7 Signs You Were Born to Design Your Own Library
Apr 18, 2022
With every new Library project, comes a new relationship with the director and staff that I will be working with to help them design their new space. Let me start off by saying that I truly enjoy working with my Library pros. I often tell people that the part I hate most about my job is when the project comes to close and my day-to-day contact with my clients ceases. I try to maintain those relationships whenever I can by having lunch with them, visiting when they have a special program or just stopping in to check out materials. Library clients are some of my absolute best clients, hands down.
One comment I get consistently is, "I'm no designer!" I have one Library client who often says, "I'm no designer, but . . ." and then tells me how SHE would proceed with the specific detail we're working on. And you know why I think that's so fantastic? Because she IS a designer and this IS her Library and it should absolutely represent her as well as her staff's vision for how their Library should look and function.
Join the DIY Library Design Facebook group to connect with others in your field!
I'm good at Library design. But I didn't just wake up one morning with the ability to design a Library. In all honesty, I got MOST of my Library design training first hand from you! My design process is extremely collaborative. From beginning to end I'm having constant conversations with clients about what they want, what they need and how they see their space when it's all complete. Lots of conversations have to happen before it's all said and done.
The truth is, sometimes I feel like I learn far more from my Library professionals following a meeting than they do from me.
And that tells me one thing. You were TOTALLY born to design your own Library!!
You just need a little reassurance and confidence. In the following list, I'm going to show you the 7 signs that you were born to design your own Library. So stay with me to see what I mean.
#1 - You believe a well-designed Library can make a HUGE impact on your community
#2 - You are always thinking of ways you could improve your Library
#3 - You want a more efficient use of space for your patrons
#4 - You want a more efficient use of space for your staff
#5 - You may not know how to put it all together, but you DO know what you like and don't like for your overall Library design
#6 - You know exactly what furniture your space needs to function best in your Library
#7 - You walk into other Libraries and immediately recognize what works and what could have been done better
Library design is not a uniquely difficult area of design. It is however super unique in that it is unlike any other building type out there. From an Interior Designer's perspective, Library design requires very detailed conversations with the Library director and supporting staff to know all the ins and outs of their particular space. And while the overall use of space is pretty typical across the board, each and every Library has it's own function within their community and therefore has a unique purpose and way of functioning than the next Library. This even goes for multiple Libraries in a specific district.
A huge part of this is because of your patrons. They are what drives each individual Library to have it's own unique personality. But another part is your staff and just how you run things. Some of it is personal preference and some of it is dictated by outside circumstances like the shape and location of your building. Even how you ship and receive materials can direct how your individual Library works.
What I want you to take away from this is that no one can design your Library better than you can. You can hire outside resources to help direct the project and tell you when you're making good design choices and when you're not. And of course your design professionals will know all the ins and outs of putting together drawings and taking care of the permitting and construction process.
But they will never understand how your Library works best the way that you do.
So what does that mean? I'm not telling you to go out and get your design degree or even to call up your local contractor and jump right into a new design for your space. You still need the overall structure of a good design plan and how best to execute it.
What I am telling you is that with the right tools you can be the sole navigator of your Library design project. Off the Shelf Library Design Academy is one of those tools. In fact, for a full design, this is a great place to access every single tool you need. You just need the confidence to move forward.
Know your worth. A Library design cannot be completed sufficiently without constant direction and input from the Library Director and staff ultimately using the space.
Hopefully you're feeling more confident now and truly understand your value as the person or people running your Library. I invite you to join me and other Library DIYers here on my Facebook group DIY Library Design so you can connect with others in your field. It's a great way to see more design trends as well as to note what's going on in your Library world. You can post any questions you may have as well and I'll be more than happy to answer them for you.
