Morgan Jones - Learning Retrospective

I had the opportunity to attend the Library Design Institute, a two-day event created by Library Journal and hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) System in Columbus, Ohio.

The first day was a bus tour to four different locations throughout the Columbus Metropolitan area. Three of the locations were operated by CML, the fourth was part of another nearby system. The focus of the event was getting to see trends in design for libraries as they seek to transform into Libraries of the 21st Century. On each tour, our guide addressed questions about balancing the size of the collection with the need for people space, the changing customer-service model, as well as the changing role of the library in the community.

In listening to staff and leaders at Columbus Metropolitan Library, I heard our story. We (Metropolitan Library System) are where they were about five years ago. They underwent a strategic planning process to hone their mission and vision and develop a focus for their priorities. They have spent the past five years transforming their workforce, collection, programs, initiatives, and physical environments to reflect their new strategic plan—and it shows. 

For more details, please see the attached PDF.