Changing Space in Libraries

1048 Words3 Pages

Technology today is so advanced most people don’t need to go to the library for information anymore. With the increased purchases of MP3 players, smartphones, tablets, and laptops, people can obtain information quicker through these devices with their capability to connect to the Internet than from going to the local library. The most popular search engine patrons will visit, regardless of the authenticity of the information, is Google where they can ask their questions and be deluged with pages of print instead of going to a trained librarian to find credible and thorough information.
What about the building itself? What does it have to offer today and in the future for patrons to see it as more than just rooms full of books? Does the space need to change? Can libraries evolve with current trends? What will attract patrons to walk through the doors and keep cause them to make return visits? Some of the questions this author asked herself when considering the issue of library space were what would prevent libraries from changing, what reasons should libraries change, and what could be added to libraries to increase their appeal to the patrons. Although factors exist that may work against altering room in libraries, there are compelling grounds for reconfiguring space in today’s libraries.
There are several reasons why libraries might not make any space changes. First of all, the kind of revenue the library receives has an impact. Joe Rizzo states in his article “Ten ways to look at a library,” “the design of a library affects not only construction costs, but also maintenance and operating costs” (323). It is very costly to build additions to house such spaces as teen rooms or meeting rooms onto an existing structure. ...

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