In part II of our Library Stacks Removal Series, we take a step back to examine what makes these projects possible: support. Research continues to reinforce librarians' beliefs that they need digital resources in response to user demand. As flexibility and mobility within community spaces continues to become more popular, the librarian's task becomes adapting spaces to fit ambiguous 21st century needs.

1. Library Stacks Removal Series – Part II

2. In Part II of our Library Stacks Removal Series,
we take a step back to examine what makes
these projects possible: support. Research
continues to reinforce librarians' beliefs that they
need digital resources in response to user
demand. As flexibility and mobility within
community spaces continues to become more
popular, the librarian's task becomes adapting
spaces to fit ambiguous 21st century needs.
So, how does one update to a flex space
despite seemingly endless obstacles, such as
shrinking budgets mixed with growing student
populations? In this segment, we focus on
important aspects including where to start,
who to involve, what creates a well-designed
renovation outreach campaign, and tips for
those looking to gain support for updating a
space.
Library Stacks Removal Series

3. Identifying the Problem
Ed O’Neill, Director of Sales and Business
Development for the East Coast for AGATI,
works with clients everyday who are looking to
renovate an existing space. We talked with
O'Neill as he discussed how librarians often have
a vision but identifying the source of funding can
sometimes eclipse the need to garner support
from the community and decision makers, first.
O’Neill points to AGATI's collaboration with
Kennesaw State University as a prime example.
Dr. David Evans, Dean and Assistant Vice
President of Library Services at Kennesaw, lead
the charge to re-tool a space that was not being
utilized to its fullest by students.

4. “The university library
was doing well as a
technologies resource
for students and staff,
but the building
itself was fading into
the background,”
Dr. Evans said.
After studying the space and potential renovations, Dr. Evans and his
staff recognized one variable that could work in their favor – stacks
removal. A ten year study of circulation indicated there was a large
number of books that never circulated or circulated less then ten times.
As a result, Dr. Evans proposed creating a repository for this material
on the edge of campus. Once books where removed to the repository,
staff created plans for a flex space.

5. Support and Outreach
Dr. Evans points out that the journey toward
reconceptualizing a space is long and gaining
support from fellow staff members is invaluable.
He involved his librarians in the process,
got their feedback and shared progress along
the way.
In addition to internal support, Dr. Evans looked
to the campus community. He wanted to make
the library an integral community space on
campus, and his strategy lead him to consider
another native brand – Coca Cola. Recognizing
that people were familiar and comfortable
with the brand, Dr. Evans set out to achieve
the same for his library: a space that was
comfortable and familiar to the Kennesaw
community. A survey was sent out to the
Kennesaw student community, gaining valuable
feedback along with 5,000 responses in favor
of updating the space.
Kennesaw State Sturgis Library
[Before and After]

6. Time for a Plan
Support for a project gains momentum, and
O’Neill says that momentum only advances a
project when paired with a plan. He talks about
how plans often result in collaboration between
the library and outside resources who can provide
tools and visual aids.
"Researching your library usage, understanding
the challenges patrons and staff face, and
reaching out to manufacturers and designers
for ideas and suggestions are vital to creating
the best plan of action for your new flex space,"
he said.

7. In the case of Kennesaw State, Dr. Evans and his staff
compiled a 20 year study of the library. He was able to
show how as costs and needs of the library increased,
the funding remained stagnant. He then collaborated
with campus planning and facilities managers, along
with manufacturers and designers to help produce
space plans and renderings of furniture examples that
would enable him to illustrate his plan to campus
decision makers.
These space plans and renderings are often the key to
creating support from major decision makers in the
project process. The difference between presenting a
checklist of ideas as opposed to a visual rendering of
how the space could potentially look is too often
underestimated. By including visual elements, the plans
for the space become more tangible to those not as
directly involved.

8. Much like educational organizations, public
libraries often must tap into community needs to
formulate a plan. Annette Armstrong, Library
Director of Green Hills Public Library in Palos
Hills, IL, discussed her approach to addressing
a larger Library Board. She researched the
library’s usage statistics to provide a clear
understanding of what circulated well, what was
left on the shelves, and where people spent the
most time in the space. Armstrong’s project, like
the Kennesaw project, maintained momentum
due to community support of the project and its
goals, as her main objective was to implement
new technologies and remove low circulation
materials, creating a larger flex area for patrons
and providing updated resources.

9. Circle Back and then Present
O'Neill suggests that after you have gathered your
research, the next best step is to gain momentum
once more from your staff and patrons, this time with
new plans and visuals for them to see. By doing this,
librarians are able to continue moving ahead with
support from those who use the space, making the
next step in the process much easier.
Both Armstrong and Dr. Evans presented their
projects to their respective boards, showing them
specific budget numbers, project costs, and visual
elements. Their projects were able to gain priority,
receive the funds from the year-end budget, all with
positive response from the boards and community.

10. Looking Ahead...
Dr. Evans and Armstrong took it upon themselves
to research their facilities to create the best possible
updates to suit their patrons' evolving needs. Their
experiences have left them with words of wisdom
for those looking to update.
Dr. Evans recommends being persistent, patient
and pursuing the attention of the top decision
makers in the university to provide a complete and
well-researched proposal. He highlights the
importance of being specific with budget numbers
and incorporating visual aids in the presentation.
Armstrong’s advice for those in the public
library field looking to renovate is to budget
wisely and eliminate the excess materials
from a space. By making investments that will
be useful to the community, not only today but
in the future, she says that you can utilize a
newly opened flex space to its fullest.
In the case of both Dr. Evans and Armstrong,
gaining great support from their library
communities was key to seeing successful
library renovations. Their hard work paid off
and resulted in the creation of
innovative spaces that can be reinvented time
and time again.

11. Join the conversation
on our blog!
This is part 2 of AGATI's four part
Library "Stacks Removal" Series.
We hope you enjoyed it and
welcome your feedback!
We invite you to join the AGATI
community for occasional updates
with our quarterly newsletter.

12. Choose AGATI for:
• Nationally recognized product, quality, and performance
• Project management from conception to installation
• Timeless collections built for longevity and adaptability
• Highest quality furniture standards
• Furniture that adapts to todays technology
• Design, engineering, and customization consultation
• Commitment to long term service for the life of the furniture

13. www.agati.com
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