Facilities

This Community is a space for library staff at BLC member institutions to share experiences, challenges, and ideas related to the use of space in library buildings. Possible topics for exploration include:

• Recommendations for furniture and equipment that stand up to heavy use
• Furniture arrangements that have proven most popular or effective for different types of studying and library activities
• Special rooms and areas (such as sensory spaces, meditation or prayer rooms, crafting and gaming spaces, podcast studios, etc.) including what has worked well in your library and what challenges you’ve encountered
• HVAC inefficiencies and strategies your library has used to address hot/cold spots or noisy equipment
• Gates and alarm systems; whether your library still uses them and any impacts on loss or theft if they have been removed
• Approaches to addressing vandalism and graffiti
• Academic partners located within your building - what services have been most valuable to patrons?

This community welcomes anyone interested in the design, operation, and continuous improvement of library spaces.