Building Digital
by
terence k.
huwe
Libraries
A Director of Library and Information Resources Institute for Research
on Labor and Employment University of California–Berkeley
Toward a New Perspective
on Library Space
L
THE NEW POTENTIAL ibrary space has been a hot topic and a
source of debate for as long as Comput-
OF LIBRARY SPACE ers in Libraries has been in existence.
Our perspectives on library space have been
RESIDES IN ITS ABILITY evolving ever since computers seeped into
libraries, in the late 1970s. And yet, library
TO INSPIRE THE space planning delivers no easy answers;
lines get drawn in the sand on all sides
IMAGINATION AND BE
of the debate. We can be far too hasty in
A SPRINGBOARD FOR branding those who say library space must
change dramatically as “the enemy.” Those
DIGITAL SOLUTIONS of us who fight to protect library space are
much more effective if we can muster the
THAT STAY WITH OUR courage to face all sides of the argument.
This ought to be easier for us to do than
USERS WHEREVER THEY it seems to be, given that we possess a num-
ber of compelling arguments in favor of pre-
GO IN THEIR LIVES. serving library space—which I will cover
later. But the truth is that it is much easier
to frame the debate in terms of threats to
survival or political jujitsu running amok
within our organizations. As if all of this
were not enough, both research and public
libraries continue to renovate their vast
central facilities and branches. Many col-
lege campuses are still adding space and
spending hundreds of millions in doing so
each year, as American Libraries reports.
But throughout the turmoil-driven his-
tory of what some would call the “library
space wars,” the profession has shown its
mettle in marshalling dueling paradigms.
The foundation for our strategies is to pro-
tect the needs of our users who may not
be heard by planners and executives who
think they know best. It is this commitment
to our users that keeps us on track as being
effective custodians of space—even though
we cannot avoid the fact that space is now
used differently, and it will continue chang-
ing with times.
In my opinion, we benefit more by ac-
cepting that what we most need is a new
and durable vision of what library space
actually is and how it can respond to an
increasingly digital world. Toward that end,
I will cover a few of my favorite space para-
digms. But I won’t stop there: We always
benefit from a few iconoclastic ideas being
lobbed our way, and I have a few of my own.
Are Library Spaces
‘Learning Spaces’?
In thinking about library space and the
threats to its ongoing existence, I always
start with the fact that libraries are being
renovated at substantial cost to universities
and municipalities. It’s hard to argue with
statistics that imply hundreds of millions of
dollars go to library construction. But the
planning process has changed a great deal.
What is truly intriguing is that we now
bargain with top administrators in design-
ing new libraries to make sure we gain the
functions we need. And what we want and
need has changed quite a bit.
For at least 50 years, we have advocat-
ed for more space to house collections, but
A
infotoday.com | OCTOBER 2015 | 9
COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES | Building Digital Libraries
that pillar of strategy is now difficult to
deploy successfully. Digital collections
are here to stay. While it may sound
impressive to oversee millions of square
feet in a central campus setting, the fact
is that collections can be and are be-
ing relocated, digitized, “shared,” and
otherwise subject to exciting forms of
evolution. Fortunately, we have discov-
ered a new paradigm that is holding up
pretty well: the learning space.
Libraries have always been learning
spaces. This theory was best laid out in
an ebook of the same name (see Learning
Spaces; educause.edu/research-and-pub
lications/books/learning-spaces). Leaders
in the profession have made persuasive
arguments that libraries are learning
spaces and play a crucial role in sup-
porting study and learning. The savviest
leaders have advanced this paradigm to
such an extent that much of those mil-
lions of square feet have successfully
made the transition from collection
repositories to dynamic social settings.
The newly social library includes noisy
collaborative spaces as well as “quiet
study” zones, along with cafes, computer
labs, and high-speed network connectiv-
ity. It’s been a winning formula. I think
we ought to be congratulating ourselves
much more than we are.
THE NEWLY SOCIAL
LIBRARY INCLUDES
NOISY COLLABORATIVE
SPACES AS WELL AS
‘QUIET STUDY’ ZONES. …
The reason we don’t spend more time
congratulating ourselves is that we dare
not take our eyes off the moving target
of “learning spaces” as they continue to
evolve. Why? Here’s a good reason that
comes not from a library but from an
academic department I know.
Years ago, faculty members decided
they needed a high-quality study space
with Wi-Fi connectivity as a “hangout”
zone for students. They invested heavily
in creating that space.
Five years later, Wi-Fi became ubiq-
uitous across campus, and the students
10 | OCTOBER 2015 | infotoday.com
THE WINNING ARGUMENT—AT LEAST FOR NOW—
IS THAT LIBRARIANS VALUE PEOPLE, AND THE SPACE
WE OVERSEE FACILITATES CONNECTING PEOPLE.
moved on. The hangout space has already
been remodeled. Where did the students
go? Word has it that they went to the
library, which has more beautiful and
comfortable space to go with connectivity.
The department repurposed the space,
but it was assumed the students scat-
tered to study wherever they choose. But
we know that they gravitate to pleasingly
designed learning spaces in the heart of
the campus, and that is one reason why
some branch locations stay open 24 hours
to meet the demand.
There’s a cautionary tale here for
those of us who champion the library as a
learning space. Yes, learning happens,
but it follows students wherever they go
because it must. Our learning spaces are
thriving at the moment, but they will only
continue to do so if they embrace the full
scope of digital learning—which is still
an unknown for all of higher education.
Is Library Space ‘Digital Space’?
In the spirit of full disclosure, let me
just say outright that I’m a big fan of the
learning-spaces paradigm. It’s worked
across the University of California–
Berkeley (UC–Berkeley) campus, and
my own library is in the midst of an
exciting new chapter. We are currently
launching a renovation of that space so
it will better serve our scholars. This is
not an attack on the library—far from
it. The collection will move downstairs
but will stay on-site and circulate, and
the library commons space will remain
open and pleasing to the eye. The space
that is freed up will be the home for a
meeting space, visiting scholars, gradu-
ate students, and professional staffers
who work on virtual teams. It may also
boost our data-curation portfolio and
add the necessary facilities for confiden-
tial data to be used according to exten-
sive legal guidelines. This “revitaliza-
tion” was endorsed by all of the library
staff members, and we see it as a win for
scholarship—and also as a new lease on
life for the learning-spaces paradigm.
What is noteworthy about our own
renovation initiative is it affirms the
basic fact that most, if not all of the work
being done in research these days is driv­
en by digital media. Like it or not—and
thankfully, most of us like it—library
space is now digital space. Fighting for
linear feet of shelving in prime locations
has become a nonstarter. The story we
need to be telling everyone is that librar-
ies encompass all digital work, extend
the electronic classroom, and provide a
haven for face-to-face communication.
Can Library Work
Be Done Anywhere?
My first job in the profession was as a
law librarian, and I worked in law firm
libraries. I loved the work and the con-
tribution I made to the firm’s success. I
also learned that our high-value profes-
sional skills really do retain their value
whether or not we work in the library
space. For me, this always begged the
question of what is most important in our
work: the space we manage or the role we
play? When you are working flat-out all
day on legal matters, the answer is clear:
The law librarian’s crucial role draws its
strength from what we do, not where we
work. Law librarians (as well as special
librarians) always saw the value of be-
ing “embedded” in the firm’s work. The
digital revolution has since pushed the
rest of us—academics and public librar-
ians—to consider the same question.
Naturally, we come up with diverse
answers. Of course, space and collec-
tions are very important, particularly
archives, rare materials, and treasured
artifacts that may never be digitized.
What is new, distinctive, and compel-
ling about our digital services is that we
use them to interact with our users every
day, wherever they are.
If we do this, our advocacy for space
begins to take on different forms. When-
ever we accentuate our digital services
and offer them everywhere, we trans-
form the whole meaning of space. Its
 Building Digital Libraries | COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES

new value flows from how it empowers
users—on-site or elsewhere. If access to
collections is a reasonably “solved” chal-
lenge, then our attention goes to teaching
access skills and research techniques. If
online tutorials exist and are good, we
find ourselves helping people discover
where to find help. In this context, li-
brary space is most valuable as a forum
for learning and interacting. The new
potential of library space resides in its
ability to inspire the imagination and
be a springboard for digital solutions
that stay with our users wherever they
go in their lives.
From Value Proposition
to Valuing People
My view is that the struggle to pre-
serve library space has made a funda-
mental shift. It is no longer effective to
build our arguments on the importance
of keeping collections close to people
or other similar strategic pillars that
safeguard the serene beauty of library
space. The winning argument—at least
for now—is that librarians value people,
and the space we oversee facilitates con-
necting people. This has always been
true and remains so today.
Where the classroom is an orderly
environment for instruction, we can
offer chaos and creativity by mashing
up user populations. Where e-portfolios
capture the entire intellectual output of
a student’s college career, we can add
more suggestions about future intel-
lectual journeys that a student might
not have had time to take. Therefore,
library space currently has the poten-
tial to operate as a disruptive force
within the academy, a haven for the
messy business of learning. If we can
preserve that activity within our space,
it is likely to be saved for the next revo-
lution in learning that is surely coming
our way. n
Terence K. Huwe is director
of library and information resources
at the Institute for Research on
Labor and Employment at the
University of California–Berkeley.
His responsibilities include library
administration, reference, and
overseeing web services. His email
address is thuwe@library.berkeley.edu.

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