Transforming Public Libraries For More

Helping libraries stay flexible for all functions.

The landscape of today’s public libraries is always evolving. Once a location for checking out books and quiet study, patrons now can learn a new skill, collaborate on a project, listen to a featured speaker, browse the internet, and more…. With all of this desired activity, it can be hard for librarians to offer the necessary space and capacity for visitors to carry out these tasks all while preserving space for storing books and other physical resources.

This is where MOTUS Space Solutions and our library storage experts come into play. Our team is equipped with the knowledge and solutions to deliver the optimal combination of systems required to meet your library’s exact needs. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the many ways our team can help offer more to your patrons.

Transformation and Meeting Spaces

Indexing Your Library’s Storage

Wanting to offer a wider range of possibilities for visitors, public libraries are utilizing versatile storage solutions to expand the capacity of their available space and meet the diverse needs of their community’s members. While simply adding more square footage to your library seems like the obvious solution, due to budget constraints it is almost never the most practical or popular one. With that, taking the time to assess how your space is currently used and outline how patrons would like to use it is key to building a successful foundation to transform the look and function of your space.

One of the most common inhibitors to a library’s versatility is the type of shelving it uses to house materials. By employing static systems, you leave a large amount of space underutilized. This why we recommend High-Density Mobile Shelving (HDMS) systems as they eliminate unused aisles and allow libraries to save space and store more materials in a smaller footprint.

Increasing Circulation for Activities

Now that you’ve created more space in your library, how will you use it? Whether it’s to support a class, presentation, or meeting, Flexible Shelving not only provides ample storage space and varied configurations for the task at hand, but its caster bases allow the system to be relocated at a moment’s notice, allowing more participants and greater impact for the community.

A Reference to Secure Access

Librarians must create an environment that facilitates this growth by offering modern applications and securing quick, convenient access to all available materials. Incorporating proven library storage systems allows staff to create space for and protect these materials, but what about the personal belongings patrons may bring with them?

Day use lockers provide secure storage options for patrons to keep their possessions secure while utilizing the library’s resources. Available with a variety of locking mechanisms and finishes, librarians can choose the correct configuration for their patrons and aesthetics to match their location’s design elements.

Off-Site Storage and Adaptive Spaces

Research Before Development

Driven by an increase in demand, the market cost per square foot for industrial and warehouse space has continued to rise year over year. With this fact and a finite budget allocation for public libraries, it is imperative that libraries go through a planning and design process when considering utilizing an off-site facility for storing their excess materials.

This process includes key considerations such as site selection – which will ensure the space is within a radius that allows for efficient material transport; space requirements – which determine if the facility is capable of handling the projected amount and types of materials your location currently has and anticipates attaining in the future; and environmental control – which will determine the facility’s ability to provide the precise temperature and humidity settings required for each specific piece.

Manufacturing Your Maximum Mix

Depending on your institution's needs, off-site facilities can be outfitted with static shelving, mobile shelving, or a combination of the two to store materials most efficiently. Now that you’ve taken the time to assess the elements of your library’s learning lineup, let’s dive into each of these storage solutions and how they combine to create a functional off-site facility.

High-bay shelving is an increasingly popular option among institutions as it allows operators to efficiently use vertical space. Available in static and mobile applications, Spacesaver's Xtend® High-Bay Shelving is designed to stand up to 35 feet high to take advantage of the increased vertical space many warehouses provide. To further aid in condensing collections and creating more storage in less floor space, the system’s shelves can be adjusted based on book size or box type, and shelving units placed on rails that allow aisles to be opened only at the point of need, eliminating wasted aisle space, optimizing space for future growth, and decreasing long-term operating costs.

Off of Site, But Not Out of Mind

By moving seldom-utilized library materials and their traditionally static storage systems to an off-site facility, librarians are afforded the opportunity to provide a variety of use cases for patrons in the same space. Furthermore, freeing up space can boost your library’s service offerings to include cafes, classrooms, and access to the latest technology.

As important as the ability to store excess items in an off-site location is the ability just as easily recall these materials when needed. Available with a wide range of accessories centered around accessibility, high-bay solutions provide a way for researchers and residents to have access to the full breadth of your collections within a short period of time.

Space Planning and Funding

The Fundamentals of Funding

According to WordsRated, almost 94% (93.86%) of library funding comes from the government (local, state, or federal), while the remaining 6.14% comes from other sources including private donations, fees, fines, or grants.

When considering one or more of these funding sources for your library project, make sure you don’t forget that contracts can also offer a powerful option for purchasing the items you need. Contracts are systems set up by state governments and other organizations to evaluate products and negotiate pricing with esteemed vendors. This process, in turn allows most libraries and archives in the U.S. to save time and money when purchasing these vendors’ products by using NJPA, National IPA, and/or state contracts.

Appealing To The Census

Today’s public libraries have become an outlet for most forms of expression and learning that patrons could imagine. Whether it’s a room for children to enjoy a book read aloud, makerspace to master a new skill, or a quiet corner to explore their favorite genre of literature, visitors utilize their library’s available space for an assortment of reasons that vary day to day. Knowing this, is a great way to kick off your space planning efforts and uncover and understand the needs of your patrons.

Now that you’ve acquired a firm understanding of what your community and its members demand from a library, it’s time to evaluate your current configuration’s ability to fill those needs and what additions/subtractions would help in facilitating them in the future. Here is where employing the services of an expert storage specialist (ideally one that understands your local market) can help optimize your space and budget.

Choose Your Own Adventure Space Planning

You’ve polled the masses and brought in the experts, now it’s time to fill your space with functional solutions. Let’s take a look at a few of these options, designed to optimize your space planning and ensure the greatest amount of value can be produced each day.

Open space facilitates endless possibilities. This is why utilizing high-density mobile shelving in your library can help provide increased opportunities for your patrons. Capable of storing the same volume of materials in half the amount of space needed for static shelving, high-density mobile shelving eliminates unused aisle space and frees up room for pursuing a variety of productive avenues.

When a more adaptable solution is required to keep up with on-the-fly adjustments, opting for solutions like Flexible Shelving units could be the perfect choice. Mounted on concealed or exposed casters and designed for versatility, these units can move at the pace of your project’s need, ensuring you’ll arrive at a happy ending no matter where your path leads you.

With so many outlets for learning and growth, a visit to the library can be an all-day affair for patrons young and old. That said, adding secure storage options for personal belongings to your space plan can go a long way for staff and visitors alike. Day use lockers provide a secure solution that can be customized to fit your library’s look, while giving your patrons the feeling that their possessions are safe while they explore all the building has to offer.

Bringing It All Together

Whether your library is planning for a brand-new library, a major renovation, or simply a more effective floor plan, MOTUS Space Solutions can help. Our trusted experts and proven solutions help provide convenient access to materials while also freeing up space for social distancing or other uses. With support from your local distributor and a variety of purchasing options to choose from, you can get started today and create inspired spaces for learning.

Quality Solutions for Public Libraries

Whether you’re expanding, renovating, or designing a brand-new library, connect with our consultants to learn about all your options. As Spacesaver’s only authorized distributor in Colorado, New Mexico, and parts of Wyoming and Texas, MOTUS offers expert space planning insights and the best library products on the market.