Explore the "rethought" library at Grand Valley State University in Michigan

Scott Cooper
October 20, 2015

For a book I am co-authoring on creative work and learning spaces, I recently visited the new library at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, which set out a few years ago to "rethink" what a library is all about in the digital age. I cannot imagine any project about "The Future of Libraries" that fails to explore the amazing -- and counterintuitive -- accomplishment at GVSU, which is attracting the attention of university librarians worldwide. Now that I know the director and some of her staff, I would be happy to facilitate an introduction. They host visitors from other libraries on what seems like a weekly basis. While there is a lot of information about the library on the Web, nothing beats a visit.

Tools & technologies for discovering, organizing, and preserving information
Teaching and learning support
Library spaces
Library collections (physical and digital)

Comments

Matt Bernhardt on November 16, 2015

Grand Valley State would be a good model to explore, as would a few other institutions that have recently completed significant projects. Two that come to mind are the University of Calgary's Taylor Family Digital Library (a bit older, it opened in 2011) and NC State's Hunt Library (opened in 2013). I know that staff from the Libraries have visited both buildings, but perhaps this task force could consider field trips to one or both as well.

I'd love to hear examples of similar projects from other libraries, beyond just these.