Photo caption: David Moore, Principal, McMillan Pazdan Smith, leads a community meeting to gather feedback for the planning of a new library in Charleston County.

By: Amanda Gascon and Will Bryant
 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion. These three words are commonplace today and serve as important reminders that opportunities should be made available to everyone. Public libraries share similar goals; their facilities, learning materials, services, and programs are open and available to all.

DEI initiatives are already being incorporated into the library’s collections, policies, and programs; however, the building’s design does not always offer an environment suited to these goals. Library buildings should be designed with intention, and a more thoughtful approach utilizing DEI principles can lead to an intrinsically inclusive facility.

When designing a library with DEI in mind, considerations should be given to access and site selection, creating a sense of belonging, and celebrating community diversity.

Access for All

When searching for a site for a new library, it is important to research past, present, and future demographic trends. These trends help determine the size of the new building, inform how the library might interact and serve its community, and identify underserved or accessibility-challenged populations. By working with advisory partners, library systems can use this data to create a plan to better serve their communities; all of these factors play a key role in defining who initially feels welcome at the library.

A demographic analysis can reveal important data points about a potential library site, factors like walkability and access to public transportation support inclusivity. It is also important to understand that race, class, and other socio-political issues can create barriers that may not be visible to outsiders of the community. As an example, a search area boundary for a new library site should question historically divisive real estate red lines or physical boundaries to provide an unbiased analysis.

While these may look like a suitable place to draw a boundary on a map, these types of barriers are historically exclusive to adjacent communities. Equity is achieved best by using empirical data and setting direct goals for achieving inclusive access. For instance, site selection boundaries could be set bywalkability to certain intersections, meeting population density targets, or by triangulating underserved areas between library branches in a library system.

Photo caption: an excerpt from a demographic study for Lincoln County Libraries.The diagram analyses patronage within a five-mile radius at threeexisting library locations to help determine a location for a new branch library.

Creating a Sense of Belonging

Once a site is selected, the design of the library building should reflect the diversity and needs of the community it serves. One way to identify these needs and create a sense of belonging is to involve the community in the design process. By engaging an inclusive and equally represented group of community members and stakeholders through surveys, focus groups, workshops, or other methods, the library can gain valuable insights into their sensibilities, preferences, needs, and expectations. This insight helps inform design decisions and ensures that the library reflects the community’s identity and values.Additionally, involving the community in the design process can foster a sense of ownership and pride among the users and increase their satisfaction and loyalty.

After capturing the pulse of the community, it is important to make the library feel welcoming and inviting to all, regardless of age, ability, background, or identity. This can be achieved by incorporating universal design principles that ensure accessibility, usability, and comfort for everyone. It is important to remember that not all community members respond positively to classical monumental architecture. The architecture of the entry should be spacious, well lit, and be mindful of those with mobility restrictions. To create an inclusive interior environment, the library should have comprehensive signage and wayfinding that considers the different languages and cultural backgrounds of the community, multiple types of seating and furniture options, flexible spaces that can accommodate different activities and group sizes, and adequate lighting and acoustics.

Celebrating Community Diversity

Libraries are ideal places to celebrate the diversity of a community. Inclusion sometimes means being able to rally around something that makes the library’s community special. Each community has unique qualities that deserve celebrating; these qualities become opportunities to inspire everyone in the community. When celebrative moments are highlighted by the library's design, more community buy-in and engagement can result.

The project team of designers, community officials, and library staff may not have the complete perspective of a community’s needs at the start of a library building project; talking with the people who will patronize the facility is fundamentally important for maximizing inclusivity.
Careful planning before asking for public feedback helps make the community engagement as productive as possible. Some questions to ponder before public engagement are:

•    Is the meeting at the right place and time to allow for maximum community involvement?
•    Are there enough meetings?
•    Should there be surveys? Are they door to door, online, or gathered at the local marketplace?
•    Is the project team asking the right questions to the right people?
•    Is the proposed meeting place at a location that is welcoming to everyone?

There are always limitations, but gathering feedback from the public helps define what is important to the community and helps avoid the imposition of prototypical programs on communities where they may not be relevant or appropriate.

People want to be treated with respect - they want to feel included, and they want to enjoy and benefit from a library experience. With all the care that librarians put into creating inclusive library programs, policies, and collections, the design of library buildings should aid and expand their tremendous efforts.
 

About the authors:

Amanda Gascon, Architect, McMillan Pazdan Smith

Amanda Gascon

Amanda has 10 years of experience designing municipal and higher education projects with a focus on library design. Working with both public and academic library clients, she has developed master plans, building programs and construction documents for both new facilities and renovation/addition projects. Amanda’s programming and design approach is guided by her understanding of the 21st century library and how this relates to local communities. This includes analyzing current library trends, user experiences, and staff and administration needs. She has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati and received her Master of Architecture from Clemson University.

Will Bryant, Senior Associate, Studio Operations Leader, McMillan Pazdan Smith

Will has over 20 years of architectural experience encompassing a broad range of project types from libraries to large airports. He has been responsible for all phases of architectural services for numerous library projects and recently his team’s design for the Fulton County Library System’s Hapeville Library in Hapeville, Ga garnered two AIA Ga awards, citing specifically: the design’s emphasis on place and contextualism. He is an active participant in the community and currently is a member of multiple non- profit/civic organizations and boards. His range of experience, community involvement and love for libraries has helped him develop a dual pronged approach that prioritizes design with purpose-based functionality and adaptability with community context and identity in mind. Will holds a Bachelor of Arts in Design from Clemson University and a Master of Architecture degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
 

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