We believe Libraries can make a difference by increasing access to the internet, cloud resources, electronic databases and digital repositories. The main findings by Pew are as follows:

- One in five American adults does not use the Internet.
- The main reason is they do not think the Internet is relevant to them.
- 27% of adults living with disability are less likely to go online.

In the LA Times article, “even e-reader owners still like printed books,” the pleasure of reading endures in the digital age. According to a USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll, 6 in 10 people say they like to read ‘a lot. It also shows that young adults read about as much as many of their elders.

Although many Californians who own Kindles, Nooks and other e-readers love their gadgets, they still prefer books the old-fashioned way — on paper. Even with sales of e-readers surging, only 10% of respondents who have one said they had abandoned traditional books. More than half said most or all of the books they read are in printed form.

It turns out that e-books create more readers not less.

The pleasure of reading endures in the digital age, even with its nearly boundless options for entertainment, according to data collected from 1,500 registered state voters.

object of meaning - the book

In the future, work and study will be more electronic. Students will do most of their work in the “cloud;” most faculty will be teaching and testing 100% online. From a library technology point of view, mobile tools, multi-platform visualizations and 3D printing will be available for collaboration and high-speed communication.

Google Glasses are a good example of how the world will change 10 years in the future. In the future, we will be pulling up content from our glasses in new and different ways, reacting to our environment with library search technology. The OPAC or library catalog will be available on the go.

In the op-ed “the Man With the Google Glasses” by Ross Douthat, we realize that technology is not the only answer to a healthy learning environment. According to a Duke University study, Americans used to have more friends. In the 1980’s Americans reported having, on average, three people with whom they discussed important issues. In the mid-2000’s, Americans became more isolated with only two close friends to share important issues. Is this a result of our use of the internet?

Social Isolation is real. For example, Sociologist Eric Klinenberg, “Going Solo: the Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone.” He states that more American’s are living alone today then ever before, begging the question: what about libraries? Is it the place for positive social interactions in a technological world?

The Library is critical to sharing information when connected virtually or not. It is a place for scholarly, social and cultural uses. It provides opportunities for the Man with the Google Glasses to interact with the community.

For a road map to begin research – go to: “Library start up” – physical and virtual space for social interaction, jobs communication and sharing. Physical or Virtual, it is a quiet and noisy space to grow ideas into a better future world.

Below is a link to a video from Google About their Glasses – note that the protagonists visit’s the Strand Bookstore. Google should have the person meet at the library. It is a better place to gather and share. See -Google Glasses

Library Planning Workshop

For more information – Go to: http://www.acohen.com/workshops.htm

Brewster Kahle is trying to make sure the flood of Digital Data does not leave behind important knowledge. According to Kahle, “We must keep the past even as we’re inventing a new future.”

There are librarians who actively collect important documents, books and media. They are people who safeguard culture and history. They are bridge-makers who actively seek and shape their collection.

A key aspect of library planning; create a collection development plan that fits your institution and community.

The design of a traditional information desk can create friction, limiting the flow into the library. The friction can reduce the effectiveness of the entry and the lobby. According to the Technology’s Friction Problem by David Pogue, “Friction is a hassle. steps. process. And in this increasingly technified world, there is still a suprising amount of red tape.” He goes on to state, “lowering friction doesn’t just mean more transactions. It means more of any behavior you’re trying to encourage.”

Librarians who work hard to make self service a priority understand that processing materials efficiently is important. However, there are other groups that confuse tradition with friction. They want the community to work closely with their staff. They believe the tried and true service desk is the answer.

The Library’s technology can be used to reduce friction and encourage use. The library of the future can have a service desk that is flexible – one that is rolled in and out as required. The configuration can allow additional staff to surge into the space when it is busy, using ipads, pedestal seats or roving and card swipes.

The apple store allows users to purchase online and pick up at the store. Amazon has the 1-click buy button. It is time for libraries to reduce the friction wherever possible. Libraries need to integrate the physical and virtual library to reduce and eliminate friction, improving research services.

An example of an Ipad swipe card reader.

There are examples of how the learning environment is changing. The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical classroom (lecture and homework center) are reversed. The flipped classroom draws on such concepts as active learning, student engagement, hybrid course design, and course podcasting.

The value of a flipped classroom is in the way a class space is transformed. It allows for a workshop setup where students can work collaboratively, inquire about lecture content, test their skills in applying knowledge, and interact with one another in hands-on activities.

The flipped classroom is designed to support new types of functionality. It allows faculty and students to adjust their environment for peer and group learning. The model has the potential to shift learning styles from covering material to collaborating and mastering it. “Flip classroom” environments are in libraries too. We design spaces to support new learning styles. Furniture examples by Steelcase illustrate how a flip classroom can be implemented in an educational environment.

physical and virtual library worlds

In the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Lecture Fail? Students and Professors Sound Off on the State of the College Lecture,” students sound off about the way that some professors teach their course and the professors respond. They are having a conversation using social media. They point to a shared goal – develop a 3rd place for learning to occur – THE LIBRARY.

The Georgia Tech Library underwent a series of learning space renovations in the past six years ending in 2009. There are good photos of an academic library that can be used to explore innovative library spaces.

During planning at GT, library staff did a lot of work trying to understand the need for collaboration. They prototyped new 3rd spaces for students to work. However, the Educause article, “Creating Learning Spaces Through Collaboration” illustrated a lack of understanding before implementation. The article states, “while we were unsure if we had correctly guessed what students required in the space, we were lucky in that the end product was highly successful with students.”

We believe that a solid methodology that strives for innovation can eliminate the “luck” in the process. The analysis allows for faculty, students and library staff to explore options outside of their control.

Recommendations for Library Planners

During the transition from the old to new library space, the library planning committee should seek common ground. They should have conversations about the discovery process and explore the types of physical and virtual library services that will be in the building.

Without planning, “luck” is all we can expect from our work. It’s nice to have good intentions, but it is invaluable for stakeholders to have input. When the administration shares the need to explore a change in the library or learning space(s) start by determining the needs of the community, and look for ways to adapt technology. Outline the physical and virtual spaces required to enable your library community to succeed.

Barns and Noble is attempting to change its course away from books and into e-readers. It is focusing on the Nook to create an electronic supermarket for books while downsizing the number of printed books. In the next two years, Barns and Noble expects to reduce its space for Books, DVD’s and Media to make way for electronic research.

As the bookstores struggle with the e-book technology and the use of space, libraries need to identify ways to manage their future better. We witnessed the e-book and its newly found interest first hand during a library planning tour at a Public Library last December. The reference department was inundated with questions from patrons who were buying the kindle as a Christmas present. People were concerned with the viability of the e-reader and the ability to borrow books from the library. They didn’t want to give a family or friend something that didn’t work. Would they be able to use it as a reading tool?

bringing school children into the public library to learn about books.

cell phones are e-readers too.

Apple Store - will the book store look more like this?

Librarians need to be cognizant that electronic media generated a lot of service opportunities in 2011. The landscape for reading has changed forever. Now its time to develop libraries that reflect the times.

For example, Amazon is transforming the publishing world and the way books are sold. Last Christmas 2011, Kindle sales went up 177% from the previous year. Amazon’s Kindle lending library program, launched on November 2, 2011, now contains over 75,000 titles. The company reported that customers borrowed 295,000 titles in December; many of whom were at the Public Library downloading content for free.

From a library space planning perspective, the bookstores demise is an opportunity for libraries to become knowledge centers and not just book repositories. The book will endure in the library, but soon the e-book will have its place too.

Libraries will have new opportunities to create space; new for space dedicated to learning, training and electronic research, new tools to share with your community.

We are working on a couple academic library projects including the Coulter Library at Onondaga Community College. It can be retooled and upgraded with a simple plan to improve building use, function and flow. The investments will enable content to flow to the students within, across and beyond the library’s boundaries.

In America Built to Last, the government can improve the lives of younger people by creating community college partnerships. The president cites a goal to retain 2 million people through the community college system. This concept tracks with our own research, indicating that learning environments will help students succeed in building skills for the 21st century.

In other words,academic library’s matter. The physical space will to support the overall goals of the institution to bring student success by offering enhanced research environments. This can be measured by investments in library buildings and the research that results from collaboration.

Student Learning Space