As libraries have consolidated and discarded paper journals, it has made way for open spaces that draw in students with other kinds of services like writing and tutoring centers, “makerspaces” and fabrication labs, and technology rooms for data visualization and augmented reality. Some libraries have even included lecture halls and classrooms.
But planning for these spaces at a time of change is crucial and new workplace patterns following the pandemic only add to the complexity of stewarding the design and construction.
The Library of the Future explores the transformation libraries and librarians have undergone in recent years, the ways they’ve adapted to campus changes, and the larger lessons they've learned about how colleges and universities are reshaping to fit current needs.
