Better by Design (Facet), by Ayub Khan and Stella Thebridge. www.facetpublishing.co.uk/betterbydesign


Ayub: Re-fits are increasing and many far-sighted institutions and public library authorities have been doing this on a rolling basis for some years, and relatively cheaply when consid- ered against the structural costs of new buildings or extensions. As stated above, the demands of technology are much more easily met now with library users bringing in their own devices that can be used anywhere. This allows for changes of use internally which might have been unthinkable years ago. Wi-fi and longer-life batteries in laptops have seen reading rooms transformed for modern day use.


Refreshing interiors keeps the library vibrant and enticing for users, new and old. The re-shaping of many of the nine- teenth-century buildings across sectors is testament to how well this has worked


with whole communities feeling the library now belongs to them, where before it felt like a forbidding institution for many.


Are there design considerations that we can take today, that will have a lasting impact into the future? Are there one or two things that should be a priority if a service is looking at changing how it uses its spaces? Stella: The environmental impact must surely be the biggest influence on new design for libraries. Interestingly this impetus has often happened in libraries focussing on young people, where these have been part of the planning process from the outset. International regu- lations help to ensure materials used, design for light and heat and considera- tions of access and inclusion are part and parcel of every new build, and to see the sensitive use of wood, glass, landscaping and so forth as well as energy-saving pro- cesses is also breath-taking in many new builds, while still making them effective as functional libraries.


Ayub Khan. December 2022


The key principles in library design now are flexibility and sustainability within an over-arching imperative for inclusion. IP


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 37


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