{"id":1349,"date":"2016-02-16T22:41:36","date_gmt":"2016-02-17T03:41:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/?p=1349"},"modified":"2016-02-16T22:43:19","modified_gmt":"2016-02-17T03:43:19","slug":"the-art-and-science-of-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/2016\/02\/the-art-and-science-of-space\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art and Science of Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Art and Science of Space<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday, February 15, 2016<\/p>\n

By Michael Ricciardelli<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, Seton Hall\u2019s Walsh Library has undergone a number of subtle but comprehensive changes.<\/p>\n

Utilizing the latest in design, psychology and cognitive science, the library, which first opened its doors in 1994, has been revitalized and reconfigured to keep pace with 21st century learning and to provide space that better facilitates study, writing, research, collaboration\u2014 and even conversation.<\/p>\n

As a result, library usage is up considerably and the space teems with students, faculty and guests on any given afternoon.<\/p>\n

The library\u2019s transformation has been spearheaded by the Dean of Libraries, John Buschman, who came to Seton Hall from Georgetown University in 2012, where he served as Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Services. Dean Buschman has been praised in the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science for having \u201cexamined and analyzed the role of libraries and educational institutions vis-\u00e0-vis democracy in a series of complex, insightful books and essays over the last decade.\u201d His most recent book was likewise acclaimed as \u201cessential reading to understand the status of library services in the 21st century.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith well over 600,000 visits per year, the library is a hub in the academic life of the University, a partner in the educational process and an indispensable part of Seton Hall\u2019s social fabric. And we have worked hard to make it so,\u201d said Dean Buschman. \u201cIn addition to numerous technology updates and the dramatic expansion of our resources, we\u2019re doing all we can to make our library more accessible, more accommodating, ergonomic and all-around \u2018user-friendly.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean Buschman\u2019s assistant, Jody Drafta, has helped to implement his vision and is, herself, co-author of a chapter entitled \u201cPrinciples of Good Design\u201d in the book Creating the High-Functioning Library Space: Expert Advice from Librarians, Architects, and Designers. Forthcoming in 2016, Seton Hall professor, librarian and Fulbright Specialist Marta M. Deyrup is the book\u2019s editor.<\/p>\n

In it, Drafta writes,<\/p>\n

Good library design results in spaces that are both functional and feed the human spirit, often without their inhabitants fully understanding what draws them in to these spaces and causes them to linger. Important components of good design include the scale of the space and the furniture that supports it, the curated use of color and texture, spatial and visual variety, and the qualities of natural and electric light. Carefully choreographing these aspects results in inviting spaces that resonate with people and support their well-being.<\/em><\/p>\n

Putting Theory into Practice<\/strong>
\nIn addition to major plant maintenance that included a new roof, new cooling tower and a power wash of the library\u2019s iconic fa\u00e7ade, interior renovations have focused on color, furnishings, technology and the use of signage and embedded visual cues to render the space more inviting and intuitively navigable.<\/p>\n

And as any student of interior design will tell you, good design starts with the entrance, or what many cognitive scientists and marketing professionals involved in the configuration of public and retail spaces refer to as \u201cthe decompression zone,\u201d the space where one first enters a building and the mind transitions to its new surroundings and receives its first impressions, setting the tone.<\/p>\n

Welcome<\/strong>
\nOffering a warm and spirited introduction, in Walsh Library that space is signaled by a harvest gold backdrop and a block lettered sign above the reception desk that reads \u201cWELCOME TO SHU LIBRARIES.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Libraries\u2019 \u201cWelcome Message\u201d was hand painted by Jon Bocksel, who learned the lost art of sign painting as an apprentice to experts in hand-lettering\u2014 a largely forgotten craft that hearkens back to the era before digitally-produced signs. Before painting the Seton Hall signage Bocksel spent a morning on campus with the University Archivist going through yearbooks, publications, Seton Hall insignia as well as sports uniforms which, Bocksel notes, are often rich carriers of institutional self-expression in the form of typeface choices. Drawing from this graphic heritage, he returned to his studio and then, after further study, painted the \u201cWalsh Welcome\u201d in a font and style that reflected anew Seton Hall\u2019s traditions.<\/p>\n

Color<\/strong>
\nA great deal of study and scholarly writing has been devoted to the psychological and physiological impact of color, especially as it concerns concentration and memory. In Walsh Library, to reframe and enliven the space as well as form a cognitive aid, the entire building interior was painted a lighter color, with bolder colors (blue and yellow) keyed to the front of the building on each floor to help both zone the space, and assist in cognitive mapping and way-finding. Adding to these efforts, colored tracking was added into the carpet to function as lines of demarcation and as a visual pointer, delineating the stacks within the space.<\/p>\n

Furniture & Technology<\/strong>
\nIn her essay on library design, Drafta notes that in addition to supporting comfortable and focused study, furniture can play a key role in configuring space:<\/p>\n

Furniture layout signals the intent of a space. As with zoning, furniture plays a role in cueing behavior by either encouraging or dissuading various activities within a given space. For example, areas designated for quiet, individual work should not include conversational layouts of lounge furniture, but rather individual seats that are not easy to move into collaborative layouts. Conversely, an area meant for creative collaboration should be furnished in such a way that prompts and supports this behavior, with flexible furniture and brainstorming accessories.<\/em><\/p>\n

One can readily see the theory at work in Walsh Library. The Information Commons on the second floor bustles with its sectional seating groups, where newly purchased Herman Miller soft seating allows for both solo and collaborative work. Amidst traditional tables and chairs, the Izzy caf\u00e9 tables and stools (also new) provide a change in the topography of the room and allow for more relaxed conversation space. New computer chairs accompany 15 new iMacs and 55 refreshed and reconfigured PCs, affording students the best of contemporary computing technology and ready access to the vastly expanded data and scholarship resources.<\/p>\n

New chairs and group work tables with whiteboard scalloped tops have been added in the Curriculum Resource Center (which doubles as the newly created graduate student lounge). The award winning tables (which look a little like pieces of Swiss cheese with a series of half-moons cut out of them) are designed to facilitate collaboration by bringing students significantly closer together than they would be at a traditional conference table.<\/p>\n

The Seton Hall Chair<\/strong>
\nJuxtaposed against and atop this lively interplay of resource and collaboration, on the upper floors one finds the muted cherry elegance of the study carrels and their famed three position rocker, \u201cThe Seton Hall Chair.\u201d Newly reupholstered after 20 plus years of use, the chairs were designed by renowned master craftsman Thos. Moser with the help of Monsignor Dennis Mahon and then President and Chancellor Rev. Thomas R. Peterson. The Seton Hall Chair was constructed to offer ergonomic support to students when they lean forward to type, back when they read, or even in between. In his book, Artistry in Wood, Moser, who went on to design and build chairs for both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis as well as a number of other academic institutions, described building \u201cThe Seton Hall Chair\u201d as having been \u201chired to create the ultimate ergonomic library chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional Work and Future Renovations<\/strong>
\nAdditional work includes the Library\u2019s silent study rooms, which have all been renovated with new and reupholstered furnishings as well as updated technology; the addition of Herman Miller FloArms at the reference desk, which are adjustable, flexible computer monitor arms that let the student and reference librarian look at the same information on separate, individual screens during consultations; the installation of height-adjustable tables for disabled students; and a Graduate Student Lounge, a newly created communal work space for graduate students\u2014 which runs 4:30-7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday during Fall and Spring semesters.<\/p>\n

Future renovations will continue to focus on \u201cspatial lucidity\u201d and ergonomics to facilitate study and collaboration as well as technological advances and catalogue expansion to further enable research and scholarship.<\/p>\n

In addition, the reorganization and integration of the Seton Hall University Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology (SHUMAA) into the Seton Hall Libraries will give students and scholars ready access to the collection, which includes more than 26,000 pieces of Native American, Asian and African art and artifacts \u2014 as well as some Greek, Roman and Byzantine pieces.<\/p>\n

This new resource, combined with the Libraries\u2019 Walsh Gallery, which hosts five art exhibitions annually as well as scholarly events such as the renowned Poetry-in-the-Round series\u2014 featuring readings by award winning authors\u2014 symposia, film screenings, artist talks and meeting space for events, will further cement the University Libraries\u2019 status as a cultural and academic hub at Seton Hall.<\/p>\n

Dean Buschman concluded, \u201cThe Libraries are at the heart of Seton Hall\u2019s intellectual ambitions. They are the first source for scholarship, a place where students\u2019 needs are the top priority and where faculty draw on essential resources for their teaching and research. The libraries foster intellectual integrity through user-focused services and collections, and consequently, students graduate with the realization that the library is indispensable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Art and Science of Space Monday, February 15, 2016 By Michael Ricciardelli Over the last few years, Seton Hall\u2019s Walsh Library has undergone a number of subtle but comprehensive changes. Utilizing the latest in design, psychology and cognitive science, the library, which first opened its doors in 1994, has been revitalized and reconfigured to … Continue reading “The Art and Science of Space”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3083,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-library-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3083"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1349"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1353,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349\/revisions\/1353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}