UNLV and beyond
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830210733981 |
| Pages | 121-123 |
| Published date | 01 March 2002 |
| Date | 01 March 2002 |
| Author | Morell D. Boone |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
UNLV and beyond
Morell D. Boone
Writing an architectural column is similar to
narrating a trip: you generally tend to
emphasize what you saw at your destination
rather than the journey it took to get there. My
series of Library Hi Tech articles on innovations
in library design has stressed what has been
incorporated into buildings, what spaces have
been created, and what results are already
observable. Yet for many library professionals
facing the task of modifying an existing library
or developing an entirely new structure, a
roundup of another institution's
accomplishments may not be enough. While it
is important to know what a technologically
advanced library should look like, many
professionals remain uncertain how to get there.
How do library directors or deans get from a
starting point such as a mandate to build a new
building to the finish line on opening day? Is
there a process ± or rather, a series of processes
± that library professionals should follow to
ensure a smooth plan, design, and
implementation of these enormously
complicated structures that are rapidly
becoming more than the traditional library?
This question, and different aspects related to
it, will be the focus of my next four architectural
columns. Previously we have studied
achievements, now it is time to look at how to
achieve.
Library Hi Tech's editors also had this goal in
mind when they developed this special issue
devoted to the Lied Library at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas. Individuals involved in the
overall planning of the building, the
implementation of its technology, and the
incorporation of its automated storage and
retrieval system (AS/RS), have all contributed
articles to this issue. Each of these articles
focuses on what UNLV staff did in order to
identify institutional and technological needs
for their new structure, as well as to implement
them in an efficient and reasonably orderly
fashion. As the largest university in the state,
UNLV was under particular pressure to
develop a library that would serve as a flagship
for the state's university system. As Heaton and
Marks remark in this issue, ``at an estimated
cost of $51 million, the Lied Library was to be
the most expensive public building ever built in
the state of Nevada.''
The author
Morell D. Boone is a member of
Library Hi Tech
's Editorial
Board. He is a Professor of Interdisciplinary Technology at
Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA.
E-mail: morell.boone@emich.edu
Keywords
Libraries, Planning, Architecture, Technology
Abstract
While previous columns have discussed new developments
in library architectural design and technology integration,
this one turns to the actual process of developing the
cybrary. Following in the spirit of the UNLV articles, the
author summarizes some of their key points and argues that
advanced planning and continual dialogue with individuals
both internal and external to the library system is essential.
Finally, he provides some discussion about his visit to the
new UNLV library. The article is the first in a series of five
that will discuss how best to effectuate library planning.
Electronic access
The research register for this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregisters
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
Architectural
121
Library Hi Tech
Volume 20 .Number 1 .2002 .pp. 121±123
#MCB UP Limited .ISSN 0737-8831
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