Attachment 1: Councillor Conference Report
A technique ‘Opening the Book’ use when they are designing the layout of a library is to build scenarios and customers profiles and then use them in planning to check back on their assumptions. Never forget the invisible customer - the one who comes into the library and does not interact with staff. Display is the conversation you can have with those who don’t want to talk to you; observe and record the evidence when you are analysing your customers. She highlighted that in relation to square metre ratios, there is no other building which demands such different and conflicting needs as a public library. We must understand the importance of the retail model while creating buildings with a wider civic aspiration. We need buildings that are aspirational and beautiful but must also take notice of the retail experience inside.
6.4
Item: 6.4
Thought also has to be given to who gets the best space and why. Not all spaces are equal and this decision should not be left to the architect or designer, because it is a strategic political choice not an aesthetic one. Definitely don’t give the best space to the staff; nor to service functions.
She also challenged the family friendliness of libraries - although libraries are generally child friendly, most libraries and layout do not encourage family participation. She highlighted it is important to work with our buildings and let the building sing. The State Library of NSW has now produced three editions of the de facto standard for library buildings in Australia - “People Places”. This publication provides guidelines for assessing the size of buildings and the facilities required. In the new edition it has recognised the changing use of libraries, and now also includes the number of seats per capita, public Wi-Fi, and advice not to decrease the floor space for collections because of the increasing use of face out shelving and the creation of subject rooms.
Attachment 1
Have a proper debate about the style and colour of furniture. This will send key messages, so you need to think what you most want those to be.
The majority of presentations at the conference were case studies of new buildings by librarians and architects. One of the libraries was the Albury Library by Ashton Ragget McDougall Architects which is a convergence of spaces that houses a public library, a social and history museum and a research centre. There are minimal barriers between the three, they have their distinct zones but there is convergence. There are not a lot of examples of these converged facilities; one of the earliest was Puke Ariki in New Zealand. Peter Moeck is the architect who designed the renowned Mt Gambier library, recognised as one of the best public libraries in Australia. It is 1,900 sq m and was designed from the inside out - it is not a beautiful box with a library put inside it. Peter said that if your vision is right and you have the right budget the building will work. The Katoomba library in the Blue Mountains is a library and art gallery and Cecilia Kluger from CK Design was responsible for the fit out. She emphasised that the design brief should contain a strong vision incorporating local identity. They used the motif of the Three Sisters rocks in the Blue Mountains to design a set of three chairs which are a focal point of the building. She suggested that we engage a library consultant early in the project as they are aware of some of the issues particularly relevant to libraries, for example, acoustics can be a real problem. The ideal is to achieve a place that people love. She also said that the community must be engaged early and from every aspect. The brief needs to be evaluated, explored and ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL ON 16 DECEMBER 2013 Page 387