Digital Scholarship Library
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
Building a Digital Scholarship Library
Columbia University Libraries wanted to elevate the library’s role in promoting interdisciplinary scholarly pursuits and aligning its spaces with pedagogical and technological advancements. As part of an overall building transformation, the unit wanted to redesign one of its libraries to meet a broad range of research and learning needs surrounding digital scholarship and using innovative and emerging technologies for study.
As a Strategist and Design Researcher, I worked closely with the client and SteerCo to identify user needs and craft the overall vision for the Digital Scholarship Library. I created and facilitated research activities and workshops that engaged nearly 120 faculty, researcher, and student stakeholders to learn about their experiences and needs around digital scholarship.
Methods
(L) Entrance to the Watson Library (R) Large study space within the Watson Library
Sample recommendations for the Digital Scholarship Library.
with brightspot strategy / Buro Happold | May to October 2021
SERVICE DESIGN STRATEGY WORKSHOPS
With a task force composed of library staff and partners, we facilitated a series of service design workshops to define the service philosophy, portfolio of services, the models for service delivery, and the service points for the future library.
REQUIREMENTS AND PROGRAMMING WORKSHOP
We held a space programming workshop with leadership and future users to determine signature spaces and key requirements for creation, collaboration, and exploration.
DOCUMENT REVIEW
We looked at existing studies made about the space to develop baseline understanding and identify themes and gaps to guide the direction of our research.
LEADERSHIP VISIONING WORKSHOP
Using the themes from peer benchmarking and discovery workshops, we created a vision statement for the library and further refined it with leadership and stakeholders.
A Next-Generation Library offering advanced digital tools and a variety of programs and services
We proposed a next-generation Digital Scholarship library that supports discovery and experimentation and functions as a collaborative hub for multiple disciplines, partners, and experts across the University. The library will offer a unique combination of flexible, technology-rich spaces, expert staff, events, exhibits, tools, and software that students and faculty need to advance their work. It will provide a mix of programs and services, delivered at multiple service points at varying hours to provide library users the holistic accommodation that they need for their work.
FIELD STUDY AND TOUR
We conducted benchmarking studies of other We toured the library site to assess the current state of spaces, see the different service points, and understand the movement and flow people within the space.
PEER BENCHMARKING AND VIRTUAL TOURS
We asked seven peer institutions to complete a benchmarking survey about their spaces and services and give virtual tours of their spaces.
DISCOVERY WORKSHOPS WITH USERS AND STAFF
We engaged students, faculty, library staff, and library partners to understand how they use digital scholarship in classroom and research projects.
PRODUCT STRATEGY + RESEARCH + DESIGN