Clearinghouse of Professional Information

Facilities Planning Resources

This section includes links to a variety of resources to support libraries in planning and assessing their facilities.

OLS - North provides assistance with facility planning. For assistance in this area, please contact John Slater, Library Development Advisor – Policy and Planning by phone or by e-mail at

Topics include

General Resources | Accessibility Resources | Adaptive Technology | Environmentally Friendly Facilities  | Feasibililty Studies | Joint Use Facilities | Space Planning and Building

	indicates an item written by SOLS staff		indicates an item written by OLS-North staff
Clicking on certain topics will open a new window, if the link is to a topic included in an other Clearinghouse page

General Resources

• Designing Public Libraries as Unique and Vital Public Places . Presentation by Stan Skrzeszewski, ASM Consultants; John Knox, Chamberlain Architect; and Anne Marie Madziak, Consultant, SOLS. Presented at the OLA Superconference 2005
• Libris Design Planning Documentation A library facility planning information system and downloadable database that was developed for California Public Library planners. Topics are: Acoustics for Libraries; Collection Preservation in Library Building Design; Cost Estimating Simplified; Day lighting Design in Libraries; Furniture and Shelving: Specification and Bidding; Furniture for Libraries; Library Collection Storage; Library Interior Finish Materials; Library Security; Lighting for Libraries; Renovation or a New Library: A Planning Process; Site Selection ;Sustainable Library Design; Technology Infrastructure Design for Libraries; Universal Access in Libraries; Way finding and Signage in Library Design
• Ontario's Carnegie Libraries Of the 125 Canadian libraries Carnegie funded, 111 were built in Ontario.  Pictures
• Planning and Building Libraries (UBC. School of Library, Archival and Information Studies) This site has been created for librarians, architects, design consultants, and students interested in all aspects of planning and building libraries. The site provides an outline of key resources that are available online. Special care has been taken to select outstanding Canadian websites. In consultation with Dr. Ann Curry, the original website was created in 1999 by Linda Levar, updated in 2003 by Ellen George, and last updated in 2005 by Janine Jevne.

 Environmentally Friendly Facilities

• Building Green (Metro Vancouver BuildSmart Program)
• Canada Green Building Council. (CaGBC) accelerates the design and construction of green buildings in Canada. The Council is a broad-based inclusive coalition of representatives from different segments of the design and building industry. CaGBC certifies buildings using the LEED Rating System and others
• Environmental Health and Green Buildings (Ontario Equity Canada) Extensive web-bibliography
• Go Green Program (Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada) These pages will provide you with the tools and information needed to apply for certification under this new, national environmental initiative, created by and tailored to the commercial real estate industry. See links in their Resources page
• Green Globes  An on-line auditing tool that lets designers, property owners and managers: assess and rate existing buildings against best practices and standards integrate principles of green architecture at every stage of project delivery for retrofits and the design of new buildings. The program produces a detailed report based on a confidential questionnaire.
• Green Library Resources A list of resources focusing on green library designs, green librarians, green buildings and green library organizations.
• Green Resources for Municipalities (CaGBC) Includes the Policy Development ToolKit for Municipalities and  From Policy to Practice for the Public Sector
• Greener A search engine to use to find all things green.
• LEED Rating Systems Descriptions (Canada Green Building Council)
• Sustainable Building Products Available in Canada (Greenspace Homes and Cottages)
• Why Build Green: Ten Key Questions (.pdf) (Greater Vancouver regional District and the School of Architecture, UBC)

Equipment

• Computer Screen Magnifiers - Zoomtext  Magnification and reading software for the vision impaired
• ReadTheWords.com  An absolutely free service which converts text into MP3. All you’ve got to do is sign up and select what files you want to convert.

Feasibililty Studies

• Halton Hills Public Library. Feasibililty Information 2005.  Dncludes Feasibility Study, a Draft Site Selection Report, and the Facility/Site Study Final Report
• Meaford Public Library Feasibility Study, July 2008 (.pdf)

Joint-use facilities

see also Joint Use Issues

• Combined School and Public Libraries: Guidelines for Decision Making.  (Wisconsin Department of Public Instructions) Second Edition – May 1998. Endorsed by the Council on Library and Network Development
• Cooperation between public libraries and schools in Canada, Research Report. (.pdf) Sandra Morden, 2003. A review of the state of cooperation between large public libraries and schools, primarily in Ontario. Identifies different models of cooperation, advantages, problems and critical success factors.
• Dual use libraries evidence base. (University of Central England, UK) This list of articles, reports and case studies relating to dual use libraries focuses on work carried out internationally in the last ten years and also includes any major work before this date.
• Guidelines for the development of joint-use school-community libraries. (.pdf) Dept of Education, Queensland, 1996
• Inquiry into the joint-use and co-location of public buildings. Information paper prepared by the State Library of New South Wales. August 2004 (.pdf)
• Joint-use public / school library standards  (Government of Queensland, Australia) To provide minimum standards to ensure that public library services are maintained in any co-operative arrangement for joint-use library services between the Education Department and Local Government authorities. Currently under review.   (Government of Queensland, Australia)
• New Realities, New Relationships: Transforming the delivery of service: The joint-use library and information commons, in C&RL News, February 2003, Vol. 64 No. 2,by Charles Kratz
• Overview: A Survey of Library Cafes  (Resource Shelf) The report has more than 100 tables of data exploring a broad range of issues related to library cafes, such as their finances, impact on patron traffic, staffing and maintenance
   
• Public Libraries and School Libraries: Perfect Together New Jersey Library Association. 2002. Cites challenges of joint school/public facilities.
• Saskatchewan Library Trustees' Association. Recommendations on School / Public Library Cooperation, April 9, 1995

Space Planning and Building

• Building Libraries and Library Additions: A Selected Annotated Bibliography. ALA Library Fact Sheet Number 11. Includes live links to resources.
• Building projects costs SOLS consultants are often asked to provide information on the cost of building a new library. In an attempt to gather some current data on this issue, libraries were asked, via the SOLS listserv, to provide us with information on their recent building projects. We have compiled the responses from libraries who had completed a building project in 2002 or would be building in 2003, in a table.
• Comprehensive, Efficient, and Modern Public Libraries: Standards and Assessment (.pdf) UK Dept of Culture Media and Sports, Libraries, Information and Archives Division.
• The Curse of Carnegie: Can Modern Public Libraries Find True Happiness in Historic Buildings? by John Moorman and Fred Schlipf (.pdf)
• Designing a Fine Library. Kansas State Library. Includes a discussion of alternative building plans - remodelling, expanding, converting, new facility. It includes standards for different levels of libraries
• Facilities Design and Construction (State of Ohio Librarian' Toolkit.)
• How to Make Your Library Great (Project for Public Spaces) To succeed today, libraries must master many different roles--some traditionally associated with libraries, some not. Includes Canadian examples.
• The Library Improvement Planning Process. (Lushington Associates) The library improvement planning process is a highly interactive complex task involving the library governing body, administrative staff, consultant and architect in a wide variety of interdependent activities. Its goal is to provide a sound basis for improving library services and facilities firmly based on community needs and library capabilities.
• Let there be at Least Half-Way Decent Light: How Library Illumination Systems Work - And Don't Work, by John Moorman and Fred Schlipf (.pdf)
• Libraries Must also be Buildings: New Library Impact Study. (.pdf) March 2003.(The Centre for Public Libraries and Information in Society and the Department of Information Studies. University of Sheffield.) A UK study undertaken to assess the impact of a new library building on local communities. Identifies how the impact of a new library can be enhanced through planning, partnerships, design, marketing and social capital
• Library Building Standards. State Library of Queensland. Services for Public Libraries
• Library Collection Storage (LIBRIS Design) (.pdf)
• Moving Library Collections: Planning Shifts of Library Collections (University of Oregon) Very useful hands-on guide
• People Places: a guide for public library buildings in New South Wales. 2nd edition, 2005. (.pdf) (Library Council of New South Wales) This document provides a wealth of practical advice on the challenging process of planning a new public library building to meet the needs of the community. The coverage of building issues is thorough and relevant to libraries in Ontario.
• The Public Library Construction Process: From Problem Recognition to Ribbon Snipping, by John Moorman and Fred Schlipf (.pdf)
• Public Library Space Needs: A Planning Outline / 1998 by Anders Dahlgren. Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction) An outline intended to help librarians and library trustees determine whether to initiate a facilities planning process
• The Seven Deadly Sins of Library Architecture, by John Moorman and Fred Schlipf (.pdf)
• 21st Century Libraries: changing forms, changing futures. (.pdf) With an introduction by Ken Worpole. London : Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA) in collaboration with Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) , 2004.
• 22 Recent and Enduring Design Trends in Ontario Public Libraries (.pdf) Slow to load. By Anne Marie Madziak,SOLS, June 2004
• (Un)desiderata: 27 Snappy Rules for Good and Evil in Library Architecture, by John Moorman and Fred Schlipf  (.pdf)
• Waterloo Public Library. District Branch Library. Planning and Design Study. Final Report. DmA Planning and Management Service. October 2005
• WebJuction - Space Planning. Some useful resources for helping with your space planning needs.
• Whole Building Design Guide – Public Libraries.