Academic libraries today are important laboratories for student experimentation and creativity. Creating an environment that is conducive to student learning and success is a benchmark that many libraries have achieved within the last decade. Northwestern University’s libraries engaged in a participatory design exercise with input from design school students, staff and faculty. The final design submitted by the design students was very similar to the designs submitted by the architects. This is a great example of what we’ve been talking about all semester: Transparency and user-centered design are key features of the hyperlinked library.
In my library, we have just invited the Interior Design Club to evaluate our technical processing area to see how it can be streamlined for better workflow. While this area is not a public space, the fact that we seek assistance from our students sends a message that we welcome student input on library decision making.
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