Learning Resources

Abstract: College and university libraries are in constant need of increased space. The volume of printed materials is rising at ever-increasing rates. The question of how much library space to plan for the future is therefore an important one. Library space needs are doubling every 15 years. Does this mean that square footage of library space must grow without end? This question was asked at Cornell University, and the result was a strategic plan for library space needs through 2010. The net assignable square feet of the Cornell library has grown tremendously since 1951, yet most of the campus libraries have space deficits. This must be addressed along with the desire of the university to limit new construction on central campus to preserve open space and to move toward the virtual library. Two seperate approaches were used in the space needs anaysis. The first was the conventional approach, in which collections and user space needs are projected into the future. The second was a more strategic approach that looked at the potential impact of emerging technologies in reducing space needs. Cornell brought in experts to analyze the new technologies. In addition to the potential to reduce space requirements, the issues of implementation costs, copyright implications, and acceptability to users were addressed. The conclusion was that the university should be cautious about relying too soon on the virtual library to reduce space needs. If, however, conventional projections are used throughout the end of the 1990s, emergent technologies may cause the escalating space needs to level after the beginning of the next century.

Abstract: Book review: Ernest Cormier and the Universite' de Montreal, edited by Isabelle Gournay. Canadian Centre for Architecture and Editions du Meridien, 1990. 179 pages.

Abstract: Book review: The Evidence of Quality, by E. Grady Bogue and Robert Saunders. Jossey-Bass, 1992. 313 pages.

Abstract: Book Review: The Complete Guide to Focus Group Marketing Research for Higher Education, by Robert Topor. Eucational Catalyst Publications, 1992. 81 pages.

Abstract: Book Review: creating Community on College Campuses, by Irving Spitzberg, Jr. and Virginia Thorndike. State University of New York Press, 1992. 233 pages.

Abstract: To ensure consistently superior design in campus buildings that enhance the campus, several public universities have developed a new entity: the design review board. By 1990 at least seven state universities had recently implemented some form of review process. A dozen or more private institutions have had review committees for years. Often these public universities imitated review boards that had emerged in city governments with the historic preservation movment. Institutions, however, were able to act more efficiently by nature of their singular land ownership. The new design review boards were established mainly to (1) "Preserve threatened historic buildings and campus settings," (2) "Provide directions and design coherence for the physical growth of the campus settings," (3) "Increase the aesthetic quality and utility of all future buildings," and (4) "Create a finer outdoor environment of space and landscape." The size of the review board varies from five to 10. One university has monthly mettings; most meet two or three times a year. The members usually include the dean or head of the academic program in architecture and typically at least one member who is a nationally recognized architect and planner. All but one institution uses outside architects. Sometimes at least one member isn't an architect (which provides for balance). Members typically hold three-year terms. The campus facilities planner or resident architect is usually an nonvoting member. All of the boards studied are advisory to the president or chancellor. The review boards tend to review proposals at several check points even before design begins and hopefully become integrated in the design process. One concern voiced is that review boards slow design and thus increase costs. There are, however, rewards that come from a more unified campus of outstanding design. This is the goal that the design review board hopes to achieve.

Abstract: Viewpoint Subtitles: Canadian university buildings; Buildings for people to use; Are people necessary?; Beauty without utility; The vital trinity; Pull quotes: "There is no longer an accepted canon of architectural principles." "The users of the building were scarcely mentioned." "Bad architecture is more than an aesthetic matter. It spoils people's day-to-day lives." "Everybody wants to be a star." "Architecture is now considered one of the plastic arts." "A good architect is above all a builder." "For the architect--builder context is always a challenge."