NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Kathlin Smith 202-939-4754

Are Libraries Being Designed for Learning?

WASHINGTON, D.C.—To what extent have recent library design projects been driven by an understanding of how students learn and how faculty teach? To find out, Yale Librarian Emeritus Scott Bennett conducted an extensive study of the motivations and planning methods for library renovation and construction projects undertaken in the past decade. The results of his study have just been published in a report from CLIR entitled Libraries Designed for Learning.

Mr. Bennett conducted a Web-based survey of more than 380 institutions that had renovated or built new libraries between 1992 and 2001, representing an investment of $4.5 billion. He also conducted follow-up phone interviews with 31 library directors and chief academic officers. He concludes that while most of the projects are serving users well, they have rarely been informed by a systematic assessment of how students learn and faculty teach. The author suggests that planning based on such an assessment could equip the library to serve an even more vital function as a space for teaching and learning.

The report is intended for academic librarians who are responsible for library construction and renovation projects, and for campus academic officers who wish to engage substantively with the question of how library space can advance the core learning and teaching missions of their institutions.

Libraries Designed for Learning is available in its unabridged form on CLIR's Web site at http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub122abst.html. The print version omits some of the lengthy tables, the interview transcripts, the letter inviting participation in the study, and phone interview procedures. This version will soon be available for ordering through CLIR's Web site, for $20 per copy plus shipping and handling.

The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the management of information for research, teaching, and learning. CLIR works to expand access to information, however recorded and preserved, as a public good.

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