RLUK Space Programme | Library spaces as research and cultural infrastructure

RLUK’s Space Programme is a series of events and resources for RLUK members to explore issues around spatial redesign and capital-build projects. The programme provides a forum through which colleagues can share their knowledge and experience in a collegiate and supportive environment.

https://www.rluk.ac.uk/space-programme/

Library spaces play an integral role as research and cultural infrastructure within their scholarly, student, and other local communities. They do not only provide access to a variety of special, heritage and other type of collections, but also constitute places of knowledge production and innovation. Moreover, they are increasingly places that support collaboration, social interaction, and community wellbeing. The design of new library buildings and spaces or the refurbishment of existing ones often reflect this multi-faceted role of the modern research library.

This event shows how libraries respond to the challenge of designing or re-developing spaces to provide the infrastructure that supports scholarship and learning, brings communities together, and facilitates encounters with cultural heritage collections. The case studies discuss the requirements for developing such spaces, including the opportunities and barriers relevant projects present.

Opening up space and collections: the Main Library redevelopment at University of St Andrews
Emma Wisher, Assistant Director, Academic Engagement and Student Experience, and Deputy Director of Libraries and Museums at St Andrews.

Reimagining the National Library of Ireland
Brian O’Donnell, Deputy Director & Head of Estates at the National Library of Ireland