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Archive of Previous Articles:
July/August 1999
"Some Considerations in Choosing Library Furniture"
July 7, 2007
"Spaces Going Green"
August 25, 2007
"Planning the Library From Scratch"
August 25, 2007
"How To Select Durable Furniture for Your Library"
November 5, 2007
"Library on the Move"
January 2, 2008
"Check It Out: Shelving and Display Solutions"
February 11, 2008
"The Three C's of Library Furniture Design"
April 9, 2008
"Shine Some Light on the Subject: Lighting Solutions For Libraries"
May 8, 2008
"Lessons for Libraries from Retail Space Planners"
Article: Part 1 of 6 taken from: Public Libraries, a division of ALA
Vol 38 Number 4, p244-246
July/August 1999
Some Considerations in Choosing Library Furnishings
by Tish Murphy
The way libraries operate is not as foreign to me now as it was when I first entered a library as a professional who looked at the furniture and shelving rather than as a patron interested in books. Even now, I am still overwhelmed by the knowledge housed and expertly organized in libraries, but my job is to provide furniture and shelving that is well-designed and durable, and that provides a safe environment for patrons and staff. The choice of furniture is a responsibility that librarians do not take lightly. If they are fortunate enough, they may have the advantage of working as part of a committee that begins to research what is available with furniture requirements and the price range that fits the library's budget. Few librarians will have the opportunity to plan more than one library-furnishing project over the course of a career. Since this is rather unknown territory, a furnishings consultant can help the committee by keeping the focus on the following issues;
What are the demographics of the library's users?
What are dimensions of the project (size) and proposed budget?
What do you want the interior to look like?
This type of questioning begins the information exchange that gets the manufacturer's representative or the furnishing consultant working together with the librarians. The answers to these questions will help determine the other decisions that have to be made.
Demographics
Who uses the library? Is this a neighborhood of young families with children or a retirement community? Perhaps it is demographically mixed. Each demographic group has special requirements. As many of the so-called baby-boomers move into their 5Os, however, more patrons using the library will have disabilities. The term disability as used in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to a physical or mental irnpairment that substantially limits at least one of the major life activities (e.g., performing manual tasks, walking, hearing, speaking, learning, working). ADA compliance means that the design of all the library's public areas, including the reading and study area, stacks, reference rooms, reserve areas, and special collections, must comply with the specific spatial requirements of the ADA.*
* For reading and study areas, the ADA requires at least 5 percent, or a minimum of one of each element of fixed seating, tables, or study carrels, to comply. Heights of tables, carrels, and counters shall be 28 inches to 34 inches above the finished floor with a 27-inch minimum undersurface clearance. A 30-inch width and 19-inch depth should be provided under the surface. Clearance between fixed accessible tables and between study carrels shall have accessible routes. An accessible route is a minimum 36-inch width, but 42 inches is preferable. The front reach for the periodicals shall be 48 inches and no lower than 15 inches, while the side approach allows no higher than 54 inches and no lower than 9 inches. It is always advisable to exceed the minimum requirements. A 60-inch width clearance is needed for two wheelchairs to pass. A clear area for wheelchairs, then, should exist at reasonable intervals not to exceed 200 feet. A significant change to the 1991 Rules & Regulations added guidelines for children's fixed or built-in seating and tables in the 1998 Federal Register. Some states such as California adapt these Federal guidelines to the rules while other states adopt an even more stringent standard. In no states are their own codes less strict than the Federal Rules & Regulations.
Dimensions and Budgets
The physical size and cost of the project (square footage and budget allocation) will determine how close the library will be to achieving the building envisioned at the outset. One of the first things that the library staff must decide is how much and what kind of shelving is needed to house the present collection and allow for future growth. Today's library with large multi-media requirements-audio tapes, video tapes, and compact disks contrasts sharply with the library of a few years ago that housed only books. The specifics of shelving construction are another important consideration. When determining which library bookstack manufacturer offers the best value, consider the following: The design and engineering of the shelving as a unit is the key. The method of construction is as important as the metal gauge. There are two primary characteristics in considering how the unit is constructed: the steel gauge and the paint finish. The steel gauge is measured by a number; the smaller the number the greater the strength (i.e., 14 gauge steel is stronger than 18 gauge). The uprights of the frame, cross members, and shelves all have individual gauges. The total unit and the way it is designed for stability will complete the evaluation. Library Technology Reports publishes testing on the finish’s abrasion resistance and the unit’s stability. Does the shelving meet or exceed those test requirements? Evaluate paint finish for visual consistency.
Once the shelving cost is determined, you'll have a better idea about how much money remains in the budget for furniture. Libraries vary in what items they include in furnishings budgets. Sometimes computer equipment is a part of this budget, which makes the amount available for furnishings seem larger than it actually is.
The Three Cs of Furniture Design:
Congregate
Communicate
Collaborate
Description: Tips to consider when purchasing, arranging, or designing furniture for your library.
by Tish Murphy
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Congregate
Since the library is no longer only a quiet place to read or do research, library furniture has been changing its shape, size, and its ability to reconfigure for new and different tasks. A library might be used for individual study during the day and then open seating for a town meeting in the evening. The library areas of the past were designed for individuals isolated from the view of others and a place that provided its users visual and audible privacy and kept them from distractions outside of the space created within the furniture. Rooms were single use; a reading room, a study area, etc. There is still thought given to grouping areas that function as Quiet Zones or public/common areas more suited for music, speakers, or story times more suited to a noise level associated with large groups.
Study carrel design began to open up in the 1990s with the creation of an angle designed along the sides of the carrel that let in light and opened up the user to the outside world. First the dimensions of the carrels and tables increased their side-to-side dimension as more room was needed for research materials next to a computer or for a second person to join. Use of carrels for individual study became less popular while use of tables for group study increased. Electrical outlets were needed on the work surface since much of the information was being searched in electronic resources. The ability to record information from group interaction caused computer use to flourish.
As computer use continued to increase, computers took up more space in public libraries. This coupled with growth of media "other then books" (DVDs, CDs and audio books) and the shelving for book storage left little area for tables except in study/meeting rooms.
Collaborate
As collaborative projects became more common, tables became larger and, in some cases, groupings of smaller tables were used for ease of reconfiguration. Tables come in all shapes, sizes, "looks", and material combinations. Some are able to accommodate cords, both electrical and data while other table designs don't readily allow cords to pass through them. Cables are sometimes passed through the legs of the table, managed by troughs or bundled to stay neatly tucked under a work surface or along the back of the table depending on the design. There are companies that supply cable management products to manufacturers as well as items that can be bought separate from the furniture. Some cable trays are open, allowing visibility and access to the cables, while others are closed and must be pulled away from the connection in the furniture to change the bundling.
Communicate
The first thing to consider is how the table is used most of the time. Is it used for study or should it contain convenience outlets for electrical/data cords? How many people will need to use the furniture? Is it an area that requires privacy or will it be used for group study as well? In a training situation does the method of instruction lend itself to a standard classroom or are less traditional instructional methods used? Does each seating position require a modesty panel?
Understanding possible uses will determine the size and shape that best fits the use. Sometimes triangular wedge tables are used rather than the more common rectangular tables. Amoeba shapes began to appear as they allowed many to gather around a table and have easier access to each other. Library furniture manufacturers weren't providing the variety of options that office furniture did and so library designers began to use more commercial office furniture than in the past.
Evaluate library furniture on the basis of cost per space for each person, how easily the system can be reconfigured, as well as how functional the tables are if they are used individually. When tables are separated from the group, it may not be a functional option since people have different styles of working. Some people use minimal paper and space while others need horizontal surfaces available to spread out their papers. Being one of those people that are paper-oriented I am always looking for more workspace.
If the table will have electrical or data cords, how will they connect from the machine to the outlet? Is it on the surface or above the work surface for the user's convenience or placed below the work surface where staffers are the only ones that will have access? In computer commons areas do the cords drop out of sight? There are two reasons that cord management is important. One is an issue of safety to the users; so they won't get caught up in the wires and pulls them away from their connections. The other is visual; whenever you see cords it makes for a less visually impressive space.
Whatever shape the furniture takes in a library of the future, you can count on an increasing ergonomically designed workspace with more options and comfort for the users and staff.
Author: Tish Murphy
Publisher: WebJunction
Copyright: Creative Commons
Date Posted: Feb 11, 2008
Check It Out: Shelving and Display Solutions Looking to put wings on your materials so that they fly out the door?
By Tish Murphy
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Shelving, display and the library's desire to merchandise their offerings is all the buzz these days. Librarians look to shelving and furniture manufacturers to provide solutions for new ways of showing books, tapes and CDs; and they are looking to bookstores for some hints from the retail industry. Much can be learned from the retail industry. Merchandising has been used in libraries for some time in the children's area, as the goal of the library was to capture the attention of younger patrons by using colors and shapes and creating displays that match the books they are displaying. Seasonal displays have been created in other areas of the library or to celebrate a time in history or a topic of interest to the locale. New books and staff recommendations have been potentials for display; only in the past few years has display become an interest in all areas of the library. A trip to a local mall will demonstrate a wide variety of techniques used in merchandising that can be incorporated into a library setting.
Some displays stack copies bookstore/tower-style to show that there is a good supply to be had (and subconsciously emphasize the popularity of a particular item) while showing the front cover of a book or audio/video case has always drawn attention and helped the circulation of materials. With the addition of an accessory called a zigzag display, a standard shelf can become a display area. All shelving manufacturers offer periodical displays in a hinged and a fixed display option, and the shelf that is mounted underneath the sloped shelf can cantilever from as far down as desired to provide the area needed for display (in the past, these were more commonly used for back issues of the current issue shown on the display/slanted shelf above; and now they are used for a stack of books like the one displayed cover out on the slanted shelf).
Browsing bins are a somewhat recent design simulating the way that record albums, tapes and CDs are browsed in a music store (front-to-back access) and these browser bin drawers are available. The pull-out options make efficient use of vertical space. The proper height to place this type of shelving should follow guidelines for ADA; being neither too high (higher than 54") or too low (lower than 18") for the patron.
End aisle placement of displays is what realtors call "Prime Real Estate." Librarians need to lay out their libraries to discover where these areas will be, by studying traffic patterns and placing the displays as near to these aisle ways as possible without obstructing traffic. Shelving end panels with the slat or slotted wall designed to accept clear Plexiglas or metal accessories to hold materials are a popular option to add display area. The end panels that face the entry of the library provide a cost savings measure rather than displaying on both ends of the range. These panels with a series of horizontal slats can be mounted on walls for additional surface display area. Canopy tops on lower ranges of shelving provide flat areas available for open book display. Sometimes the higher shelves are used for display as the library grows into the shelving that is purchased for opening day.
I am in the process of researching new ways of merchandising a library's collection. If you have found a way that works for you or a brand of shelving that has done a good job of merchandising, I would welcome any suggestions so that it can be incorporated into an article for WebJunction. Email me at TISHSOURCE@aol.com.
Tish Murphy, Library Furniture Consultant and Author of Library Furnishings; A Planning Guide lives in Phoenix, Arizona. www.libraryfurnishings.com 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. |
Posted on Jan 2, 2008
Publisher: WebJunction
©2008 OCLC
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Library on the Move
It is important when your library is making a move to be sure that the firm that you contract to move you has the expertise, equipment and the experience that will make the transition as stress-free as possible.
By Tish Murphy
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It is important when your library is making a move to be sure that the firm that you contract to move you has the expertise, equipment and the experience that will make the transition as stress-free as possible. Beware of the lowest bid, which might indicate shortcut methods. Have each bidder explain how they see your project going - the challenges that they foresee and the time that they are allowing for the move. Be sure to agree on what is included in their bid. Some of the national companies may be a good choice since they are likely to have satellite branches in an area nearer the facility that is being moved. It can be economical in using their own employees as local labor that is qualified and responsible to the local branch, rather than having to hire from a temporary labor pool as is the case when a company is located in another part of the country. Be sure that if they are not local that they know the local codes and any reinstallation requirements
Spend some time with the bidders for your project and have them explain the staging of the shelving from the existing facility (or area) to the new building (or newer area). Talk about time frames for the various parts of the move. Talk about the use of the elevators at both the existing building and the new place. You will want to take inventory of the pieces that you have that will move with you and make note of the ones that will be donated to other libraries. This may be a case of physically marking the pieces at some point; or, if you have a floor plan, you would mark them on the plan. The new floor plan will show existing pieces that will be reused, and this will be helpful for everyone from the movers to the people who install the new furniture and equipment. Color and number coding within each color (designating area) is a system that has been successfully used on large projects. When the items have been marked so that the items that move furthest will move first, time has been saved and the chance of damage to the materials is decreased by eliminating additional handling.
Discuss what other trades will be working in the area at the same time and what their requirements might be. Coordinate this with all that occupy the space at the same time so that there are no surprises that could delay work schedules. Wood furniture should be the last to be installed since the chairs and tables become makeshift stools for those working on ceilings and with lights.
If the existing building is an one that will be demolished, there may be additional time-saving advantages in that windows and doors don't need to be protected in the same way as when the building will continue to be used. Think of the windows and doors as a way of removing furniture and shelving to lower floors by means of an outside elevator rather than the use of traditional elevators, which may be small or slow in an older building. When you use moving experts who have encountered many challenges through their experience, they may be able to engineer new methods of accomplishing your move, thereby saving time and money.
Tish Murphy, Library Furniture Consultant and Author of Library Furnishings; A Planning Guide lives in Phoenix, Arizona. www.libraryfurnishings.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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Posted on Nov 5, 2007 Publisher: WebJunction ©2007 OCLC
How to Select Durable Furniture for Your Library When choosing furniture for your library, you will want to scrutinize the materials and construction methods used, so that you can assess its long-term durability. By Tish Murphy
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Evaluating furniture for your library can be a daunting task. Obtaining the specifications from the manufacturer of the furniture is a start, and the size of the project and budget will determine the extent of the assessment.
Types of Materials, Joinery Methods and Finish
Looking at the materials that are used, the sources of those materials and the way they are connected to each other are some basic factors. Density of material is important in the structure of the furniture; and when it is on an exposed portion of the piece, how it finishes will be a visual consideration. The denser the wood materials, the more likely it can support itself over spanning lengths without warping. The denser the foam (in the case of seating), the firmer the "sit" —and this is sometimes a factor in the foam holding up over time). Another factor is how the furniture pieces are attached (one to another) to form the structural integrity of the unit. There are different methods of gluing; some involve bonding with heat, and some use more gluing surface to provide additional strength. There are various types of hardware used for different types of connections. Metal-to-metal connections perform well in that they do not cause the hole to become larger as it wears into the connection, but rather allows a means of retightening if needed. Some hardware connections are designed to allow one element to fit into another in such a way that gravity itself makes the connection stronger. Joinery that is of the same material (i.e., wood) and that fit into each other may have additional glue points and not be dependent on the amount of pressure that will be applied to the specific connection.
Testing of Furniture
Performance testing assists in evaluating how much use (and abuse) that a piece of furniture can receive without failing. These tests are done "in-house" (by the manufacturer) or by an independent testing firm, and often by both. Tests are conducted for normal wear of a chair (a machine that simulates weight of a user weighing on portions of the chair; seat, back or arms); this test performs the movement and simulates the use the piece of furniture will receive over time. Tests are conducted on the joinery methods to try to break the connections with use of normal and then abnormal strengths to pull the connections apart. These tests are sometimes performed to failure and other times stopped when a sufficient point of use has been achieved. Fabric testing is done by methods that simulate the rubbing of materials (often with tools that cause abrasion of the material) against material as to how the fabric will perform with use. Some fabrics will allow penetration by a writing instrument and have what is called the "memory" to return to the way the materials were originally woven, thus not leaving a hole. There are also tests concerning potential fading of the upholstery. There are treatments offered for fabrics to beef up their use, and there are fabrics that have superior cleaning capability.
Samples and Installations
Once the evaluation is narrowed down and a few candidates are singled out for your project, it is always a good idea to order a sample of favorite chairs from the manufacturer. When testing out the furniture, get feedback from your users (library staff, building committee or end users). If you set up some means of evaluation that can be recorded for your use, you will get honest opinions from those who will not be privy to cost consideration (the options presented are realistic to your budget) but rather pure and simple feedback. Either before or after you have requested a mock-up of the furniture pieces that you have chosen, a trip to the manufacturer or to site installations of their furniture may be part of your plan.
Tish Murphy, Library Furniture Consultant and Author of Library Furnishings; A Planning Guide lives in Phoenix, Arizona. www.libraryfurnishings.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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Posted on Aug 25, 2007 Publisher: WebJunction ©2007 OCLC
Planning the Library Space from Scratch
Once you have determined the atmosphere you would like to create, plan for traffic flow, device usage, shelving, and patron needs.
By Tish Murphy
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In the Beginning…
The opportunity to start from scratch in creating a library can be both exciting and overwhelming. There is so much to consider. When the architect generates the concept for the building and the walls are printed into the plan, the areas begin to take shape. If you are expanding on a current footprint, you are likely to update the existing space to be more useable in keeping with the changes that have taken place in library furnishings. In the past, patrons were somewhat isolated one from another in order to study, but this has evolved into more collaborative study efforts. With this change, the shape, size and versatility of tables have become a factor as opposed to study carrels. I have not seen data on the level of sound in the library of today, but I would imagine it has risen a few decibels in the past few decades. Ask yourself, what is the atmosphere I want to create in my library?
People Flow
Window and door placement determine useable space around the space needed for traffic flow. When adequate shelving for the collection is superimposed on the floor plan, the open areas around the shelving are what remain for reading areas (lounge as well as table with chairs), study areas, common areas for community events, staffing and requirements for the building codes.
An analysis of the demographics for your library and how it is used will determine the classification breakdown of study vs. easy reading areas. How much study compared to easy chair reading areas do you see for your library?
Staffing tasks are usually found on the perimeters of the library floor plan, except for those areas that need to interface with customers. These service stations are integrated into furniture that is easily accessible to the patrons of the library. A newer philosophy in libraries is one in which the manager or director is readily available to both staff and public so that lines of sight and communication represent an open door policy. This helps the staff see when a person may need their assistance, as well as to know when a situation may need their attention.
Electrical issues
Any data and electrical requirements must be looked at early on in the planning. Although most new buildings are being built as "wireless," there are still good reasons to look at convenient areas where a patron could plug in to recharge her laptop or other accessories that she may use in the course of her daily living (cell phone, personal organizer, etc.) These outlets can be designed to be brought into the furniture in various ways. There is a commonly known power strip as well as variations in style on tabletops as well as mounted on vertical legs inside an enclosure of the furniture. The furniture style and the component's capability will determine which one is best suited for your project. What needs will your customer have that relate to data and electrical when he visits your library?
The bookstore model
Bookstores and libraries are becoming more similar in appearance. There is a central point that a customer/patron is directed to by signage when he enters the facility and knows what he wants and doesn't need help finding it. "Merchandising" and making use of displays in new ways are the buzz now - research from both retail display and areas that use themes to draw attention to one area while uniting the whole space seems to be the wave of the future. Many libraries are shelving by topic. As libraries compete with bookstores there is likely to be more self service. The concept of your local library advertising the fact that they have a good supply available has brought the need for new ways of displaying multiple copies. The way in which customers can browse the shelves to see what the library has to offer has become paramount to increasing their circulation. What are your goals and the underlining theme of your library?
The answers to all of the above issues will determine the style, types and quantities of furniture and shelving that is used in your facility.
Tish Murphy resides in Phoenix, Arizona and is available for speaking and workshops relating to furniture requirements and utilization of space. http://www.libraryfurnishings.com/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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Posted on Aug 25, 2007 Publisher: WebJunction ©2007 OCLC
Spaces Going Green
With the building awareness of environmental sustainability issues, there are more options for libraries who wish to use "green" materials.
By Tish Murphy
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Growing Green
Having just returned from the 2007 American Library Association conference in Washington, D.C., I am sure that green efforts are here to stay. References to ecology—shortened to "eco"—and references to green and energy savings can be found on light bulbs (compare incandescent to compact fluorescent), our electrical appliances (look for Energy Star ratings) and just about anything that is fabricated. We can rarely pick up a periodical without seeing an article on eco-clothing or furniture and homes being constructed using sustainable materials and information on eating local rather than transporting food from great distances to be consumed. Some feel that it is chic to use ecologically made products, while others feel the urgency of the situation. I was fortunate to be one of the 350 or so people to attend a local Live Earth event—a worldwide entertainment to support the cause and call attention to the global warming issue—on July 7, at the Smithsonian's Native American Museum on the Washington Mall. The crowd was only a stone's throw away from the U.S. Capital, a place that has the ability to make decisions that can influence a greater use of these materials.
Green Options for Libraries
Two of the booths that made their first appearance at ALA this June were particularly notable for the manufacturing of furniture that is green. Peter Danko has been using surplus seat belts for use as woven webbed seating since the 1990s; he uses discards from the automobile industry as colors are discontinued, and steam- bends wood to construct seating in a way that destroys fewer trees. He claims that "ply bending (of wood) yields 8-10 times more useable wood from a log than solid lumber." 1 His booth was under the banner Peter Danko Design.
Green Play systems by Skyline Design could be found a few aisles away in the huge exhibit hall. Their offerings included activity tables and benches, computer stations and modules that hold books, toys, activity kits, and walls that define activity areas. The company explains that they are "committed to the use of only recycled, renewable and low-impact materials with low or zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions" from the materials used. Choosing shapes for library tables and creating themes in children's areas looks easy with this manufacturer.
Denelle Wrightson, architect of PSA-Dewberry, says that rather than blending with the rest of the library, the children's area should deliver the "wow" experience. She says that “a successful children's room is one where as soon as kids see it, they immediately feel they have to go there, forget any signs."2 This children's furniture line is made from wheat board harvested from leftover stems. The wheat has less environmental impact than using traditional lumber. No formaldehyde is added in the manufacturing process. Sunflower hull boards are also used in the Green Play walls, and both wheat and sunflower walls accept a variety of finishes from stains to paint or digital imagery.
Getting Informed
Most manufacturers have produced a statement about their commitment to using sustainable resources as well as saving some trees or energy in the process of getting the furniture to you. Blanket wrapping furniture or some other form of packing that is of recyclable materials may be another form of saving the environment. An inquiry to the company concerning the use of environmentally friendly practices should be made if this is an important factor to you.
Here are a few links for more information about green materials and products:
http://www.treehugger.com/ green materials archive
http://www.scscertified.com/ certification process for products
http://www.greenguard.org/ non-profit that evaluates products effects on indoor air quality
http://www.vivavi.com/ modern green design
http://www.coopamerica.org/ directory of screened and approved green businesses
http://www.usgbc.com/ U.S.Building Council, Leeds Certification
1. Tish Murphy, Library Furnishings, A Planning Guide, (McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2007), p.166.
2. Raya Kuzyk, "Putting 'Wow' in Children’s Room," Library by Design, supplement to Library Journal Spring 2007, p.8.
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Posted on Jul 20, 2007 Publisher: WebJunction ©2007 OCLC
Shine Some Light on the Subject: Lighting Solutions for Libraries
Description: Article describing basic concepts to consider when selecting lighting for your library. by Tish Murphy
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Proper and well thought out lighting continues to be a challenge in libraries. Even when there has been discussion about the need for more natural lighting in libraries (or lighting that appears natural), as the stacks are installed the question "Do you think we will have enough light?" invariably arises. As tables and carrels are placed, the question arises "Is there an outlet anywhere nearby, if we need some more light?"
There are options available other than the lighting planned to be built into the ceiling structure. Ceiling fixtures such as hanging pendants and wall sconces, fixtures used on the tables (which are sometimes fixed to the table), and linear lighting mounted over the workspace within the carrel are all ways of adding some light. A relatively new design in lighting fixtures is an extension to the shelving which attaches into the steel upright and creates an arc or some type of bracket to hang linear lighting over the aisles to "shine some light on the subject" of the book spine. At the end of the arched light holder, the bracket attaches the linear lighting at three or four foot intervals dependent on the model chosen. The stack light is also a solution for contributing much-needed lighting to the library. Another way to use the shelving to supply lighting is to build the lighting into a soffit in the top canopy top. All of the options require careful planning as to where the source of the electrical will be placed.
All of these methods of providing additional lighting need to be planned as the building takes form to be sure that wiring is brought to the areas that it will be needed. Whether planning floor outlets for the furniture, or shelving to become "wired", plans for all of these solutions need to be considered early in the project so that lighting is not an afterthought. Even if the natural lighting is considered a source of light for daylight hours of operation, potential glare must be considered. Solutions to this problem should include ways of adjusting the overabundance of light at certain times of the day or season as it enters through windows and doors. Accessories for computers allow the screen to move or provide other means of working with glare. The monitor screen must be kept free of dust to eliminate glare as the dust contributes to it. Placement of glass (windows, skylights, doors and clear story windows) and decisions about tinting and factors relating to temperature insulation are all topics for discussion with your architects or lighting consultants.
There are no "bargains" when it comes to lighting. Using lighting fixtures that have been tested (receiving UL Listing or similar) on commercial lighting is a necessity for use in commercial buildings for both durability, performance and overall safety of the users.
 Tish Murphy, Library Furniture Consultant and Author of Library Furnishings; A Planning Guide lives in Phoenix, Arizona. www.libraryfurnishings.com 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Author: Tish Murphy Publisher: WebJunction Copyright:Tish Murphy Date Posted: Apr 9, 2008
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Lessons for Libraries from Retail Space Planners
Description: Murphy condenses lessons learned from a pre-conference at ULA-MPLA 2008 titled "Extreme Library Makeover". Includes a discussion of accessibility issues, displays that attract the reader's eye, and how to create entrances that draw people into your building.
by Tish Murphy
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