Library Tours

ALIA Sydney is delighted to present two Library Tours this Saturday!

How are Academic Libraries responding to changing needs of students? How do you design a library to encompass quiet areas, noisy areas, group and individual study spaces as well as being the single location for over 1.2 million print items?
Macquarie University opened its new library in 2011. Come and join a special 'behind the scenes tour' exploring client areas, staff spaces and the first Automated Storage and Retrieval System in an Australian Library.

Public Libraries are an essential service for the local communities; the demands are diverse and space limited. In July 2010 Lane Cove Council breathed new life into the library, exceeding state benchmarks and community expectations by increasing the Library space from 1,203 sq m to 3,301 sq m. They have filled it to the brim with training rooms with state-of-the-art AV; study and lounge areas; display and exhibition spaces and many, many more facilities without detracting from their physical collection. 
Come along on our library tour and take a look at what all the fuss is about.

Date: 13 April 2013
Time: 10:30am at Macquarie University Library for an 11:00am start

Schedule:
10.30am - Arrival at Macquarie University Library
11.00am - Behind the Scenes tour of Macquarie University Library
12.30pm - Lunch and travel to Lane Cove Library (please advise us if you would like help arranging transport)
2.00pm - Tour of Lane Cove Library


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Cost: $7 members / $10 non-members

Please note this cost does not include lunch or transport. Macquarie Centre is nearby with a wide variety of options for lunch (http://www.macquariecentre.com.au/food.aspx).

Thank you to those who have already registered their interest in joining us for the Macquarie University Library and Lane Cove City Council Library Tours.

For everyone else there is still time- email us now at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.

Please advise if you would like help arranging transport between venues when registering.

-Gabby

Lessons from a new library building

Robots, resources & people ftw!

It’s almost a year since the new library at Macquarie University opened – here’s an overview if you want some more detail. The new library created a lot more space for library users by housing much of the collection in an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS). The experience is very different to the previous library.

Here are a few things we’ve learnt along the way:

• Having resources in an ASRS hasn’t been a big deal for library users. Carefully planned collection storage principles including consultation with academics have ensured most students get all the resources they require from traditional shelving and rarely need to request anything from the ASRS. It makes sense - a large recent study by OCLC indicates that 80% of circulation in an academic library is driven by just 6% of the collection.
• Fears about the loss of serendipitous discovery have hardly registered in client feedback, as tools such as a virtual bookshelf within the catalogue provide this type of discovery AND include electronic resources.
• The library was designed so that the furniture would suggest behavior with configurations indicating collaborative spaces or individual study spaces. While this has been largely successful, reminders about noise in some of the quieter individual spaces have been required. (But aren’t they always?) 
• Quiet, individual study spaces are just as popular as ever. Much has been written about libraries as collaborative spaces, and these spaces are extremely popular, but the demand for more quiet, individual spaces has been even stronger. We have reconfigured furniture to create an extra 200 individual study spaces in response to this demand. 
• More space means more people. Lots more people. We knew the new building would be popular, but daily library visits have almost doubled compared to the previous building. Yep, the new library has certainly taken its place at the centre of the University.

People + space = more people 

Brendan Krige is Communications Coordinator at Macquarie University Library