Revamping Bissell Library: Refurbishing spaces to satisfy students’ needs

As the digital environment continues to affect almost all aspects of our lives, academic libraries need to adapt and revamp their physical spaces to ensure that the services offered remain relevant to the students’ needs. Images of the areas before and after and the users’ survey will be shared.

Colleges and universities are examining their physical spaces to meet their users’ information seeking needs.

Two years ago the Bissell Library began the refurbishment of its physical spaces in order to transform them into more interactive learning areas and adjust the kind of services offered to adapt to the students’ changing needs. The qualitative feedback received by users was taken into account for the revamping of spaces. The former “Magazines Area” was transformed into a “Social Zone Area” at which users can read, socialize, watch the news on a TV screen and even eat or sleep. Technical equipment and new wooden panels were bought in order to be used for hosting smaller and more informal presentations or events. Moreover, a specific area of the upper floor was isolated to become a “Quiet Study Area”. The addition of TV screens in three study rooms was also part of the refurbishment. The purchase of new conference chairs, a big screen and two big banners on each side of the stage were part of the redesign plan to host bigger and more formal events in the events space. Images of the areas before and after will be displayed and the users’ survey shared.

The material for this session was created to be presented by Liza Vachtsevanou, in collaboration with Evi Tramantza.