Start and End Date
28th April 2008 to 13th October 2008
Case Study tags: learning spaces, refurbishment, royal holloway - university of london, london, higher education
What was the context of the development?
Royal Holloway has 3 campus libraries, a separate IT department, many PC labs and several cafes, bars and places on campus for social interaction. Following poor performance in the NSS and iGraduate survey, an investigation was carried out on campus into the student experience. This highlighted that the campus lacked a place for social learning - an IT-rich environment where students could converse, interact and study together. As these surveys had highlighted concern with the library service, one of the libraries - the three-storey 1990s Bedford Library - was chosen from a shortlist of 3 potential sites on campus to be refurbished as a social learning environment.
Type of project
Refurbishment. The basis for the decision was an identified need on campus to provide a social learning environment, and also in the light of some poor national student survey (NSS) results around library space and provision.
What is it?
Refurbishment of the existing upper ground floor to create a 'social learning space', including provision of a new catering facility and an additional 130 seats to provide a range of learning environments. The refurbishment includes provision of greatly increased IT and power provision, the provision of a range of loanable equipment such as e-book readers, and remodelling of the main library entrance. M&E infrastructure works and local office alterations were also carried out to maximise the space available for the public environment and to ensure appropriate heating and air handling was in place for the increased occupancy.
What happens in the space?
There are 205 seats of varied furniture: sofas, various styles of chair, stools, IT task chairs. The environment is heavily provisioned with power and data outlets, as well as being fully covered by the wireless network; additionally there are fixed PCs. There are many whiteboards on and around which students can work Therefore, students can shape their study environment as they wish - around their laptops, the whiteboards, creating a seating area to suit group work or individual study. Through the provision of refreshments they can remain in the space for as long as they wish with no need to leave the building for food.
Funding Sources
The funding was provided by Royal Holloway, University of London.
Cost of project
Total cost of the refurbishment was £1.5m.
What technology is being used and how is it being used?
e-beam devices are attached to the white-boards - used with the associated pen-holders, these track a person's movements as they write on the white-board and transmit this to an attached PC.
The IT service installed thin clients in this space instead of PCs which are used elsewhere on campus. This is a trial to see how well centrally managed computers could perform in student IT suites. These operate to all intents and purposes like the normal setup found in the other PC labs on campus.
We lend out laptops, e-book readers, flip video cameras, voice recorders, document cameras and capture devices.
Inside the entrance there is an interactive projection on the floor which was intended as a 'wow factor' to illustrate to the users as they enter the space that they are coming into a space that isn't simply a traditional library. Most often this is set to a display of brightly coloured fish that react to the user walking across the 'pond' and dart away. In response to requests, we have also used this feature to exhibit the winning photos from the Photography Society and to promote some College events.
How does the technology add value?
The laptops in particular are very heavily used and allow students to work around a computer on any of the types of seating in the library. The thin client computers are very heavily used both for prolonged work and for students to 'hop on' to check their Facebook accounts! There is clear observational evidence that students are multitasking or doing everything at once, predominantly working but switching from time to time to other aspects of the student experience.
What makes the space successful?
The fresh, bright design, and the absence of rules and regulations around noise, mobile phones, food and drink all draw people in and they enjoy working with the many different table and seating styles and environments within the space. The availability of high quality coffee and snacks reduces the need to leave the area. It would be remiss not to mention the fact that the toilets were also renovated and the cleaning of the whole building increased following the opening of tlc and so the space always feels well looked after which helps ensure that those using the space respect it.
What principles were behind the design?
The main principle behind the design was the recognition that conversation is at the heart of learning. The Royal Holloway campus lacked anywhere for students to work collaboratively, with technology and learning resources to hand, in an atmosphere that would encourage study. None of the bars, cafes or social spaces on campus provided this, and previously the library lacked the kind of furnishings and equipment that facilitated this style of learning.
What is innovative about the design? And use of the building?
The Tea House in the centre of the floor is a strong feature. This is a large wooden structure that can be curtained off at each end to create a semi-private environment in which students can have a large group discussion using white-boards, e-beams, and projectors if they wish. The long benches in another area of the floor have curtains that can be pulled across to create divisions, again to give the feel of privacy. As we didn't wish to lose any book stock, the shelving was spread out across the floor to help create the separate environments. Although this makes navigability of the stock slightly less easy, it has been extremely effective in this aim.
What changes have you made as a result of receiving feedback?
So far we have not made changes in response to feedback - we would like to see a whole academic session through and evaluate it regularly during this time.
Anything else you wish to add
Note should be made of the successful completion of the radical refurbishment to a very tight timescale and deadline (while keeping the Library open to users throughout) and to the methodology employed to deliver the project. The project was managed by Ridge, an external company, working together with the designers Nomad and refurbishment contractors Vivid Interiors under the overall leadership of the Royal Holloway Interim Director of Information Services, Les Watson. The successful outcome depended not only on the positive interaction of these stakeholders but also on the commitment and determination of Library and IT staff as well as the support of the Royal Holloway Facilities Management department.
Despite the tight timescale of the project, student input was sought prior to the plans being finalised via Facebook. This site - Loveyourlibrary - brought a range of views on the redevelopment of the space, and on what students want from a library.
What are your top tips?
To get expert designers to evaluate the space and design something to meet your brief. The brief should be a vision document - nothing more detailed. Librarians and university estates departments rarely have design expertise!
What could have been improved? What lessons have been learned?
Too early to judge what could have been improved, although some areas are showing some signs of wear already (after 6 months). There were some lessons around the way the project was managed but these were largely particular to the timescale of this project. One lesson would be to plan and cost well in advance of the start date for the works, and double check everything right down to the measurements of the building.
Further information
Website and a short video about the tlc@bedford
SCONUL Designing Libraries
Report on the use of Facebook in this project in the JISC Social Software study
Contact Details
Matthew Brooke, Associate Director (Academic Support)
Case study written January 2009.
