Last fall, the CCLA conducted a survey designed to elicit responses from the Ottawa legal community on how we’re doing.  There was a question relating to the renovation, and changes that people would like to see.  Hold back, you did not: the barristers lounge needs an update.  To that we say: Oh boy, do we know!  We hear you!  The lounge is one of the areas most obviously showing in terms of the age of some of the construction materials (wallpaper, I’m looking at you).  The furnishings are looking a bit drab, too, and why is it so dark in there?

There’s also a storage issue of which we’re keenly aware.  Any given weekday during the colder months (which is a considerable length of time here in Ottawa), there’s not a free hanger in sight.  Coats are everywhere: they’re on hangers, hanging over closet doors, on chairs – everywhere but the floor!  That needs to be addressed, and our designer is certainly working on ways to make more coat storage space, that also looks significantly cleaner and tidier than the current wardrobes.

We’re also really keen to shape the lounge to have more functional space.  This will be one of the most dramatic changes during the renovation.  I am unable to explain the technical details with enough clarity in this post, but creating space within the lounge that will allow for meetings or small training sessions is something we’re very much hoping can happen.  We’re also working on the configuration of furniture to allow for better conversation space, and finally, a much sought-after feature: the space and ability to hold a more private phone call.  Once we’re further along in the process, I’ll be very excited to share more details on all of these plans with you.

Overall, we’re hoping to create an inviting and professional space for our legal community to use while in the Courthouse.  We’ve heard of great lounges from other courthouses in the province, and we’re feeling a little bit of lounge envy.  We suspect some members of our community might be, too.  Perhaps you’ve been in them and can speak to the experience  – which courthouse lounges have you been in, and what did they do that you liked?

So why do we want to renovate the library?  Since this space was designed and built in the 1980s, there has been a good deal of change in how libraries are used and in their spatial requirements.  If you’re reading this post right now, you’ve hit upon the major change: the Internet.  What was once only available in (expensive) bound volumes is available free online.  What was once requiring of a multi-volume (indeed, multi-series and multi-volume) set to research, can now be done on very easy to use (and of course, expensive) subscription databases.  While it pains us somewhat, in that we like books and don’t love removing them from the collection – and all too often, into recycling – some of these titles aren’t proving a good return on investment for the space and cost of keeping them in the library.

That said, there are still many, many things available in print that lawyers use in their daily research and work, and we need to have space for those items and to make them available to our clients.  Our task in 2011 is to identify which items fall into which categories, what we can get rid of, what we need to keep, how we anticipate research will be carried out going forward, and what that means we will need for this library in the future.  It isn’t easy, but we can take solace in knowing we’re not alone: every library, especially those undertaking a renovation, must consider the same.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however.  In fact, quite the opposite!  With making changes to the collection and space, we will hopefully change how we’re able to interact with our library users, and how we can make this place better for them.  To start – the reference desk.  We want to be accessible to library users.  There are currently too many desks up front – we want to be where you can easily walk up to us, ask for help, and even sit down and walk through a database or catalogue search together.

We also want to improve on the spaces we have for library users to work.  As I mentioned in the previous post, the temporary offices aren’t very conducive to keeping the noise down.  Anyone who’s been in the library has also probably noticed that the soundproofing for the permanent offices isn’t all that great either.  After the renovations, we’d like space for quiet work.  We’d also like space where two or more lawyers can work together, without disrupting those wanting a quiet environment.  And we’d like an area that’s a bit more relaxed.  Perhaps a place that’s a bit more comfortable to sit while reading Law Times or The Economist, but still in the relative quiet of a library.  We’d also like to make sure that we have enough room for more computers.  Currently, we have seven computers for library users.  In the future, we imagine the need will increase.  We want to have workspaces that allow print and computer research at the same time, with desks and chairs that are comfortable and fit for purpose.

These are the major changes we’d like to see and hope to accomplish.  There are a tonne of smaller items (book carts that fit CLE binders! new signs!), but all relate back to how we can make the library space better for users by way of good study or research space, clear organization, efficient access to library services, and a welcoming and professional environment.  What would you like to see?

I planned to continue the renovations discussion with a post offering a bit of back story when I realized that there was likely enough to fill three shorter posts (for ease of reading for busy lawyers and those on the go!).  This post, the first, will serve as an overall background to why we’re renovating.  The following post will look at the library specifically, while the last will focus on the barristers lounge.

Opened in 1986, the Ottawa Courthouse has been the home of the CCLA since day one.  We have a formidable space on the second (or, depending on how you look at it, main) floor, with a goodly amount of library stack space, areas for reading and study, and a combination of permanent and temporary offices.  We have the wonderful advantage of being on the east-facing wall of the building, so plenty of natural light floods into the space.  Even more fantastic is that the windows in what is currently our reading area will be overlooking the new green roof being installed at the Courthouse.  You could say that we have some great bones to work with – plenty of room, lots of windows and natural light, and a great location.

So why do we want to renovate?  There are a few reasons.  One of the first reasons, likely the most apparent to a visitor of the library, is that the age of the space is showing.  While 25 years old isn’t all that much in building years, some construction and design materials simply need to be updated regularly.  Would the courthouse have been built with marble floors and walls, perhaps not, but the wallpaper, paint, and carpet treatments are all in desperate need of repair or replacement.  The refurbishment of these items alone would be a wonderful improvement to the space.  While this is a concern in the library, it’s also very readily apparent in the adjoining barristers lounge.

Another major reason for the renovation focuses on the how the space is currently configured, and how it is no longer fit for purpose from both a staff and library users perspective.  We have more staff than permanent offices.  In fact, it’s not even close.  We’ve taken some measures to “make” more space (the subject of a future blog post), and offices with modular walls have been created, but neither are ideal.  One of the main reasons is that the offices with modular walls don’t have ceilings.  This means sound carries, right over into one of the more popular reading areas in the library.  We very much do not want to disturb library users with the noise that goes along with the business of a law association.  It’s also not great for having confidential conversations, with clients sitting directly out side ceiling-less offices.  Ultimately, it isn’t a great arrangement for staff or library users.

Following on that, re-configuring the space would also have the absolutely wonderful added benefit of being able to change the way the library staff interacts with clients.  We’d love to see a space where we’re much closer to the reading and computer area, where we’re not behind two layers of desks when you need assistance, and where we can see what is going on in the library.  There’s also the possibility with a re-configuration that we’d be able to introduce a more diverse selection of work spaces – room to work quietly and alone, space for working with another lawyer, or a more comfortable seating area for more relaxed reading.  A new training space or area for medium-sized gatherings would be particularly exciting to our events staff – the possibilities for learning events and social gatherings with a new space such as that would be endless.  Currently, space in the courthouse matching this description is either non-existent or very hard to come by.

Going forward, these are some of the major issues we plan to address with the renovation.  We have tonnes of ideas for ways to make the space better, and we’re sure you do as well.  While we will be having meetings with many stakeholder groups to help shape the area, we certainly welcome your feedback and ideas.  If you would like to send in any feedback for the renovation in confidence, please email me, or our Executive Director Rick Haga.