Express Makeover

From tearing apart California ranch houses to redoing one's physique, our culture is gripped by makeover fever. So why not take the same formula, we wondered, and use it to redesign something that would have lasting value, like a public library, and at the same time take the opportunity to match cutting-edge library service with cutting-edge design. What a great idea! We just needed a forward-thinking library; generous, risk-taking vendors willing to donate the furnishings and services; and an aggressive timetable.

Go ahead and call us crazy. We certainly did, as it turned out, many times. As we all know, with its multiple services and huge range of patrons, library design is a whole lot more complex than a Tiki-themed pool in someone's backyard.

Despite it all, an idea dreamed up over lunch in early January did result in the opening of our "makeover library," the Court Square branch of the Queens Borough Public Library, NY, just five months later and right on schedule. Yes, it took longer than a weekend, but at a lightning pace as library projects go, this makeover rates the "extreme" moniker.

Library Journal and MDA designgroup, an architecture firm in New York City, knew the equation had enormous potential. We sought a partner library that had a new vision for service and was willing to change its facilities to support and express that vision. The Queens Borough Public Library was a perfect fit. Known for understanding the needs of its customers, the library was just beginning the rollout of a new customer service model that included self-check, RFID, wireless access, staff on the floor assisting customers (not barricaded behind fortresslike desks), information kiosks instead of reference desks, and increased technology. It took just a few meetings to convince Peter Magnani, the Queens director of capital programs, to jump on our makeover bandwagon and agree to host the experiment. (For more on the Queens Library, see the interview on p. 44.)

Together, we looked at possibilities, quickly agreeing on the Court Square branch in Long Island City. Located on the first floor of the Citibank building, a 1.25 million square foot, 49-story office tower, it was constructed in 1986 and had not seen renovation since opening. It was well used and well worn. The huge Citibank building is an anomaly in the community, a mix of small offices, municipal agencies, industry, and residential housing, and within it the branch's footprint is tiny—just over 1800 square feet—but its usage is tremendous, especially among adults. Per square foot, its circulation ranks among the highest in the Queens system. The one catch? Our already aggressive timetable target was ratcheted up another notch or two when we learned that the library had an important fundraising event scheduled in the branch for June 20.

A week after Queens signed on, we were in the exhibit hall at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Boston. We were far from a design—we hadn't even worked out the library program—but we wanted to gauge vendor interest. It took a little explaining—a library makeover?—but as soon as they got it, most vendors were intrigued. Enthusiasm was high enough that we felt we could move ahead.

Back at the library, we started brainstorming with the staff, stakeholders throughout the design process. Court Square was hardly a service disaster. In many ways it was doing a wonderful job—largely because the staff knew their customers so well. But like many libraries, the actual usage of the minibranch had veered tremendously from when the building was first designed—providing today a select array of services to a huge variety of savvy customers seeking expedited service delivery.

Today, staff told us, the library had become what we called an "express branch." Most users, on a break from work, wanted to get in and out fast. They wanted popular material. Some wanted to browse a bit, a few wanted to sit down and read, usually newspapers and magazines. Most customers were Citibank employees. Still others are immigrants who wanted Internet access to check on news sources from home or post emails. There was a reference collection, but customers and librarians rarely used print sources for reference. Online resources were frequently sought, but the two aging, standup public computer stations were not adequate to satisfy demand. Multimedia material, more and more frequently DVDs, acounted for 40 percent of circulation. Checkout lines, especially during the three-hour lunch span, could snake throughout the branch. A few children came after school, but most children's material was picked up by adults.

To support the library's service vision and create an express service branch, MDA reorganized the layout and used every inch of space to maximal effect. This was done by creating a logical array of zones to support the service goals (see diagram below). The layout, both clear and intuitive, quickly cues visitors to the library collections and services. Simple but elegant signage reinforces the straightforward design.

Access to multimedia materials a high priority? Place that collection near the entrance, with flexible shelving to support evolving formats and merchandise the material. Seeking efficient service and staffing? Provide RFID self-service checkout and return stations in place of the traditional circulation desk. The self-check units have virtually eliminated lines, expedited circulation, opened up space, and freed staff for more direct customer service. Automated sorting has minimized the time needed to get items back in circulation.

For fast access to technology, we prominently featured an express technology zone with numerous computers. Wireless access further enhances how customers use the branch.

To support the high book circulation, MDA highlighted new books on the expanded stack area and increased the opportunities to merchandise. As small as the branch is, it still allows for a variety of experiences, from the planned—studying at a table or using one of the longer-term computers—to the spontaneous—grabbing a window seat or resting on a stack-end ottoman to look at a selection of books.

The branch has four retail-like bays of floor-to-ceiling windows along the street. Over time these had been filled with cabinets, bookcases, and other clutter, closing down views. MDA's design opened three of them up, recovering original window benches and moving them back into position. More seating, of course, plus this also activates the transparent edge to the branch, reviving the links to the area's urban pulse.

The children's zone was flipped from the busy entrance to the rear, a quieter mini-environment of its own. A parenting collection, stack-end computers with special software, and comfortable easy chairs create an inviting environment with many youth resources in a compact zone.

The forms and materials used throughout—aluminum, stainless steel, resin panels, a patterned carpet—were chosen to inject energy and improve movement throughout the space. Curvilinear forms on carrels and other furnishings evoke energy; stenciled quotes from literary sources and titles reinforce the vision for Express Services.

In late February, with a program and design in hand, we returned to the vendors. Happily, they nearly all "got it." They immediately understood the sort of high usage, high customer service environment we wanted to create and were excited to be a part of it. Without the enormous vendor support (see p. 18)—both in sharing our vision and in supplying furnishings, equipment, and services—this makeover would never have happened. In all, nearly half a million dollars in goods and services were donated to the project.

The Court Square branch closed on May 27. Over the next three weeks, George Carrera, Queens's construction project manager, with the cooperation of our vendors and team, orchestrated a military-like campaign to first deconstruct the branch, then re-create it, from the flooring to the ceiling.

When the library opened on June 20, the public poured in. Within minutes, all seats were taken and materials were on the move. The design supported customers in a nearly invisible way. Even the self-check stations were operated with little assistance. One woman, leaving with an armful of books, stopped to chat. "I love the library," she said, "but I didn't know you were expanding it!"