SPACE PLANNING TASK FORCE
REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Charge

The Space Planning Task Force was charged with serving as a resource for the Services Task Force to work on the following activities:

• Identify locations for new or reconceived service areas

• Suggest "best use of space" scenarios for areas that will be vacated by the Hornbake renovation

• Develop floor plans reflecting these new space configurations

• Recommend a logical order for moves that will need to take place

There were several space-related recommendations that came to us from the Services Task Force:

• Propose a design for the McKeldin Service Plus area

• Expand the number of workstations on the first floor

• Enhance individual and group study space

• Consider traffic patterns between/among service areas including workstations

• Identify a location for disability services, an electronic text center, and UMUC on the first floor

• Consider opportunities to provide 24-hour access to all or part of McKeldin

• To as great an extent as possible, relocate office space off of the first floor to maximize public service space

• Improve instruction, training, and staff meeting space

• Locate primary service points in a convenient and obvious place to facilitate their identification by users

• Identify office space for the three subject teams

The task force began its work by becoming familiar with all the nooks and crannies of McKeldin Library. Several hours were spent making a top to bottom inventory of the building and the current uses of space. This "walk through" helped the task force identify limitations of the building that we would need to take into consideration in our planning: load-bearing capability, wiring, plumbing, etc. In addition, we were cautioned early on in the process that a significant amount of wall building/tearing down was undesirable for budgetary reasons. Also in preparation for our work, Desider Vikor, chair of the Services Task Force, met with the team to outline major service recommendations that would have space implications. Dean Lowry also met with the group to share his views on the use of McKeldin space.

Early in the process, our work was dramatically accelerated because of the activity already underway to develop and present plans for the renovation of the Hornbake Library. We received a request from the University Facilities Council to link the McKeldin renovation with Hornbake renovation for budgeting and planning purposes and to do so on a short and ambitious time frame. We began working with Phil Meske from Facilities Planning to create floor plans for McKeldin to meet a mid-February deadline.

The task force worked to create a consistent pattern on each floor to facilitate patron use of the building. The "wings" of first, second, and third floors are designated as group and individual study space. Service desks are centrally located on each floor to provide an easily identifiable location for seeking assistance. Every attempt was made to locate collections in proximity to their service points (e.g., East Asia, Government Documents/ Maps).

Detailed floor plans showing the existing and the proposed use of space in McKeldin Library are attached. This narrative summary offers a brief description for each floor.

Basement:

The task force recommends a modest reallocation of basement space. The most notable change is the relocation of maps to a combined documents/maps service area on third floor. The space currently occupied by maps will be used in the short term for surge space and computer storage. Long term use of the space will require a closer examination of environmental problems in this space. The staff lounge has been relocated to the basement for two reasons: to free up space for offices adjacent to the second floor service area and to reduce food odor in public space. The space currently occupied by Collection Management is divided to house the Gompers Papers Project (currently on 4M) and one of the subject teams, Humanities.

First Floor:

The first floor renovation accommodates the Service Plus model recommended by the Services Task Force. The service desk area is enlarged and the current reference consultation room is removed. The workstation area is expanded and the reference collection is reduced. The current reference office space is reduced to expand first floor reading and study space. A smaller office space houses Service Plus support staff. The Electronic Reading Room is relocated to the first floor addition where Periodicals is currently housed. Modest adjustments to Circulation and Interlibrary Loan create a more open floor plan and opportunities for shared space between the two units. One wall of Interlibrary Loan is pushed out to enclose their mailing center and to reorient their service counter within sight of Service Plus. The Public Services Office is relocated to the office space vacated by Special Collections on third floor in order to provide space for Service Plus offices and for disability services. The task force believes that it is important for the disability services resources and equipment to be located in proximity to the building’s entrance and to the primary service area. The equipment does, however, need to be in a closed space for security reasons. EIS staff are relocated to the third floor to make room for an Electronic Text Center/Seminar Room as part of the library’s contribution to a proposed NEH challenge grant. This seminar room will be available for small group library instruction activities as well.

Second Floor:

The second floor houses a combined Periodicals/Reserves service area. Reserves will merge the current graduate and undergraduate collections. Individual and group study areas are located in the outside wings of the floor. Walls will be built to enclose the reserves/closed periodicals collections adjacent to a service desk. A processing/staff office is in the space currently occupied by government documents processing/staff. An instruction room is in the current government documents electronic information center. The science/technology team occupies the current staff lounge space.

Third Floor:

Government Documents/Maps are consolidated on the third floor. The maps are housed in the addition for load-bearing reasons and replace most if not all of the circulating collection on that floor. East Asia collections and services are relocated to 3M. The third floor also houses the Public Services Office (in the space vacated by Special Collections); the AD for Collection Management & Special Collections (in the space vacated by East Asia offices); and the Social Sciences and Allied Professions Team (in the space vacated by the Porter Room and the AD for Collection Management & Special Collections).

3M Floor:

East Asia collections, services, and staff are consolidated on 3M. Public Services Office occupies the mezzanine space currently occupied by the National Trust Library staff.

Fourth Floor:

The former ERR space is subdivided for two instruction rooms. Graduate reserves and the graduate study room are renovated as a kitchen and event space. The graduate reserves collection will be merged with the undergraduate reserves collection and served out of the second floor Periodicals/Reserves area. The office of the Associate Director for Planning, Research, and Grants is relocated next to the dean’s suite of offices.

4M Floor:

Units of the Office of Planning, Research, and Grants occupy the space on this floor formerly housing instruction rooms and the Gompers papers. A room currently used for ITD storage is a meeting room for library staff.

Our charge asked that we recommend a logical order for moves that will need to take place. The linking of our planning process to the Hornbake planning process takes this recommendation somewhat out of our hands and into the hands of the university facilities planners who will phase the program for both buildings. However, it will be important for the library to have input on the timing of renovation to minimize service disruptions.

1. A significant shift of library materials will be necessary to implement these recommendations and will have an affect on staff resources and priorities in Circulation, Collection Management, and Technical Services, among others. The task force urges the Library Executive Council to immediately begin discussions on how that shift will occur including processes for weeding the Hornbake circulating collection and the McKeldin reference collection and arranging the collection in both open stacks and compact shelving in McKeldin. The timing of these activities in relation to both renovation activities and user service needs also must be taken into consideration.
2. The task force considered several options for 24-hour space in McKeldin based on the recommendation of the Services Task Force and subsequent discussions with Dean Lowry. We recommend that the ultimate goal be to open portions of the first and second floors on a 24-hour basis Sunday-Thursday. The areas in the building addition on those floors (Technical Services and the relocated ERR on first floor) will be closed off and secured as will stair and elevator access to the other floors. There may need to be transitional steps towards this goal depending on the status of 24-hour space in Hornbake and the renovation timetable for both buildings. Also the task force recognizes, as does Dean Lowry, the security and resource implications of this recommendation. Implementation plans are beyond the purview of this task force’s charge but will need to be undertaken as a follow-up to this report.

Space Task Force Members:

Sonia Bernardo
Dave Cooper
Mary Dalto
Betty Day
Lori Goetsch, Chair
Trudi Hahn
Carleton Jackson
Glenn Moreton
Heleni Pedersoli

NOTE: See pages 6-21 of the print version of this document for the proposed floor plans for McKeldin Library.