ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries N ovem ber 1984 / 545 Cr: Hedrich-Blessing The Grinnell Library “amoeba table. ” Grinnell College— America’s “comfiest” academic library? A lthough Lisa B irnbach’s new College Book m ay have some academic adm inistrators w orried about their college or university’s public image (at least until they read the entries for other institu­ tions), C hristopher McKee, director of the G rin­ nell College L ibrary, Iow a, has no quarrel w ith her assessment of Grinnell. Besides calling the college a “liberal and cultural oasis,” Birnbach also gave G rinnell points for hav­ ing the “comfiest” library of the 186 she surveyed. McKee attributes Burling L ibrary’s com fort to the skill and sensitivity of the architectural firm th a t conducted the renovation and expansion in 1982-1983, Weese Hickey Weese L td ., of Chicago. The firm insisted on pre-testing all of their fu rn i­ ture designs to ensure th a t students, faculty, and staff responded favorably. The photo on the cover shows one innovation called th e carrel tow er, a vertically-oriented con­ figuration of carrels allowing for m axim um utiliza­ tion of space. E ight carrels ring the base, seven o th ­ ers (accessed by stairs) perch on top, and tw o others are sequestered inside. The library has tw o of these towers on its first floor. Forty other carrels w ere installed in a sort of am- pitheater facing windows w hich give an excellent view of the cam pus. G rinnell students call this a r­ rangem ent “Mission C ontrol.” T he total num ber of study stations was doubled to a total of 402 after renovation, w ith a strong emphasis on reducing background noise and using flexible rath er th an fixed lighting th a t makes it easier for students to switch off lights w hen not needed. Another furniture innovation is the “am oeba ta ­ b le,” shown above, w hich is comfy, well-lit, and conducive to study. 546 / C&RL News McKee said th a t there is virtually no noise prob­ lem in the new Burling Library because the pre­ vailing atmosphere is one of quiet reflection and study. “Students just come to the library to study,” he said. Birnbach herself listed the Grinnell Stu­ dent Forum , not the library, as the best place for “social” study. Ben Weese, partner-in-charge for the Grinnell project, has also designed W illiams College L i­ brary and is working on renovation plans for the Knox College and DePauw University libraries. The best way to conduct the renovation of an older building, he said, is to “combine the best features of the existing structure w ith carefully tailored renov- a tio n /re h a b ilita tio n techniques. A chieving th e most effective com bination of these elements takes the work of a team composed of architect, builder, and user, all in close collaboration. The strategy th a t results from this collaboration can be quick and efficient, producing results th a t not only sur­ prise but delight.” O ther notable features of the new library: rich red oak paneling, m uted color tones, conveniently located reference and circulation areas, a p rin t gal­ lery on th e basem ent floor, and m ore visibility along a central concourse. One m ajor task of bibliographic instruction is getting students into the library in the first place— Grinnell College seems to have at least half the b a t­ tle w o n .—GME. ■ ■ BI tip sheet for a cad em ic adm in istrators a n d support sta ff P rep ared by th e EBSS B ib lio g ra p h ie In stru ction for E d u cators C om m ittee Charles Thurston, Chair Planning an instruction program for a neglected category of users. C o l l e g e and university departm ental secretaries, clerks, and adm inistrative assistants are among the most frequent users of the library, yet their p articu ­ lar job-related library needs are rarely addressed. “BI Tip Sheet for Academic Administrators and Support Staff,” an ACBL com mittee project, raises points the librarian should consider w hen planning instructional and inform ational program s for such clientele. The reader is urged to consult the seminal articles in the bibliography for descriptions of suc­ cessful programs. Members of the Bibliographic Instruction for Educators Comm ittee of ACRL’s Education and Behavioral Sciences Section who developed the tip sheet are: Emily Bergman, Bobbi Collins, T ara Fulton, L aura H arper, Patricia McMillan, David Norden, Judith Pryor, Jean Thompson, Thomas T o llm an , Joan W orley, an d C harles T h u rsto n (chair). I. Needs assessment a. Learn from others. Read the literature on the topic and talk w ith other librarians who have pro­ grams of this kind. b. Review inform ation needs of the target audi­ ence by analyzing statistics at the reference desk,