With the World Wide Web introduced in 1990, users could now access library sources from outside of the physical library space. With the internet now serving as a gateway to information, libraries no longer held such a monopoly on this role, causing them to need a new or adapted focus. Many libraries began turning to users as the thing to design libraries around.

Georgetown University

- Up until the 1950’s: fixed function design
- 50’s: modular design
- 60’s: romantic architectural style
- 80’s: computer stations
- 90’s: online access
* “Library as place” concept introduced
- 2000’s: information commons space
- 10’s: learning commons space 

Trends in Library Space Design

Oliveira, Silas M. "Trends in Academic Library Space: From book boxes to learning commons." Open information science 2.1 (2018): 59-74.
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opis-2018-0005/pdf

Library as Place

While there is no single definition for Information Commons, it is generally understood as a place where technology and references services are brought together in order to empower learners to find information independently, with some also emphasizing a design that encourages learners to work with this information.

Information Commons

Rather than focusing on the resources or services offered by a library, the Learning Commons model centers the users of libraries, and how to best support their dynamic processes of learning.

Learning Commons

Fixed function design means that library spaces are built for one key function. Up until the 1950s, this was to physically hold book collections. Multi-tiered stacks were used, with a separation between reader areas and stack areas.

Fixed Function Design in Libraries

Modular design centered operational efficiency and flexibility. This looked like dividing the floor areas into equal rectangles so that librarians could more easily modify the floor plan when changes were needed.

Modular Design in Libraries

Libraries were moved towards a romantic architectural style when the modular design was called too boring or plain. This new style included atriums, monumental effects, special lighting and shapes, and gave readers direct access to books. 

Romantic Architectural Style in Libraries

Computer stations replaced card catalogues in the 1980s, signalling the introduction of technology into libraries, and the departure from libraries as places of strictly paper-resources. 

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