New Library Buildings: The Health Sciences Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's BY RICHARD B. FREDERICKSEN, Health Sciences Librarian*

Health Sciences Library Memorial University ofNewfoundland St. John's, Newfoundland ABSTRACT The new Health Sciences Library of Memorial University of Newfoundland is described and illustrated. A library facility that forms part of a larger health sciences center, this is a medium-sized academic health sciences library built on a single level. Along with a physical description of the library and its features, the concepts of single-level libraries, phased occupancy, and the project management approach to building a large health center library are discussed in detail.

In the cold Canadian waters North from the coast of Maine There's an island called Newfoundland Swept by snow, wind and rain.

ANYONE attempting to locate Newfoundland on a map of North America (not always an easy task, as it is frequently omitted or only partially shown, even on Canadian maps) would think it an unlikely spot for a medical school. Further investi-

gation would disclose that the island of Newfoundland is primarily inhabited by bogs, fogs, and caribou herds and that one-third of its surface is covered with lakes and ponds. Human inhabitants number some five hundred thousand, including those who live on the island and on the mainland portion of the province, Labrador. Newfoundland has had a long history of difficulty in recruiting physicians to practice in this isolated and harsh land. Although there may ultimately be a surplus of doctors created by its Medical School, part of Memorial University of Newfoundland, there is still an occasional physician recruited from overseas [ 1]. Still underdeveloped in many ways (it was *Currently Director, Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, The University of Alabama in Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

a neglected British colony until 1949, when it became the newest addition to the Confederation of Canada), many of its communities lack paved roads, while a substantial number of coastal inhabitants lack any means of surface transporation and must travel by sea, as they have for centuries, to leave their homes at all. Newfoundland (pronounced new-fun-LAND, with the accent on the last syllable) boasts Canada's sixteenth and newest medical school. The history and reasons for developing the school in this unlikely location are covered comprehensivly in a recent article by Rusted [2]. This paper will focus on the development of the physical facilities for its Health Sciences Library.

PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS Planning for the physical facilities for the school commenced shortly after the appointment of a dean of medicine in 1967. A number of consultants' studies were then initiated leading to decisions that would have major impact on the planning and physical facilities for what would become the Health Sciences Library: 1. The library would form part of a larger building-a health sciences center that would house both Memorial's Medical School and a separately administered General Hospital that would serve as the primary teaching hospital. Initially there were also plans to make the structure a health-life sciences center, with library responsibility to both of these components. While this aspect of the plan will probably not be implemented, responsibility for library services to a school of nursing did become a reality. 2. Because of the competition for prime space in such a large building (total area of the Health Sciences Centre is approximately seven hundred thousand gross square feet)

313

RICHARD B. FREDERICKSEN

and because of certain economic constraints, the library would be on a single level. 3. A project management approach would be used in planning and constructing the building. 4. The building, including the library portion of it, would be subject to occupancy in several phases. The first constraint had the advantage of making the library facility readily accessible to its primary clientele within the center. Both clinical and basic science users would have easy access to the library and would not have to brave the elements to visit it. The fact that the library had to be reasonably accessible to both the Medical School and the General Hospital also gained it a central location within the center. The chief disadvantage in sharing the building was that future physical expansion of the library would be very difficult to accomplish, if feasible at all. The second constraint, that of the one-level library, was less easy to accept without severe misgivings, at least in the early planning phases. Originally programmed for some thirty-two thousand square feet (the library would later shrink to twenty-eight thousand), it was the fact that the architects felt a need to accommodate other shared facilities in the central core of the building plus a tight budget that precluded any library-dedicated vertical transportation that ultimately resulted in a one-level library. The concept of a medium-sized, single-level medical school library, may be worth some digression here. Metcalf advises: The more floors which have to be served, the larger the staff may have to be and the more lifts may have to be installed. On the other hand, few would want to build a 50,000 square foot library building on one floor. The horizontal distances would be too great. Try to keep to one floor if the site is not too expensive until you reach some 10,000 square feet. Three levels are quite acceptable in a 20,000 square foot building with the entrance level in the centre [3].

Fry similarly suggests that "a single floor larger than 20,000 square feet might be inefficient" [4]. The chief disadvantage in a floor with this area is the problem of horizontal distances that staff and users alike might have to travel. A related problem is the difficulty in isolating noise and busy activities from quiet areas. The disruptive influence of fifty medical students, for example, all leaving the library for class at the same time might be highly disruptive in a one-level library, while the effect might be minimal in a multistoried facility. The 3 14

writer knows of only one other recently built medical school library that is of a size comparable to that of the one constructed at Memorial, and that is the Medical Library of the University of Calgary. Occupied in 1967, it consists of over 34,000 net square feet. After several years of occupancy, horizontal foot traffic and noise were not considered major problems, and it is generally considered a successful facility [5]. Both the Memorial and Calgary libraries would probably be most unlikely candidates for future expansion on the same horizontal plane. The amount of space occupied in these libraries is roughly equivalent, for comparative purposes, to a typical one-level department store such as Woolco or K-Mart. The third factor that affected planning and building was that a project management team would be responsible for the project. Project management is defined as the "arrangement of management and management techniques designed to coordinate resources and specialisms as effectively as possible in preparing, running, and completing a project ... particularly in engineering and construction" [6]. It was adopted for the same reasons it was adopted in building the recently completed health sciences library at Columbia [7]: to provide cost containment, to optimize scheduling, and to avoid the luxury of completely planning the building before commencing construction. As at Columbia, it meant that inflationary factors would be minimized by allowing construction to proceed simultaneously with many stages of detailed planning. In addition, the project management team had final authority as far as cost containment and decision making were concerned. Because of the importance of meeting schedules, this meant that minor changes were sometimes made, without consultation with the ultimate users. Although the first project management team did not survive the project (as can be seen in the Architectural Summary at the end of this article), the changeover to a new team had no serious effects. The fourth factor that influenced library planning and operation was that portions of the new building would be completed prior to others, and thus certain areas of the building would be occupied in phases. The library itself was to be completed in three separate phases. The first phase included some twenty thousand square feet, providing approximately half of the shelving and seating area plus all of the library staff area. This area was occupied in early 1975. The remaining two wings, both containing more seating and shelvBull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

NEW LIBRARY BUILDING

ing, were not ready for occupancy until late 1978. The prime advantage of phased occupancy was that the library was able to vacate very unsatisfactory temporary quarters prior to completion of the entire building. As it turned out, due to labor problems and other unforseen delays, completion was to be fully three years away from the time the library took partial occupancy. While the advantages of vacating temporary quarters were considerable, there were some important disadvantages-some of which only came to light after the decision to move was made. The library was subject to continual disruption as construction activity surrounded the library. Only temporary partitions separated the library from unfinished areas, causing considerable noise, dust, and odor problems as construction activity proceeded in these areas. Traffic through the library by construction workers was at times considerable and always disruptive. Power outages were frequent and generally announced with little advance notice, frequently curtailing library hours of service. In the end, however, it was felt that the

inconveniences were outweighed by the advantages, as a more substantial portion of libary users gradually moved to the center. They were certainly served more adequately in the partially completed library, as the additional space permitted staff expansion for vital services that could not have been accommodated in temporary quarters. LIBRARY FEATURES As explained above, the library is on a single level, occupying approximately twenty-eight thousand net square feet in a central, common area that is equidistant to both the Medical School and the hospital users. Located on the first floor, it is in very close proximity to the three main lecture theaters of the Medical School and is also within easy access from the main entrance and the cafeteria. The latter, a high-use area, is located directly above the library. The conceptual design and functional relationships of the library area are illustrated in Fig. 1. There is only one entrance to the library, and

FIG. 1.-Library plan showing functional Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

relationships. 315

RICHARD B. FREDERICKSEN

ln:

.......

.x:.,

4-

..

: :. .... ..

d .0

$_si:

-IX

FIG. 2. Circulation desk area facing the entrance to the library.

that is reached from within the Health Sciences Centre building and is located on a major corridor. As a person enters the library, the circulation area is to the left, with technical services offices on the right. The information desk, card catalog, and current serials display are prominent as soon as one enters the library. The journal stacks are to the right, while the reference collection and monograph collections are to the left in well-defined areas. Natural light is provided along the entire south wall of the library, which features tinted floorto-ceiling windows overlooking a park-like area and small pond. Overhangs are provided to prevent glare. Reader stations, for the most part, are located along the perimeter areas of the library, with occasional oases in the stacks. All public areas are carpeted in red, as are all staff areas with the exception of the reference and technical services workroom areas. The shelving and walls are white, but there are many walls done in accent colors, using bright yellow, green, purple, and orange. Rich brown brick surfaces were used along the

316

glazed area covering a series of six partitions, which create semiprivate reader alcoves and lounge areas in these windowed areas. Door frames and stiles are painted dark mat brown, which contrasts with the sliced white oak paneling used in the doors. All offices and group study rooms, with the exception of two motion picture viewing rooms, are provided with wall-to-ceiling side lights. Metal linear ceilings are featured in many areas overhead, but ceiling heights are varied to relieve monotony in such a vast area. The metal linear ceiling with a typical "pop up" is shown in Fig. 2, illustrating the area around the circulation desk facing the entrance to the library. Nine group study rooms are clustered around the walls that surround the technical services area. These vary from a seating capacity of two each (actually designed to be typing rooms) to larger rooms seating from six to four persons around four-by-six tables. Not surprisingly, group study rooms proved to be popular study areas from the day the library opened its doors in the new facility. Their number could have easily been doubled to Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

~ ~ *. ~ ;.

NEW LIBRARY BUILDING

accommodate users who prefer this type of study area. Group study rooms were clustered around the technical services area so that they could easily be converted to library office space if that ever becomes necessary. Seating furniture in the open areas of the library includes a mix of table and chair seating, individual study carrels, and lounge furniture. An audiovisual area is provided in a separate room. Ten audiovisual carrels are provided here, along with open shelving to accommodate the audiovisual software collection. In addition, two motion picture viewing rooms are provided directly opposite this area, each seating up to twenty persons. The motion picture viewing rooms are designed to serve also as seminar rooms. Administrative offices, the offices for public services staff, and the staff conference and common room are located directly beyond the circulation area. Additional staff conference facilities are provided in a historical collection room, which is also designed to accommodate a small collection relating to the history of medicine in

Newfoundland, along with the occasional rare book the library might acquire. The circulation area includes shelving for class reserves, with eighteen double-faced stack units to provide for expansion in this area. An additional seven singlefaced units are provided for sorting of returned library materials. A pneumatic tube station is located in the circulation area, connecting the library to the major units within the Health Sciences Centre, for sending mail, messages, and photocopies easily and quickly. The circulation desk accommodates two CLSI terminals tied into the main system, located in the University Library, which the Health Sciences Library is permitted to share as part of a cooperative agreement. A closed-circuit television system is provided in the library to offer a paging service and to carry library messages to its users. Six monitors are provided at strategic points within the library. The system features a calendar and clock display to encourage users to occasionally glance at the screen. The character generator used

..

......

...............

v............

...

.-

.

....

.:

.

w

~

s>

.

FIG. 3.-Typical reader alcove, arranged with lounge furniture. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

317

.~ ~

RICHARD B. FREDERICKSEN

for entering messages and programming the system is located at the circulation desk. The technical services area includes one vast work area of over 2,000 square feet, with separate offices for the head of that division and a large office of over 400 square feet for cataloging, currently shared by three persons. The technical services work area is arranged to facilitate the logical flow of materials in processing. A separate delivery entrance is provided into this area.

Shelving and Furniture Shelving in the library is the free-standing, metal-bracketed type, bone white in color, using standards ninety inches high in most areas. As the "normal" Canadian standard is eighty-eight inches, for some reason, these were a special order item from the manufacturer, All Steel of Canada, Ltd. Sliced white oak end panels were used in the reference, current serials, and circulation areas only, while canopy tops were used only in the reference stacks. The end panels match the white wood finish on the circulation desk, library furniture, and doors. FIG. 4.-Individual study carrels in serials stacks. The shelving in the current serials display area is an All Steel adaptation of the type originally described by Steinke [8]. This features the current formica covering. Tables are all Parsons table volume on display, with issues held upright against designs, with dimensions of four-by-six feet each, a back sloping shelf. At Memorial the issues are seating four persons each. Some of the tables held in place by a plexiglass support designed include superstructures to provide carrel-like for this application. This provides a neat and visual privacy. A combination of armchairs and tidy display for up to 1,800 titles. The fact that armless side chairs is provided, upholstered in the same system was employed recently at bright fabrics of orange, yellow, and red to McMaster [9] and Houston [10] indicates its harmonize with the carpeting. An abundance of growing popularity. While this type of shelving individual lounge chairs has been provided, illusmay be the best possible current solution to the trated in Fig. 3 in a typical alcove arrangement, serials display problem, there is one disadvantage, just off the current serials display area. The design in that users must stoop down to see titles on the of the individual study carrels complements that of lower two shelves unless aisle widths between the tables. Approximately one-half of the carrels were provided with duplex outlets to permit use of ranges are made prohibitively large. Shelving in the audiovisual area was of conven- task-oriented lighting, as well as audiovisual equiptional design to permit maximum flexibility. ment, should the library need to expand this capaAudiovisual software is packaged so that it can be bility. A typical grouping of study carrels is shown housed on regular book shelving. All audiovisual in Fig. 4, the audiovisual carrels in Fig. 5. items are classified in this library and shelved in an Lighting integrated arrangement, with no subdivisions by format. The use of conventional call numbers will Fluorescent lighting is used throughout, with permit the integration of the audiovisual collection most fixtures at right angles to the book stacks. In with the monograph collection, should that ever addition, recessed mercury lamp fixtures are become a desirable option. provided in some areas to wash the walls in light Library furniture was designed by the project for an aesthetic effect. Incandescent hanging architectural firm, Parkin Architects of Toronto. fixtures are provided in the reader alcoves. These All wood finishes are in a sliced white oak lami- feature red lamp shades and create a very pleasing nate, with writing surfaces in a white, no-glare, visual effect, particularly when viewed from 3 18

Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

NEW LIBRARY BUILDING

to save the books. Moving plans should include provision for huge rolls of plastic, with staff drills on how to cover book stacks quickly when the leaks start. At one point in preparing for the move into the Health Sciences Centre, placing each book in a baggy was considered, half-jokingly. As events indicated-an average of approximately one leak a month was experienced during the first three years-the suggestion had considerable merit. The building the library occupies was planned before the escalation in world oil prices. If it were done today triple glazing would be required for all exterior windows, and probably should have been provided anyway, considering the Newfoundland climate. Newfoundland utility rates have increased threefold since commencement of the project. As a result of this and its impact on the budget, a retrofit of the entire lighting system was carried out in 1978, even before the total building was FIG. 5.-Carrel seating in the audiovisual area. completed. Fluorescent lighting in the library was cut back some 50% by rewiring fixtures so that outside the library during evening hours. An exam- only one-half of the bulbs would burn. This was ple of the fixture can be seen in Fig. 3. done without causing any major problems or complaints about the reduced illumination level. OBSERVATION OF RESULTS This writer predicts that the energy crisis will In general, the library area is judged a success cause building planners to rethink the entire by users and staff alike. It has a warm and cheerful concept of how to light libraries and similar buildambience and is regarded by most visitors as one of ings. the more successful areas in the Health Sciences Another problem experienced with the lighting Centre. Although it is a fairly large area to be system was that of noisy ballasts. Over 200 defeccontained all on one level, walking long distances tive ballasts were replaced during the first three has not appeared to be a problem, although at the years of occupancy, an exhorbitant number. The date of this writing, the completed library has been annoying hum of buzzing ballasts was augmented available for only a brief time. in certain areas in this library due to the metal As with many new library buildings, the Health linear ceilings, which helped the sounds to resonate Sciences Library had its share of problems. Fry throughout the area. states that "every laboratory sink runs over once Adequate security provision was overlooked on every eight years" [11]. The Memorial experience emergency exit doors-a problem that had been indicates that this is a very conservative estimate. left to the architects, who did not realize there was Although some of the leaks that were experienced a problem. Simple panic hardware was the only in the initial years were due to faulty plumbing provision, and this did not prevent casual exiting or that was not noticed during building inspection, admitting friends through these doors. The probthere is a constant threat of water damage due to lem has now been rectified by the addition of local human error as well, as the cafeteria serving area exit alarms that force a person to break glass in and dishwashing room are located directly above order to open the door, a successful deterrent. Phased occupancy caused many problems and the circulation area. The experience in Newfoundland suggests that anyone about to move to a new exacerbating frustrations. Although it was a neceslibrary building should have detailed plans for sary evil in the Newfoundland situation to move protecting materials' in the eventuality of leaks. into a partially finished building, the ideal would The largest and most significant flood in the have been to see the building fully completed. Staff library occurred shortly after the move into the and user complaints about noise, dust, and noxious building and was substantial enough to force an odors caused by construction-related activities alert staff to move a good portion of the mono- were numerous and vociferous. Due to the fact that graph collection to an unthreatened area in order only a portion of the building was occupied at the Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

319

RICHARD B. FREDERICKSEN

time the library moved in, there were inevitable problems in attempting to balance the heating and environmental control system in the library. One unanticipated surprise did not become obvious until the first summer in the building, when it was realized that the air-conditioning system would not be operative until the building was completed. Even in Newfoundland temperatures can stoke up to an uncomfortable level in an enclosed area with a nonfunctioning cooling system. This was something building users were just expected to accept and suffer through, although many considered it a cruel hoax and betrayal on the part of project directors and senior management. Because the nonacademic staff was organized into a labor union, it was surprising that the conditions were accepted without initiating work stoppages or strike action. Given the constraints mentioned above, as well as the philosophy of the single-level library and its limited growth potential, the Health Sciences Library at Memorial is generally accepted as a "happy place," serving users and staff well. Built during a period of economic restraint, as part of a larger project on a budget very conservative by most North American standards, it offers a reasonably successful and cost-effective facility that would compare favorably with libraries of similar size and vintage in the United States or Canada. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Permission to quote the opening lines of "Isle of Newfoundland," by Jason (Tex) Shaw, Banff and Melbourne Publishing Co., 1969, is gratefully acknowledged. Illustrations were prepared by

Medical Audio-Visual Services, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

320

REFERENCES 1. THRUSH, D. Where shall John go? Newfoundland. Br. Med. J. 1: 222-224, Jan. 22, 1977. 2. RUSTED, I. E. Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland. In: Bowers, John Z., and Purcell, Elizabeth F., eds. New Medical Schools at Home and Abroad. New York, Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, 1978. p. 219-259. 3. METCALF, KEYES DEWITT. Planning the Academic Library: Metcalf and Ellsworth at York. Ed. by Harry Faulkner Brown. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oriel, 1971. 4. FRY, A. Library planning, furniture, and equipment. In: Annan, Gertrude L., and Felter, Jacqueline W., eds. Handbook of Medical Library Practice. 3d ed. Chicago, Medical Library Association, 1970. p. 284-330. 5. KIRCHNER, ANDRAS K. Personal communication. 1976. 6. JOHANNSEN, HANO, AND PAGE, G. TERRY. International Dictionary of Management: A Practical Guide. London, Kogan Page, 1975. 7. JONES, C. L. New library buildings: the Augustus Long Health Sciences Library of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 65: 277-286, Apr. 1977. 8. STEINKE, E. G. Current periodical shelving: a special design. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 54: 251-254, July 1966. 9. ROBINOW, B. H. New medical library buildings. IV: the Health Sciences Library, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 60: 559-565, Oct. 1972. 10. HITT, S., AND LYDERS, R. A. New library buildings: the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 65: 268-276, Apr. 1977. 11. FRY, A. Op. cit.

Received January 8, 1979; accepted February 22, 1979.

Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

NEW LIBRARY BUILDING

Project Manager

Architects

Structural Engineers

Mechanical Engineers Electrical Engineers

ARCHITECTURAL SUMMARY Scrivener Projects Newfoundland, Ltd. (until July 1976) SNC, Inc. (to completion of the project) Parkin Architects Newfoundland Architects Consortium Morrison, Hershfield, Burgess & Huggins, Ltd. Newfoundland Design Associates, Ltd. G. Granek & Associates Bishop & Forbes, Ltd. Jack Chisvin & Associates, Ltd. Bishop and Forbes, Ltd. Valley City Manufacturing All Steel Canada, Ltd.

Furniture Shelving Space 44,000 Gross square feet, library only 27,500 Net square feet, library only Cost Library figures not available as separate statistic. Total project cost, including site preparation, is approximately $65,000,000, with 50% federal, 50% provincial funding.

Library Statistical Data Seating: Audiovisual carrels Motion picture viewing rooms Group study Index consulting Lounge Study carrels Tables Total Shelving Books and journals Current serials display Circulation Audiovisual

Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 67(3) July 1979

20 20 38 36 44 39 120 317 1 10,000 volumes 1,800 titles 18 double-faced sections, 7 single-faced sections 20 double-faced sections

321

New library buildings: the Health Sciences Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's.

New Library Buildings: The Health Sciences Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's BY RICHARD B. FREDERICKSEN, Health Sciences Librar...
2MB Sizes 0 Downloads 0 Views