The library building is a structural framework of spaces that support a network of physical and virtual library services and operations. We have developed a measurement approach to visualize each space and ascertain whether it helps or impedes the activities and functions it is supposed to support. Our approach utilizes a series of observations that we call the Visual Scan©. The Scan helps to answer three questions about the quality of the physical library and the building that it occupies:
– Where is the library now?
– Where do the library staff want it to be?
– How do they get there?
The Visual Scan© documents activities through a series of photographs and diagrams. Pictures that illustrate behavioral responses give the planning team a description of existing conditions and the problems encountered by each target group. As we record images, we ask the customers to define what is good or bad about the area in which they are situated. Their answers are placed beneath the photos and correlated with the identified service in the library planning storyboard. Next, the multiple images on the storyboard are used as part of a brainstorming process to transform the library.
In the past, most library buildings have been linear and sequential. As we move through the space we observe, document and visualize the entire library, breaking down all of its spaces into zones that match service response priorities. Each zone is not an isolated entity within the library; it is part of the whole, a web of activities that must be modeled and adapted to human behavior. The relationships between each service group and the zones may be blurred.
We need to amplify the experience. A Visual Scan© tells a story through a perspective of blur. It uses storyboards to help define the behavior within the library environment. It uses photos, diagrams and plans to map out the zones and clusters. Feedback will address the greatness that can be achieved with small changes.
