History meets state of the art 2 case studies: one library blends hi-tech with inspirational architecture. Another links existing edifices in a modern center. What do they have in common? Plenty - College Libraries

Jeff Morris

AMES LIBRARY

Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL

Geoffrey Freeman is a partner in the Boston-based architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott (SBRA). "Our main challenge at Illinois Wesleyan," he says, "was to design a library that is more than a 30-year building; one that will last for generations.

"It used to be assumed that all libraries would be outdated in 20 years, because of the growth projections for library collections," Freeman explains. "Essentially, print collections grew at the expense of space for people in the building." Libraries, he says, eventually needed to be expanded because schools tended to be judged by the size of their print collections. And when older libraries could not be adapted to new technologies, they had to be replaced. Ironically, Freeman notes, the prediction that libraries would one day disappear, with remote access to electronic materials making books--and the libraries that held them--obsolete, hasn't come to fruition.

"Today, it's just the opposite," he says. "Libraries are more heavily utilized than ever." So, what has changed? Freeman contends that the confluence of content and technology that has transformed academic libraries. "Students go to the reference desk and ask IT questions; for them, it's natural to assume that content and technology are interconnected. And we're seeing a combining of technology with traditional learning styles; that's where learning is going, and that's where libraries are going."

The confluence of multiple new media formats and online access have helped to turn academic libraries into focal points for campus research and learning. And, says Freeman, "Younger institutions today are not necessarily measured by the size of their collections; the collection isn't the key any more, it's the activity that takes place within the library that's most important." For one thing, remote storage with electronic access has allowed academic libraries to limit holdings to the core collection that supports a university's research and its faculty. And on a practical level, "It's simply no longer feasible to build new every 25 to 30 years. So the challenge is to design a building that's not tied to current technology, but is flexible and will grow with the technology. Further, the building has to make technology as invisible as possible," says Freeman.

A Little History

IWU has a long history of building libraries. Though initially the school's library was shuffled back and forth between several buildings from 1857 to the early '20s, it settled into its first freestanding home, the Buck Memorial Library, in 1923. By the early '60s, however, Buck could no longer sustain the university's swelling enrollment, and an expansion-feasibility study found that the building could not be adapted to contemporary library use. A new, $1.3 million building--the Sheean library--was completed in 1968, built in what was then considered a state-of-the-art style: massive panels of poured concrete. But 30 years later, it, too, had outlived its usefulness: The first computers had been installed in 1984, but soon, wiring to accommodate 45 computers forced the sacrifice of seating and bookshelves. And by the 1990s, the library's collection had grown to 250,000 volumes--in a building designed for 140,000. Once again, a team studied expansion, and found no realistic options except to build a new facility.

The Goals

The vision for the new library is reflected in its mission statement, which begins, "The library is a learning environment that responds to the traditional values of the liberal arts university and to the technological advances of the modern age ... It provides connections to global information networks which enhance the curriculum and assist research."

As Freeman says, "Institutions are seeing the library as a critical center: the breakout space of the classroom. You turn in one direction and see a book; turn in another, and see a terminal. They're both there, designed in scale and detail supportive of their role as central to the university's academic life. The library should be able to evolve within its walls."

According to university librarian Sue Stroyan, "I was aware from the time I came 10 years ago, that the Sheean Library wasn't up to where it should be. There was, foremost, the need for a much larger facility: at that time, Sheean contained around 150,000 volumes, and we wanted to go up to 400,000." The impetus for the expansion actually began with the arrival of university president Minor Myers Jr. in the late 1980s. "The Board of Trustees wanted to move the university to a nationally recognized institution," recalls Stroyan. "They did analyses and comparisons with other institutions, and created a Master Plan for the whole campus; the library bubbled to the top. In 1996, they first started talking extensively about a new library building."

Stroyan points out that President Myers "is very much a historian and bibliophile; he did not want books to `go away.'" IWU has a truly "collegial" environment, says Stroyan--faculty working with students, students working with students--so spaces were needed for students to work together. "We had already seen teams working together in the previous library, despite the lack of adequate space. We needed larger carrels to fit two, and we needed collaboration rooms for small groups."

The Solution

SBRA needed to design a replacement for an existing library that could not be expanded, and place it on the campus as part of the Master Plan. This was accomplished by creating a building in an appropriate architectural style--"A building of stability, not meant to be trendy," says Freeman. "When you enter a building, you want to have some sense of awe. This building achieves that; it takes a traditional attitude and fuses it with the present."

The new library owes its existence in large part to two IWU alumni, Charles "Chuck" and Joyce "Jay" Ames, who, in 1998, led the campaign to fund a new library. Construction on the Ames Library began in February 2000; the building opened in January 2002. The new Ames facility merges all library materials from three different locations, including a branch music library and a storage facility for back issues of journals.

In planning the interior, Stroyan says, "We surveyed all students and faculty, to determine their reading and studying-habits. Part of my role on the construction team was to hold architects' feet to the fire to meet the needs of our community. SBRA listened."

The new facility was planned not merely as a library, but as a symbol of what Illinois Wesleyan aspires to be: a leading national liberal arts university. As such, the five-level 103,000-square-foot building was placed in a highly visible location, to serve as a "gateway" to the campus. Elements such as a mahogany-lined central rotunda and spacious, traditionally furnished reading room serve to reinforce the building's aura as a solid, comfortable center for learning--grand and imposing on the outside, yet warm and inviting within.

The Technology

"I don't think you can ever stay ahead of the technology curve," says Stroyan, "you just try to hang on and be aware of cutting edge. As librarians, we knew technology was pushing us down the road; we know students will opt for new media. We integrated videos and DVDs right onto the shelves, alongside printed materials on the same subject. We have sets of computers in the middle of specific collections--we call them `scholarly workstations'--that have content on the particular subject area located in that part of building. And there's a four-year replacement plan for computers; they're in place for that length of time, and we regularly replace one-fourth. There's wireless capability throughout the structure, so students can work on laptops, whether wired or wireless. The tables are all hot-wired--but the wires are hidden." In fact, the building incorporates 400 open network connections, allowing users to plug in their laptops to the campus network from every single table and desk. "You'll also find larger spaces with full audio/visual capability, including collaboration rooms," Stroyan adds.

Yet, older technologies were not abandoned. The back issues of journals that were moved into the main collection from storage are not being converted to digital format. As Stroyan explains, "When journals are converted to digital format, the ads are usually left out, and our Business department often uses the journals primarily for the ads, so we didn't seriously consider digitizing and eliminating hard copies. Besides, it wouldn't save money; the process is expensive."

Funding

In issuing the "Ames Challenge" for funding, Chuck and Jay Ames committed to match all gifts for the library, up to $g million, as well as match all gifts to the Alumni Annual Fund--provided alumni contributed at least $1 million a year for the next three years. The alumni came through, resulting in the biggest single donation in IWU's history, some $12 million. Total cost of the Ames Library project: $25.7 million.

The Results

Since opening its doors in January 2002, the Ames Library has indeed assumed its intended role as LWU's focal point. "The impact of the facility on the campus can't be overstated," says Freeman. "A phenomenal number of students are using the building. There's a real thirst for traditional inspirational environments. The trend has come back to a desire for a place that enables learning--using and forwarding information and developing critical thinking--and enables collaboration of students and faculty." Freeman estimates that "with its overall quality, systems allowing it to evolve, large open spaces, and adaptability, Ames is probably a 50- to 100-year building."

In his message in the Spring 2002 issue of Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine, President Myers notes that students came in droves to the new library in its first days, not merely, as one would expect, to explore the building out of curiosity, but to stay and put it to use. He relates the story of a student who, only days after arriving back on campus, told a librarian that he was already three days ahead in his academic work--simply because he had spent so much time in the library. "He loved the building so much that he didn't want to leave, so he stayed to study." Can there be any higher measure of success for an academic library?

SCHOW SCIENCE LIBRARY

Williams College, Williamstown, MA

Helena Warburg, head of the Science Library at Williams College, recalls that when she arrived at the school in 1990, "We had six separate departmental (science) libraries, scattered among four different science buildings. All were unstaffed; there was no reference assistance, no automated checkout; in fact, books were checked out--and shelved--by the students themselves. But the critical point was, there was no room. We used two offsite storage locations--a garage and a building across the street--to house older materials for which we simply had no space. And once there, the materials became, essentially, inaccessible."

Bob Frasca of the Zimmer Gunsel Frasca Partnership (ZGF), an architectural firm based in Washington, DC, recalls the situation: "The school's goal was to bring the libraries together, to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of science today--quite different from when the original campus was built 100 years ago." Of the four existing science buildings located in the historic center of the campus, he says, "Three dated from the turn of the last century; the science labs in those buildings looked like Madame Curie herself had used them. But the school wanted to keep and continue to use them."

The Hurdles

According to Warburg, the idea of consolidating both the science libraries and departments was initiated in the early 1990s by Williams' then-president, Harry C. Payne, who initiated a long-range planning process for the college. But with the Psychology and Math departments in a relatively new building (circa 1975), the idea of moving to some of the oldest buildings on campus met with a predictable response. "Those departments didn't want to give up that newer space," says Warburg. "And when, in 1992, planners actually came in to work out a new library space plan, the Chemistry and Biology departments said, `Why build only a new library? We need new labs and new offices.'" At that point, the president announced there would be no new library until all the science departments could agree, and the project was put off until the next capital campaign. By that time, the decade and century were drawing to a close, and the library space problem had grown even more critical. Fortunately, the science departments had come to agree on the wisdom of an interdisciplinary approach. A search committee was formed to interview potential architects. "We interviewed numerous firms," recalls Warburg. "ZGF asked everybody, `What one thing would you want most in a new facility?' I said, `I want it all on one floor.' When they came back with a plan that was all on one floor, we were blown away!"

Though the task of consolidating nine science departments and six libraries into a single entity was daunting, it was matched by the physical challenge entailed in the Science Center plan: the tying together and revitalization of the three historic Georgian buildings that faced the campus's main quad. The three structures had been constructed separately, with different floor-to-floor heights. While their facades were handsome, the rear of the buildings was cluttered with mechanical systems. The multiple stainless-steel ducts rising up the back walls made the area look more like the rear of an old hospital bordered by blacktop parking lots.

The Solution

In ZGF's plan, the three existing buildings were to be renovated, and a new laboratory building was to be built to their rear. All of the space between the four buildings would be enclosed--while, in a sense, remaining open--through the use of predominantly glass ceilings and walls. It is that enclosed central area that is the Schow Science Library. "Our design solution," says Frasca, "was to put the combined libraries in the heart of the geographic center, both for efficiency and to reflect their interdisciplinary nature." The renovated historic buildings house office, classroom, and auditorium spaces; their original brick exterior walls remain intact (windows and all) and exposed to the interior, forming the perimeter of the library. A system of ramps, stairs, and elevators connect all the elements. Says Warburg, "There were parking lots between buildings. They created huge atriums there, and that's our floor space. How you can go to any of the buildings that make up the Science Center without ever going outside, and it's all unified; it really flows together."

The job of designing the interior space was handled by ZGF principal Sharron van der Meulen. Frasca says that in addition to spending a week at a time meeting with each department and librarian to get their specific requirements, van der Meulen also met with students. For the students, breaking down barriers was a big issue. "The physical separations--individual departments and libraries in discrete buildings--had presented barriers," he says. "Students wanted to know: what else is going on out there?" Now, it's all "in here."

And, says Frasca, it was important to achieve a sense of balance. "Williams is one of the oldest small schools in the country," he notes. "The challenge of the small college is to go through change white remaining essentially the same. This now-unified structure does both." One way the building achieves balance, says the architect, is by bringing all of the departments together, while also creating a "home base" for each. Study spaces sprinkled around the library (including hookups for laptops) provide students with the opportunity to be tutored by faculty from each department, situated close by. Furthermore, says Warburg, faculty offices were "mixed and matched," so that faculty from the various science departments are intermingled. This allows faculty from different departments to interact, reinforcing the collaborative atmosphere.

Needs Are Met

"We got exactly what we wanted in terms of square footage, number of seats, and amount of shelving," says Warburg. "We now have adequate space, and adequate growth space for the Future." The 250-seat library has room for 160,000 volumes. Two other important elements were also incorporated in the design: eight private study rooms for cooperative study, and provisions for technology.

The 54 study carrels were custom made by Herman Miller; they are hard-wired and have integrated lighting. Herman Miller Ethospace chairs and furniture are evident throughout.

Van der Meulen also addressed flexibility issues. "For example, we have a large, open instruction room," says Warburg. "There are 14 full-size computers and monitors, but they're installed around the perimeter; everything else is movable. Sharron found special conference tables that move; we can completely change the layout of room in 10 minutes to accommodate any kind of group."

As for technology, everything in the building is wired for easy connectivity, says Frasca. He adds, "The goat in providing technology is to find the most efficient ways students can interact and do research. Carrels are now almost workstations; it's possible for students to do all their research without ever getting up. Fifty percent of the seating is that carrel style." All traditional library tables and chairs are also hardwired, as are the loose lounge seating and tablet arms, and the small group collaboration rooms, which are acoustically soundproofed. Though the library was built just before the wireless trend took hold, "we could easily adapt it later on," says Warburg.

Funding

Williams' VP of Finance, Steve Birrell, reports that the total cost for construction of the Science Center project was $47 million, but the cost of the library was not broken out. He notes the library is "clearly the centerpiece."

Says Birrell, "We borrowed and financed a portion of the project through a state bonding agency, and we raised $23 million from alumni, parents, and friends." When Williams started the Science Center project, it had just completed a major, comprehensive $1-73.6 million fundraising campaign. Says Birrell with a sigh, "To go into a major project right after that wasn't easy!" He says he originally adopted a $15 million fundraising goal for the new center; raised it to $20 million during the campaign; and wound up with $23 million. "The campaign was so successful," he says, "because the alumni who supported it perceived it as crucial to making the science facility world-class. And we were very fortunate in that Nan and Howard Schow already had an interest in the library--Mrs. Schow is a former librarian." Once the Schow's lead gift was in place, other donors were eager to come forward.

Success

The 1-18,000-square-foot Science Center building, including the 30,000-square-foot Schow Science Library, was completed last year. During the day, the glass structure bathes the library and surrounding offices and classrooms (through their preserved windows) in natural light. At night, the three-story convex glass wall that serves as the complex's main entrance glows like a jewel.

"We have pole lamps in the atriums that look like streetlights, providing good ambient lighting," says Warburg. "The seating is so comfortable, the atmosphere so pleasant, that students from many other departments on other parts of the campus come here to read and study." And, she adds, while many large buildings have problems with temperature control there are individual controls for different areas of the building. lights go off automatically, tied to building closure--at 3 am. Even at that hour, she boasts, the library staff has had to tell up to 50 people to leave. Asked her overall opinion of the library facility, Warburg doesn't hesitate: "I am absolutely thrilled," she says. When was the last time you heard a librarian say that?

Jeff Morris is a NY-based freelance writer.

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