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

Abstract: Book review: Practical Approaches to Rightsizing. National Association of College and University Business Offices, 1992. 129 pages. Cost COntainment for Higher Education: Strategies for Public policy and Insitutional Administration, by William Brand Simpson. Praeger, 1991. 225 pages. Strategies and Consequences: Managing the Costs in Higher Education, by John Waggaman. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, No. 8. George Washington University, 1991. 130 pages.

Abstract: Book Review: Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail, Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori. W.W. Norton, 1992. 314 pages.

Abstract: Book Review: Strategic Planning for University Research, edited by Oliver Hensley. Texas Tech University Press, 1992. 446 pages.

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."