SPEC Kit 339: Innovation and R&D · 135
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
Library Review: Campus Consultation Document (excerpts)
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/libreview/documents.html
10 |P a g e
4.4 New Spaces for New Times
The Library’s stacks and Annex storage facility are rapidly reaching capacity. This means that
the Library’s collection has very little room for growth – an unsustainable situation given the
need to continue to purchase print books within a nascent scholarly e-book environment.
Library and campus study space placed well below average in the Council of Ontario
Universities’ (COU) Inventory of Physical Facilities. COU’s inventory compares the actual space
each Ontario University has to the required space based on the student population.
The Library needs creative solutions to address space needs in the short term and a flexible
framework for space management in the longer term. We are committed to improving and
optimizing library spaces with a focus on four areas: 1) collection space, 2) user space,
3) service points, and 4) staff space.
Overarching recommendations to further this strategic direction:
• Secure new high-density storage for valued, but lesser-used, materials to allow
for a decade of collection development
• Designate the open stacks for the most active items in the print collection
• Create a user-focused environment with high-quality research, study, and
learning spaces
• Establish a target and action plan with campus partners for providing the
appropriate amount of research, study, and learning spaces across campus
• Design instructional spaces to optimize the teaching/learning experience
• Optimize service points to enhance user and staff experience
• Design staff work spaces to be flexible, pleasant, ergonomic, and functional
Strategic direction: Address critical space needs and establish a framework for agile space
management that is responsive to ongoing campus needs
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
Library Review: Campus Consultation Document (excerpts)
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/libreview/documents.html
10 |P a g e
4.4 New Spaces for New Times
The Library’s stacks and Annex storage facility are rapidly reaching capacity. This means that
the Library’s collection has very little room for growth – an unsustainable situation given the
need to continue to purchase print books within a nascent scholarly e-book environment.
Library and campus study space placed well below average in the Council of Ontario
Universities’ (COU) Inventory of Physical Facilities. COU’s inventory compares the actual space
each Ontario University has to the required space based on the student population.
The Library needs creative solutions to address space needs in the short term and a flexible
framework for space management in the longer term. We are committed to improving and
optimizing library spaces with a focus on four areas: 1) collection space, 2) user space,
3) service points, and 4) staff space.
Overarching recommendations to further this strategic direction:
• Secure new high-density storage for valued, but lesser-used, materials to allow
for a decade of collection development
• Designate the open stacks for the most active items in the print collection
• Create a user-focused environment with high-quality research, study, and
learning spaces
• Establish a target and action plan with campus partners for providing the
appropriate amount of research, study, and learning spaces across campus
• Design instructional spaces to optimize the teaching/learning experience
• Optimize service points to enhance user and staff experience
• Design staff work spaces to be flexible, pleasant, ergonomic, and functional
Strategic direction: Address critical space needs and establish a framework for agile space
management that is responsive to ongoing campus needs
