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.

Replace the wallpaper, or just get rid of it altogether.

Is there a way to create more quiet space for researching?

A reference desk that looks into the library, with a lower desk to sit at with clients.

Could we try a new configuration of computer work spaces?

For the CCLA staff, the CCLA library and barristers lounge renovations project has been in the works for what feels like quite a long time.  For over a year, we’ve been discussing what we would like to fix, to change, to build, or to remove in order to create a refreshed, professional, and highly useful space for Ottawa lawyers.  Now that the CCLA has entered into a partnership with the local design firm inTempo, however, the fun (and hard work) can truly begin.

Renovating our space will be no small feat.  Not only are there a multitude of opinions, ideas, and suggestions for what we can and should do, but there’s also the matter of fundraising for this project, and for coordinating the work with the owners and managers of the Courthouse.  A renovation for a library is an incredibly fun and exciting time, though certainly not without a great deal of thought needing to be given to the overarching challenges and opportunities facing all libraries in the 21st century.  How many of these books will we keep?  How much more room for computers do we need?  What does the law library of the future look like?

Here in the library, part of our participation in this project will be to blog the renovation project from start (this post you’re reading) to finish (hopefully in 2013, in time for the CCLA’s 125th anniversary).  We hope to keep an ongoing journal on the renovation, providing both an inside look into the process, as well as a glance into the planning and rationale for some of the design decisions.  Your feedback and ideas will always be welcome, and we look forward to creating and sharing a new space for our legal community.