Library Journal is thrilled to once again be hosting our long-running library building and design event in person! And we’re especially excited to be hosting it in partnership with Hayward Library. Located in Hayward, California, just across the bay from San Francisco, Hayward Library can be easily reached via the San Mateo/Hayward bridge for those flying into SFO. Nearby cities San José and Oakland also have airports that provide an easy commute! Join us in Hayward and take in everything the greater SF Bay Area has to offer! 

Whether you're in the dreaming and planning stages or further along the

design road, you'll find ideas, information, and inspiration,

no matter what your budget allows! 

This full-day think tank provides expert panel discussions with architects and librarians, as well as hands-on, architect-led breakout sessions tackling real-life design challenges submitted in advance by attendees. Dig deep with architects, librarians, and vendors to explore building/renovating/retrofitting spaces both large and small that will redefine the relationship with your users and engage your community. There will be plenty of face time and networking opportunities throughout the day with colleagues.

Check out our breakout sessions below and begin planning your day!

BREAKOUT 1: Milpitas Library - Santa Clara County Library District (Milpitas, CA)        

LED BY: GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE  

BREAKOUT 2: Main Library, Oakland Public Library (Oakland, CA)        

LED BY: WRNS STUDIO 

BREAKOUT 3: Octavia Fellin Public Library (Gallup, NM)                         

LED BY: JOHNSTON ARCHITECTS

BREAKOUT 4: Ontario City Library (Ontario, CA)                       

LED BY: NOLL & TAM ARCHITECTS

BREAKOUT 5: San José Public Library (San Jose, CA)                                     

LED BY: ANDERSON BRULÉ ARCHITECTS

SETTING THE VISION: ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND SCOPE              

When imagining a new library—its design, programs, and services—how might architects partner with library staff to support the visioning and pre-design stages? What do successful strategies look like to envision spaces that support diverse community needs, including projecting demographic needs or collaborating with community members who may not currently use the facilities? What should library planning staff know about cost considerations? In this session, designers will discuss approaches to the pre-design phases of a project, including offering practical tips on what factors to consider when making decisions about renovating or building new and site selection.  

Katherine Rivard, Associate Principal, Anderson Brulé Architects 

Andrea Gifford, Principal, Group 4 Architecture 

Trina Goodwin, Associate Principal, Noll & Tam Architects 

Natalie Kittner, Senior Associate, WRNS Studio  

Moderator: Jayanti Addleman, Director of Library Services, City of Hayward 

SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE LIBRARIES 

As places of refuge and leaders in sustainable and inclusive design, libraries increasingly become civic beacons of innovation and community care. What can leaders and staff keep in mind when considering issues of safety—from natural disasters and emergencies—in their designs that must balance inclusion and a sense of welcome? What examples of sustainable design have emerged that balance these needs, especially those that positively impact operating costs? In this session, designers will discuss examples of projects that have successfully integrated functional safety features with aesthetic and programmatic designs that center people and their personal and shared experiences in library spaces.  

Ray Johnston, Founding Partner, Johnston Architects 

Pauline Souza, Director of Sustainability, WRNS Studio 

Moderator: Emily Petty Puckett, Capital Project Manager, University of Michigan Library 

PARTNERSHIPS: DESIGNING JOINT-USE FACILITIES                                  

Faced with the opportunity to move into a shared facility, how might libraries engage with the organizations that will share their spaces and the local areas that will host patrons and service users alike? Whether the library partners with a school, firehouse, or other civic or social institution, joint-use designs can maximize their shared programs, create effective adjacencies that allow for individualized service schedules or models, and offer synergies between programs, shared spaces, and services to build capacity and develop new or more comprehensive spaces. In this session, participants will learn from designers about what has worked and what to consider when facing a joint use build. Whatever the type of project, design elements from these unique partnerships can influence how libraries can be designed to serve multiple civic and community functions.  

Mark Schoeman, Design Principal, Anderson Brulé Architects 

David Schnee, Principal, Group 4 Architecture 

Moderator: Lisa Peet, Executive Editor, Library Journal 

EVOLVING LITERACIES: DESIGNING FOR CREATION, ENGAGEMENT, AND INCLUSION  

During the programming phase of a building project, how do libraries collaborate effectively with designers, funders, or other decision-makers to decide “what goes where”? In this session, designers will offer tips for leaders and staff participating in developing library projects that offer flexibility, center inclusion, and balance the contemporary needs of people and material constraints. They will share examples from their work illustrating how libraries have continually evolved from buildings that stored print materials to community centers that support a variety of literacies through connection, play, and making, using examples of future-ready libraries.  

Chris Noll, Principal, Noll & Tam Architects 

Mona Johnston Zellers, Partner, Johnston Architects 

Moderator: Lindsey Vien, Acting Deputy Director of Library Services, City of Hayward 

Architect Sponsors 

Host Partner  

Vendor Sponsors 

This event is open to librarians, library board or foundation members, and the library’s city planners/officials. If you are an architect or vendor and would like to sponsor one of our 2023 Design Institute events, please contact Advertising Director Roy Futterman.  

Know someone who would love this event? Forward this email and invite them to join us!