerging roles and identities of librarians in the changing physical environment
4) Models or best practices for adjusting traditional library roles or services
Pritchard, S. M. (2008). Deconstructing the library: Reconceptualizing collections, spaces and services. Journal of Library Administration, 48(2), 219-233.
Websites:
OCLC WebJunction (Aimed at Public Libraries but still helpful)
Books/ Book Chapters:
This chapter lists a 16-step approach to planning a library project, and offers standards for estimating space requirements for various functions. Connor also edited Planning, Renovating, Expanding, and Constructing Library Facilities in Hospitals, Academic Medical Centers, and Health Organizations (Binghamton NY: Haworth Information Press, 2005. [Note: I read the hospital library chapters of the 2005 book with great interest, as they described the problems and pitfalls of renovating libraries in a hospital setting that resonated with the stories I have heard from hospital librarians.
Carr, M. (2013). The Green Library Planner: What Every Librarian Needs to Know Before Starting to Build or Renovate. Scarecrow Press.
Leeder, K., & Frierson, E. (Eds.). (2014). Planning Our Future Libraries: Blueprints for 2025. American Library Association.
Videos:
The library as place: Symposium on Building and Revitalizing Health Sciences Libraries in the Digital Age, Lister Hill Auditorium, November 5-6, 2003 by Detweiller, M; Lenonard, B; Ellison, D. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, 2004 [DVD video]
From the DVD:
1) Libraries: Physical Places or Virtual Spaces
2) Education, Research and Clinical Practice
3) The Library: The Place for Scholarship
4) The Library: A Place for Discovery and Learning
5) The Library: The Public’s Space and Place
Needs Assessment Resources
Journal Articles:
Norton, H. F., Butson, L. C., Tennant, M. R., & Botero, C. E. (2013). Space planning: A renovation saga involving library users. Medical reference services quarterly, 32(2), 133-150. PMID 23607463
Booth, A. (2008). Implementing EBLIP: if it works in Edmonton will it work in Newcastle?. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 25(2), 154-157.
Glitz, B., Hamasu, C., & Sandstrom, H. (2001). The focus group: a tool for programme planning, assessment and decision‐making—an American view*.Health Information & Libraries Journal, 18(1), 30-37.