CSUF library enters new era with no shushing

Published online on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

At Fresno State's new Henry Madden Library, the whirr of a blender and hum of conversation are the sounds of evolution.

Here, visitors eat, drink and speak above a whisper. Trade ideas. Polish off a sandwich. Sip a latté -- heck, they'll make it for you at the in-house Starbucks.

In short, this isn't your parents' library.

More and more, university libraries are ditching their quiet-please personas to embrace the art of noise. It's not a complete transformation -- libraries still stake out quiet study areas -- but a clear nod to a generation that loves caffeine, cell phones, laptops and Facebook.

Today, libraries have invited in cafés, installed comfy chairs and sofas, relaxed the ban on food and chatter and even hung flatscreen video monitors. Competition from more-casual bookstores has driven some moves.

Experts say physical and atmospheric changes dovetail with social trends and technological advances. For example, some libraries have moved little-used book collections to devote more prime real estate for purposes such as computer work stations and collaborative study areas.

Fresno State's new library -- which underwent a $105 million, 21/2-year expansion -- opened in February and is an example of the modernization trend.

Peter McDonald, dean of library services, said the library "needs to provide more today than just quiet space."

Officials often use renovation or new construction to reshape a library's space plan and ambience.

Lori Goetsch, president of the Association of College and Research Libraries, said libraries evolve with the times. There are about 1,350 academic libraries around the country on campuses that grant bachelor's or higher-level degrees.

Libraries "aren't always viewed in society as institutions that are quick to change ... but I think more and more, we are becoming the change agents on campus," said Goetsch, dean of libraries at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

Part of that is driven by technology. Laptop computers demand more electrical outlets. New editions of scientific journals are available electronically. Books are being translated into the digital world. And -- thanks to computers and the Internet -- students don't have to set foot in the library to use it.

At the 4-year-old University of California at Merced, university librarian R. Bruce Miller considered all of that and more as he planned the library's design.

The UC Merced library runs a booming laptop loaner program, trades books with other UC campuses and stocks most journals electronically.

The space itself is a mix of styles and atmosphere, from an old-school quiet area with high ceilings and pin-drop acoustics to a "Jetsons"-inspired, more relaxed room featuring metal finishes and green carpet.

"We created a lot of different kind of spaces, and people go to where it works best for them," Miller said.

Students also are free to eat and drink. Miller said the rule is "tell us if you spill something so we can clean it up, and don't use pizza as a bookmark."

At the recently renovated library at California State University, Long Beach, officials took a design cue from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Dean Roman Kochan said students in line for computer stations wait for their turn to flash on a flatscreen.

A wall of flatscreens near the library's Starbucks shows everything from international newspaper editions to baseball playoffs. With its mix of quiet and group spaces, the $30 million renovation pleases some -- but is a tough sell to traditionalists.