As we roll towards final exams, I’ve been noticing the usual up-tick in library use by students. Not necessarily for books, but for group work and study spaces. And this got me thinking about some previous posts I wrote on some interesting modular design experiments at the University of Minnesota and the University of Missouri-St. Louis where it’s less about the institution providing lots of desktop computers and individual work stations, which massive adoption of mobile devices has essentially made obsolete, and more about a space that accommodates the need to present and share.
I think one of the emerging trends, if not already, among university libraries is that it’s going to be more about open spaces than stacks. With the expanding number of journals being ported to online databases, the growing presence of e-books, and of course, the ubiquitous, general-purpose search engine, students will have ready access to high-quality materials. What seems to be more of a need though is a greater number of spaces where students can informally organize group meetings to hash out a project or find a quiet alcove for concentrated study.