multi-function libraries – case study examples (2008)is finished. i have been here for nearly four...

Multi-function libraries – case study examples (2008)

These examples demonstrate the variety of ways that contemporary libraries combine with other services to offer a mixed range of services and facilities to local communities.

The focus here is on smaller scale public libraries.

These case studies were prepared as part of the Green Square Town Centre Community Facility Planning Report, prepared for the City of Sydney by Environmetrics in 2008. We are grateful for their permission to share this information more widely.

For further information please contact Gillian Savage, Environmetrics.

Phone 02 9954 0455www.environmetrics.com.au

1. Altona Meadows Library and Learning Centre

LocationHobsons Bay serves the communities of Altona and Williamstown in Melbourne. It has a network of four libraries.

The Altona Meadows Library and Learning Centre opened in 2006 in a purpose designed building on a narrow block of land adjacent to a shopping centre.

Purpose“Hobsons Bay Libraries will be a Gateway to Knowledge, Life long learning, increased opportunities and social support for all in Hobsons Bay.” – Mission Statement.

“The building was envisaged as a contemporary library in the sense that it serves as far more than a reference facility incorporating books and journals, but, instead, becomes a hub of community services ranging from cooking, computer and art classes to counselling and support services.” Architect’s statement (Haskell).

ScaleThe $4.2 million state‐of‐the‐art Altona Meadows Library and Learning Centre is more than five times the size of the previous library. It accommodates a larger collection of electronic and print resources, an Internet lounge, up‐to‐date Information Technology training centre, several meeting rooms, the traditional quiet study areas associated with a place of learning, and dedicated areas for children and young adults’ activities.

The facility includes a room built to HACC standards and equipped with a HACC grant to allow provision for future need.

Key features

• Distinctive building design that references local history (plane hangar) and relates well to its context.

• Glass walls allow views into building, creating a transparency that invites use and gives natural light to interior.

• The double‐height interior creates a sense of spaciousness and expansion.

• A $50,000 grant enabled the library to be built as an ESD demonstration project. The library incorporated energy efficient design features as well as an economy cycle air conditioner, daylight sensors, electric‐boosted solar hot water, energy efficient equipment and a digital power controller to reduce energy consumption from lighting.

OperationAfter opening, the library and the Neighbourhood House shared reception, staff and meeting spaces, and are working together to ensure the centre functions as a dynamic community hub. The Neighbourhood House closed 16 months after the new library opened. This illustrates the need to design buildings for a flexible range of uses over the longer term.

ActivitiesDuring Family Week, the centre offered multilingual story times for children, multilingual web and online genealogy classes, qigong, pilates, yoga, and gentle exercise and meditation classes.

Other activities include: Shower head exchange program; Lifelong learning survey; Rhyme time; Folk art for beginners; e‐travel resources; Introduction to email; Genealogy; Bendigo Bank information sessions; Maori and Pacific Homework Centre; and a diverse range of computer literacy classes.

Further informationhttp://libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/

2. Brisbane City Library

LocationBrisbane City Library is located in a new office building located at the end of the Queen Street Mall, opposite the Casino. The Library occupies part of the ground floor foyer and two upper floors, while staff work areas occupy a lower level.

PurposeThe Brisbane City Library is the main city branch of the Brisbane City Council’s library network. It shares the site with a Customer Service Counter on the ground floor, as well as a service counter and business suite for extended transactions such as major building development applications.

ScaleThe library occupies 4500m2 extending across four floors. Up to one million visitors and loans are expected in the first year of operation. There are 100,000 items in the collection.

Key features

• Automatic book return conveyor and sorter.• DIY book checkout – same system in all BCC libraries.• The three public floors are connected by escalators set in a

‘waterfall’ arrangement to encourage upward flow.• Distinctive open‐plan design with good sightlines and

excellent natural light. • Strong interior design with signature features.• Flexible study areas – large block of work areas, desks in open

areas and glass enclosed study/meeting rooms.• Wireless internet throughout the library encourages users

with laptops. • Staff work from individual work stations throughout the

library, and there are no formal staffed counters. • Acoustic control through carpet and ceiling treatment as well

as layout of different sections to separate audiovisual material from book areas.

OperationThe Brisbane City Library network uses the same DIY check out process at all libraries. Books can be returned to any branch.

The City Library is co‐located with two Customer Service centres – one for quick transactions and one for more detailed transactions. A suite of meeting rooms is provided for business use on week days, and is available for hire by community groups at other times.

The Library has a broad range of differentiated areas/services:

• news lounge in main foyer with TV and print news• theatrette opening to main foyer• self‐serve book reserve area• community meeting room (50pp) off main foyer with

audiovisual equipment and kitchenette• Children’s lounge with books, audiovisual and activity space• 18‐station computer learning lounge• Multi‐media lounge with DVD viewing pods, game stations,

listening posts• Magazine reading lounge with view to Brisbane Square• Internet lounge with 42 internet computers• Reading lounge• Local history section• Book collection areas

Study rooms and meeting rooms with full digital presentation equipment can be booked.

ActivitiesThe Library hosts a wide range of programmed activities. A series of music performances, featuring percussion, has been very popular. Pantomime and singing lessons have also featured.

Display cases show objects from history and art collections.

A computer‐equipped computer classroom allows classes in computer technology.

Further informationhttp://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/BCC:BASE:409828970:pc=PC_2361#3

See more detail in Appendix 7: Brisbane City Library.

3. Seattle – Northgate Branch Library and Community Centre

LocationIn the Northgate suburb of Seattle, the library, community centre and park are prominently located on Fifth Avenue Northeast.

PurposeThe buildings and park were designed to create an urban gathering place for this rapidly developing community. They replace a car park and vacant retail premises.

ScaleThe $US6.7m new branch library has the capacity to hold 40,200 books and materials. The branch library is 1,000 sqm, the community centre is 2,000 sqm and the park is 0.7 hectares.

Key features

• The library and community centre buildings face onto a common plaza, which also serves as a gateway to the park.

• The branch library has reading and homework areas for children and teens, 25 computers for the public, a meeting room, two study rooms, and a quiet room that provides an alternative to the activity of the main reading room.

• The project includes sustainable design elements, including outdoor lights that cast light down and donʹt contribute to light pollution, and an underground, 149,000‐gallon stormwater retention vault that collects runoff from the site and adjacent street that is used to irrigate the park.

• Artworks are incorporated into the buildings and park. The project had an art budget of $US45,000.

OperationThe two facilities are in separate buildings and are run by different government agencies. The library is run as a branch in the Seattle Library Service while the Community Centre and Park are run by Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Activities

• The Community Centre has a 20 page brochure of summer activities for all age groups, including – book‐related; exercise/fitness; nature‐based; performances; art and craft market; community fair; cooking; dance; out of school care programs; healthy living, etc.

• The branch library hosts regular reading sessions for different age groups.

Further information

www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_open&branchID=21

www.seattle.gov/parks/centers/Northgate.htm

4. Harmon Branch Library, Phoenix, Arizona

LocationThe Harmon Branch Library is a branch of the library system that serves Phoenix, Arizona. It was established in 1950 in an inner suburb which is the lowest economic neighborhood in Phoenix and next to a public housing project.

PurposeThe Harmon Library serves as a local library. Most patrons are Hispanic and many do not speak English. Most library users are children under 16 years old. The few adults who patronise the library regularly are a group of 5‐10 homeless men who stay in the library from opening until close.

ScaleThe Harmon Branch Library is 700 sqm and has a collection of 25,000 items and 11 internet computers. It has 11.5 staff (full time equivalent). The community garden is 10mX10m.

Key featuresThe library has a meeting room (45 seats) for hire, and it opens onto a patio and courtyard with a small community garden plot. The community garden has existed for 10 years and is currently worked by 2‐3 seniors who live nearby. There is public access to the garden through a side gate as well as through the library, and since it is very hot in Phoenix the garden team usually work in the early morning.

OperationThe library is open 9.00am‐9.00pm Monday‐Thurs; 9.00am‐6.00pm Fri‐Sat; Noon‐6.00pm Sunday. The garden is accessible at all times.

ActivitiesThe library offers programs in both English and Spanish languages and possesses an excellent collection of Spanish language materials. It offers active outreach to the community with school visits, participation in community fairs, and involvement with area revitalization projects.

Some regular program activities are: Family Storytime, Bilingual Baby Time, Movie Night, Teen Game Night, Craft Time and Teen Council.

Phoenix Libraries have several active volunteer programs, including:

• Friends program with special activities.

• Early Literacy Coaches who help children aged 0‐5 years and their families to learn to read.• Teen Summer Volunteer Program recruits and trains teen volunteers to assist library staff and

the public during the Summer Reading Program. It provides teens 12 to 19 years old with confidence‐building experience that develops practical job skills and good customer/public service attitudes.

The gardenThe community garden is run by a separate department from the library, and currently there is no interaction between the patrons at the library and the gardeners who are a small group of older Vietnamese from the nearby public housing. They grow for their own use and to sell at the local Farmerʹs Market.

In the 10 years the garden has been running, there have been some ‘fallow’ years when there was no one interested in working in it.

On the downside, we never know if there will be folks to tend it and start a new growing season when one is finished. I have been here for nearly four years and it has been just dirt for part of that time. Right now it shoulder high with wonderful green plants.

Pattie Fransen, Harmon Branch Manager

Because the garden is managed separately from the library, there seem to be limited opportunities for connecting library activities with the garden. The patio that looks over the garden is currently used by the library during Fiestas and other gatherings and the garden is a beautiful background (except in ‘fallow’ seasons).

The Harmon Branch Manager sees potential for greater synergy between the library and the garden.

If the garden was tended by library patrons there could be programs for children involving planting flowers or vegetables and watching them grow. Or adult programming on “Growing in the Southwest” conducted by a Master Gardener.

If you know your community and they are active within the library I think a productive garden providing beauty for everyone would be a wonderful idea.

She identified the following opportunities and challenges in having a working garden associated with a public library.

Further information

www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/branchinfo.jsp?bid=BHA

Opportunities Challenges

A garden can be a place of beauty for the elderly – flowers, fragrance, birds.Children can benefit from garden activities growing plants.

Fostering community participation requires ongoing support and management. This can be harder in areas of social disadvantage, and with non‐English speaking communities.It can be difficult to get long term commitment to minding a garden.

5. Yepoon – verbYL

LocationverbYL is a shopfront Youth Centre/Library in Yepoon in the Livingstone Shire, located on the Queensland coast just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Shire has a population of 28,500.

PurposeCouncil wanted to provide a youth friendly space, and, having been inspired by Tupu Youth Library in Auckland, it took up the somewhat radical proposal that the space have a library focus. The facility was designed from the start with input from the Council’s Youth Council.

ScaleAbout 60‐100 young people use the space during any one session, some to borrow, others to socialise.

Key featuresWithin the space are internet capable computers for chat, gaming, or study, a game cube, playstation, xbox and handheld Nintendo DSs. DVDs, books, console games, graphic novels, CDs and magazines are available to use both within VerbYL and for borrowing.

There is also a big plasma screen which has a pay TV subscription – Comedy Channel and Channel V are popular. There are six Internet PCs where messaging and playing online games are popular. Surprisingly, board games and cards are also a popular diversion, and the Youth Librarian will often be found playing word games or cards with young people.

OperationStaffed by a both youth workers and library staff, verbYL provides many combined services, including information referral, counselling, study help, tax help and general fun.

ActivitiesOpen Mon‐Fri, 3.00‐7.00pm; Sat, 10.30‐11.30am; Sunday, 1.00‐6.00pm with some additional program times for specific age groups.

A significant proportion of regular users are what could be termed “at risk” youths with special needs. This is where the partnership with Youth Services is vital. The Youth Worker is responsible for guiding young people towards acceptable behaviour, conflict management, confidential information and referral, and for a program of recreational activities (from

“mocktail” nights to karaoke), which build social and personal skills. The Youth Librarian concentrates on literacy and information literacy and providing a range of cultural resources and experiences of value to young people. The blend of the two services/disciplines is what makes this space absolutely unique.

Further informationwww.verbyl.com.au/

verbYL won first place in the Youth Engagement Category of the National Awards for Local Government sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS).

6. Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

LocationCasula Powerhouse Arts Centre is located on the banks of the Georgeʹs River within the City of Liverpool. It is close to major carriageways that include road, rail and airport.

Casula forms part of the new Georges River Cultural Corridor linked to the central business district of Liverpool and the proposed Moorebank technology park, and spanning 2.7kms along the Georges River. The Corridor will provide recreational amenity for the growing communities of South West Sydney and Liverpool and will include a childrenʹs playground designed by artist Mikala Dwyer, weaving garden and Alice Klaphake Amphitheatre. This Corridor will be capable of hosting large‐scale outdoor festivals and other events with a capacity to hold 12,000 people.

PurposeThe Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre is a contemporary multi‐arts facility and community cultural development organisation. The Centre’s core philosophy of programming is the integration of art, community, environment and heritage through the examination of contemporary issues, creating a discourse between regional and global issues and the production of contemporary narratives about the place in which we live.

ScaleCasula Powerhouse Arts Centre is a successful example of adaptive re‐use of a 1950s power station and was opened in 1994. It functions as a regional centre in Western Sydney for visual and performing arts that support community development.

Key featuresThe Centre has a particular focus on the weaving artform, and has a specialist Weaving Garden that provides materials.

In 2006‐7 the Centre has undergone a major capital redevelopment program, which will see the development of an international standard exhibition space, a 320‐seat multi‐purpose theatre/performance space, artistsʹ studios and artistsʹ residency spaces, an artistsʹ business centre, 7 exhibition spaces, a retail outlet and cafe. In addition, there will be climate controlled galleries and collection storage spaces, a Childrenʹs Playground, Weaving Garden, production studios, and new office spaces.

OperationCasula Powerhouse Arts Centre is run by Liverpool Council via a Board of Management composed of members representing arts practice, local government, community organisations, the health and education sectors, as well as business professionals.

ActivitiesCasula Powerhouse Arts Centre produces and promotes all its own exhibitions, public programs and special events, forming the basis of a National Touring Program that has reached every metropolitan and regional centre in Australia with landmark projects such as Viet Nam Voices, Cybercultures, Shanghai Star, and Belonging. Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre also programs exhibitions and events for the Liverpool Regional Museum, the Liverpool Library and Collingwood House.

The Centre works with culturally diverse communities, providing opportunities for new, emerging and established artists, particularly artists from the South West Sydney region. Practices reflect community processes through consultative styles of project development and provide high‐level multicultural events and opportunities to promote artists whose work engages with social and cultural complexities.

Further information

www.casulapowerhouse.com/pages/casula.php

7. ImaginON

LocationImaginON is in central Charlotte, North Carolina, a city with a population of 1.6m and growing. It is located one street away from the main library. It is served by road (four carparks nearby), trolley and bus routes.

PurposeA collaborative venture of The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County & The Childrenʹs Theatre of Charlotte, ImaginON was built to give these two institutions more scope for the growing range of popular programs for young people that they delivered. The new facility was developed on the foundations laid by these two major cultural organisations over the previous 50+ years.

ScaleImaginON comprises two theatres, a children’s library (60,000 books), rehearsal space, six studios/classrooms, a 60‐computer technology help centre, blue‐screen studio, young adult zone, storytime/program space, children’s learning centre and display space.

Key features

• Throughout the facility, tactile activities, such as interactive literary ‘sculptures’ in the courtyard, blackboard ends to book shelves and a ‘Craft Loft’, are built into the fabric of the building.

Teen Loft with –

• New teen fiction; Graphic Novels; Magazines; Comics; Play scripts recommended by Childrenʹs Theatre staff; Laptops and wi‐fi throughout the building; Super‐fast computers loaded with software.

Spangler Library with –

• Books, media, and resources for children from birth through 5th grade. Special collections and resources for parents, teachers and caregivers.

OperationImaginON is run by the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County and the Childrenʹs Theatre of Charlotte. In their Vision Statement, the Library aspires to be the best public library in the U.S. In 2006 they won the nation’s highest honour – the National Award for Museum and Library Service, presented by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

ActivitiesImaginON hosts a very extensive range of programs catering for ages ranging from birth to teens.

Further informationwww.imaginon.org

Main floor

Upper floor

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