Whether you are building a new library or renovating a current library, thoughtful planning is key to ensuring that the needs of your community are met.
Library Planning Considerations
When planning and designing your library, things to consider include:
- Demographics/Capacity. How many people will be using your library, and what are their ages and interests?
- Budget. How much money do you have to spend, and how will you allocate those funds?
- Performance. Modern libraries are more than places to collect, store, and access books. In what other ways do you expect your library to serve your community, and how will that factor into your planning?
- Comfort. How will you plan and design your library so that it is comfortable, and attracts people in your community?
- Materials. Are the types of materials that you use for the building or renovation of your library important? For example, do you want to use green materials, or locally sourced materials?
- Current Design. What is the current design of the library, and how will you incorporate it when planning the new design?
- Furniture. What kinds of furniture will you choose, and will custom or ready-made furniture best suit your needs?
- Technology Integration. How will you plan your library so it meets the technology need of your patrons?
- Trends. What are current library trends, and what library trends do you see occurring in the future?
- Planning for Future Growth. What kinds of future growth do you see for your library, and how can you plan and design your library to meet anticipated growth?
This photo depicts the interior of a modern library. To the right side of the aisle are rows of labeled book shelves; on the left are cushioned benches and comfortable seating spaces.