Panel Discussion: "Renovating for New Expectations"

June Brotherton, Associate Director for Administration and Advancement for the 
NCSU Libraries, moderated a panel discussion concerning library renovation and 
how such renovations are tailored to "new expectations."  Panel members 
included Bob Byrd of Duke, chair of the Perkins Library Renovation Planning 
Committee; Jim Curtis of UNC-Chapel Hill's Health Sciences Library and Project 
manager for Health Sciences Library Renovation; Leah McGinnis, coordinator for 
UNC-Chapel Hill's House Undergraduate Library renovation; and Dana Sally, 
Associate Director of UNC-G's Jackson Library, who is heavily involved in the 
planning and design of a connector space between Jackson Library and the new 
Elliott University Center.

With the exception of the highly successful R.B. House renovation, all the 
projects discussed were either ongoing or in the planning stages.  Central to 
these renovations was the very real concern, voiced by all participants, that the 
designs meet the changing needs and expectations of their various academic 
communities. How best to accomplish this principal goal?  Again, there seemed 
to be general consensus among the panelists that careful planning involving 
input from all campus constituencies is crucial to the success of any renovation, 
both in terms of soliciting creative ideas and solutions as well as securing "buy 
in" from all parties with a vested interest in the project.  Publicizing ongoing and 
proposed plans was also seen as a central element of the planning phase.  This 
publicity might take the form of an open forum or web site dedicated to the 
ongoing planning.

With the exception of the UNC-G connector project, all the other library 
renovations were constrained by the building footprint. In the case of Duke's 
Perkins Library, built originally in 1928, there has been no major renovation since 
1968.  Similarly, the Robert B. House Undergraduate Library had never 
undergone a major renovation since its opening in 1968.  Jim Curtis reported 
that additional floor space had been added to the Health Sciences Library in 
1980, but that the present ongoing renovation will not expand the current 
building space.  In addition to incorporating the obvious need for current and 
emerging technologies, other considerations have become paramount as well.  
The ideal of the library as an aesthetically pleasing space, one promoting a sense 
of intellectual community, was also voiced by panel members as a goal of the 
renovations.  In the case of the Undergraduate Library, much more space was 
given to collaborative study areas, and private donations were used to secure 
beautiful furnishings.  

Unique among the renovations discussed was the UNC-G project.  A connector is 
to be built between Jackson Library and the newly built Elliott University Center.  
Dana Sally stated that the ideal of this project is to construct an actual and 
symbolic bridge linking the intellectual and social spheres of the UNC-G campus.  
In addition to being a unifying element for the campus, it is also hoped that the 
connector will be a destination in and of itself.  To this end, it is proposed that 
the connector will be a communal space with comfortable seating, housing art 
and other displays.

Despite the differences among these various library renovation and construction 
projects, the central concern seemed to be designing to meet the needs and 
expectations of future students and scholars.  A renewed awareness of the 
importance of aesthetic space, apart from mere functionality, was another very 
welcome theme that emerged from the panelists' discussion of renovation.

Tommy Nixon
3/27/03