Krisellen Maloney, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian
Hello all –
I hope everyone who was able to attend the presentation by CannonDesign on March 4, 2016 enjoyed their early analysis of our library spaces. This is an exciting process and the architects are going to great effort to understand what is unique about Rutgers University Libraries and how we fit into the overall strategic plan of the University.
Hover over the image at the top of this post and use the arrows to review CannonDesign’s presentation.
As many of you know, the architects spent time in nearly all of the libraries—counting seats, bookshelves, meeting rooms, faculty and staff space, etc—during the months of January and February. They are now transitioning to meeting with focus groups and conducting interviews with students and faculty about the libraries. We are also sharing the results from the LibQUAL+ survey with CannonDesign. The next phase will be to come up with some initial recommendations, followed by the creation of a “roadmap,” or the list of priorities and a plan for how best to make these improvements.
Currently, there is no funding attached to any of the projects that will be proposed in the master space plan, so there is no firm timeline of when these improvements may be made. However, the plan and priorities that are developed will inform our decisions and planning. For example, requests for modifications in buildings or collections might be weighed against the overall plan created by CannonDesign to make sure we aren’t making a short-sighted decision that impacts our long-term plan.
CannonDesign will return to make a second presentation of their research and findings at the Town Hall meeting on May 24. In the meantime, thank you to the faculty and staff who have made time to meet with and tour CannonDesign around the buildings. I am also grateful for the thoughtful questions and comments people made at the initial presentation.
We want this process to be as transparent and inclusive as possible. If you have concerns, questions, or suggestions, please speak with your supervisor or Director.
Thank you,
Kris
