Carnegie Library Putting Customers First

PITTSBURGH - The display racks that greet patrons are full of popular titles, such as President Clinton's autobiography "My Life." An outdoor deck with cafe tables sits just beyond racks of magazines and glass panels with scrolling electronic messages about upcoming events.

It feels like a large, modern bookstore.

But if the design of the new first floor of the nearly 110-year-old Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh takes its cue from the retail side, that's as far as the comparison goes.

"We have 10 times what any bookstore would have," Herb Elish, director of the library, said. "If you really want to get deeply into something, this is the place."

The library is opening its newly renovated first floor this month, and library patrons will find more than new flooring and fresh paint. The design of this historic building reflects a culture shift away from the dimly lighted, stuffy libraries of years past to a more user-friendly, welcoming environment.

"The culture of libraries was, 'These are our books and you're going to use them the way we want you to.' That's not true. These are their books," Elish said, referring to library patrons.

Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library was built in 1895 by industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who donated $1 million for the project. It was one of more than 2,000 libraries that Carnegie helped create across the country, and one of several Carnegie libraries in the Pittsburgh area.

The large, white building with massive marble columns was the centerpiece of the local libraries. Over the years, though, as the collections grew, space became scarce. High shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books, huge counters separated librarians from patrons and sections were labeled in library-speak.

"People really didn't want to come here. It was intimidating," Elish said.

So after drawing up one plan that looked at how to better organize what was in the library, officials brought in "information architects" who examined how the library could be designed to meet the needs of the people who used it.

Mickey McManus, president and chief operating officer of Pittsburgh-based MAYA Design, led a team that evaluated the existing library. MAYA sent volunteers to the library to complete certain tasks _ such as finding a certain book _ and took notes about how hard or easy it was to complete them.

Designers found the library used language and a system that was so foreign to most people that it was nearly impossible to find what they were looking for without asking for help. And even sometimes when they did seek out a librarian, they still had difficulty.

"All this stuff is weird stuff that evolved over a 100 years where they were sort of custodians of this huge warehouse," McManus said.

Soon, library patrons will find shorter shelves of books that make the main floor space feel more open, maps of the building they can take with them, a coffee bar and gift shop, self-guided tutorials on finding what they need and sections labeled in easy to understand language. For example, instead of the "Reference Desk," signs will say "Ask a Librarian."

Librarians will sit on stools at small stainless steel and glass desks _ and are encouraged to stand and walk around. And teens, usually "shushed" out of libraries for hanging out or talking to loud, will be encouraged to stay in an area built especially for them.

Popular culture "is geared more toward teens and libraries have to reflect that, too," said Audrey Vanim, 19, a sophomore at the nearby University of Pittsburgh who just started using the library. She said she's eager to see the new first floor.

Elish said the library needs to operate like a daily newspaper by being responsive to whatever is of interest now, and part of that is making all the displays and signs in the library moveable.

"I think you need to make it flexible because the world of information is changing so rapidly. It's not only the technology itself. It's the change in how people behave," he said.

Many libraries in the past few years have undertaken designs that break the stereotype of what a library should look like. A recent example is the new modern Seattle library, a $165 million, 11-story glass and metal structure that has an area for teenagers, a coffee bar with benches, hotspots for people to use their own laptops and a 15,000-square-foot children's area.

"I think there's a recognition on the part of libraries and library trustees that we are really wanting to welcome people to the library in ways that we haven't done before and make sure that people see what a cultural center and community center the library can be," said Carol Brey Casiano, president of the American Library Association.

Libraries that have become more modern and customer-friendly have seen the results in their growing circulation.

"Anecdotally, we have noticed that despite the fact that the library has been opened for more than a year, we are continuing to see more first-time visitors," said Sue Squire, spokeswoman for the Grand Rapids Public Library. The library system last year completed a $32 million building and renovation program.

Elish said he's hoping the renovation creates a budget problem for the library: He wishes so many people visit and take out books that the library will need more money to keep up. Already at three other branches that have been renovated in the system, circulation has increased an average of 48 percent.

"That's the measure of success," he said.

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