The question of “library as place” has been bounced around for quite a while now. It is an issue that gets right to the heart of why patrons would want to spend their time at the library–what can they find within those four walls that is not available on the internet or in a bookstore? While the addition of cozier spaces and coffee shops to libraries brings them in line with their competition (Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc.), we need to think of ways to go beyond this. We need to find ways to create a library space that not only provides the same creature comforts as the places our patrons actually *like* to spend time, but also that draws on the unique characteristics of a library. As the article states, we need to go beyond “coffee and wireless” to develop a dynamic library learning space.
A recent Inside Higher Ed article makes the point that academic libraries should be “thinking about campus facilities as a means to promote an “integrated” campus. In terms of the library, this means inviting in other related services, such as a writing center, tutoring center, computing labs, etc. This sort of shared space can help to promote the idea that the library is not the ivory tower on the hill, but instead serves as a place for intellectual exchange in a way that is central to academic life on campus.
