Designing Effective Library Learning Spaces In Higher Education

Traditional roles of higher education are giving way to academic partnership, research and open resources. Libraries play a key role to serve as a gateway to information and to promote intellectual discovery among students. This book explores the relevant issues and strategies library science partnerships initiate with stakeholders in the field.

El espacio, ya sea físico o virtual, puede tener un impacto significativo en el aprendizaje. Learning Spaces se centra en la forma en que las expectativas de los alumnos influyen en dichos espacios, en los principios y actividades que facilitan el aprendizaje y en el papel de la tecnología desde la perspectiva de quienes crean los entornos de aprendizaje: profesores, tecnólogos del aprendizaje, bibliotecarios y administradores. La tecnología de la información ha aportado capacidades únicas a los espacios de aprendizaje, ya sea estimulando una mayor interacción mediante el uso de herramientas de colaboración, videoconferencias con expertos internacionales o abriendo mundos virtuales para la exploración. Este libro representa una exploración continua a medida que unimos el espacio, la tecnología y la pedagogía para asegurar el éxito de los estudiantes.

Growing student numbers, increased student expectations, new approaches to learning, and fast-paced technological advances all contribute to the need for universities to take a more strategic approach to their buildings, including formal and informal learning spaces. Exploring Informal Learning Space in the University addresses the issue of informal learning space from the perspectives of a comprehensive range of stakeholders, including students, academics, facilities managers, university managers, IT managers, architects, interior designers, and librarians. With contributions from a range of experts, practitioners and academics around the world, this book uses a combination of case studies and theoretical discussion to explore the rationale and theory of informal learning space alongside the practicalities of its planning, development and utilization. The volume is at once ambitious and pragmatic, combining innovative thinking with a firm awareness of practicalities, including the varied constraints faced by universities and the need to work in tandem with broader strategies. Advocating broad collaboration at both planning and delivery stage, the result is essential reading for anyone involved in the delivery of learning space provision – from architects and designers, to university managers and strategists. It will also be of particular interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of library & information science or higher education policy and strategy.

What are the most important things a 21st-century library should do with its space? Each chapter in this cutting-edge text addresses this critical question, capturing the insights and practical ideas of leading international librarians, educators and designers to offer you a ‘creative resource bank’ that will help to transform your library and learning spaces. This is an innovative and practical toolkit introducing concepts, drawing together opinions and encouraging new ways of thinking about library learning spaces for the future. The book is structured in three parts. Part 1 – Projects and trends describes features of library space around the world through a selection of focused case studies painting a global picture, identifying common directions and ideas as well as highlighting country and regional diversity. Part 2 – Trends and ideas looks at the why and how of library space, covering topics such as contextual factors, current ideas in library space development, and the creative design of new spaces. It examines how library spaces are adapting to new forms of learning, digital literacies and technological fluency. Finally, Part 3 – Ideas and futures looks to the future of libraries and their learning spaces, inviting future-scanning contributions from a diverse range of authors, including librarians, learning specialists, academics, architects, an interior designer, a furniture designer and a management specialist. Readership: This is a must-have text for those involved in designing and developing library and learning spaces, from library and university management to designers and architects. It’s also a useful guide for students taking courses in library and information science to get to grips with the importance of library design.

The school library in the 21st century - Reflective learning spaces - Collaborative learning spaces - Resource spaces - Resource management and other spaces - Essential design considerations.

“A welcome and timely addition to the subject of school design at a time of great change.”—Professor Alan Jones, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects “Comprehensive but also very practical approach.”—Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills in Paris, France “Any community building a new school should read this book.”—Michael B. Horn, Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation in Boston, USA “Builds a bridge from the simple to the extraordinary... awash in opportunity and inspiration.”—Professor Stephen Heppell, Chair in Learning Innovation at the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela in Madrid, Spain Can school design help us to realize a new vision for education that equips young people for life in a fast-changing world? This is the big question at the heart of Planning Learning Spaces, a new guide for anyone involved in the planning and design of learning environments. Murray Hudson and Terry White have brought together educators and innovative school architects to pool their collective expertise and inspire the design of more intelligent learning spaces. The authors prompt readers to question common assumptions about how schools should look and how children should be educated: •Why have so many schools changed relatively little in more than a century? •What form should a school library take in the Internet age? •Do classrooms really have to be square? The book also tackles vital elements of learning space design such as the right lighting, heating and acoustics, and explores the key role of furniture, fixtures, and fittings. With contributions from leading professionals around the world, including Herman Hertzberger and Sir Ken Robinson, Planning Learning Spaces is an invaluable resource for architects, interior designers, and educators hoping that their project will make a genuine difference. Highly recommended reading for anyone involved with the process of building or updating an educational space.

Creating a Learning Commons: A Practical Guide for Librarians also includes useful case studies, interviews, descriptions of equipment and new technologies, and models for planning, marketing, and assessing projects.