Office of the Associate Vice President for university libraries

The 21^st Century Libraries at UB

CHARGE
This subcommittee of the Heart of the Campus Project will create a plan that reconceives the role of the library in the 21st century the type of facilities such a library must have and the physical and programmatic relationships the libraries will have with academic units, teaching and learning professionals and campus service providers. The 21st century Library will become a more encompassing entity housing learning spaces both formal and informal service spaces for students and to assist teaching learning, research and community service in which all campus communities - faculty, staff and students - are engaged. As well, there will remain a role and presence for the traditional library place where solitude, reflection and the ability to consult the stacks and other classical library materials will still be possible.

Perhaps more than any of the other groups, this group will need to participate in all of the other group's conversations to do its work, to shape and have shaped the characteristics of this new and encompassing library. In particular, the group must consider the role library services and staff will play in the learning and services commons facilities planned in both Capen and Lockwood, the role and physical location of the special collections space on Capen 4 and the role and function of the upper floor spaces in the current library facility. It is the presumption that all of these functions will come under the aegis of the encompassing library of the 21st century.

DELIVERABLE
The deliverable from the group will be a concept paper, a visual display of the committee's unique choosing illustrating the concept the group has developed and a beginning idea of the cost dimensions to deliver on the proposed concept. The next phases of this project will create the detailed action plan that implements the concepts offered by the end of this initial project phase.

Planning Documents