WF Education Blog - Designing the Future of Libraries

Vivien Low is WF Education’s Lead Designer and has worked in public and educational library design for over 30 years. Here she shares some advice and her top tips to help when embarking on a redesign or reconfiguration of your library space. 

Vivien encourages librarians to expect — and allow — individuals to make the library their own.

So, how do you design your own flexible library space?

Whether you’re planning a library refurbishment or starting from scratch, there are a lot of stages that require careful planning and thought.

WF Education's experienced team have pooled their knowledge to put together some useful guides that cover every stage of planning and installing a library space.

Our “Designing Libraries” guide discusses successfully managing the process of planning and implementing a new or refurbished library interior.  

The WF Education design team provides you with practical advice and tips based on our experiences and observations gained from designing inspiring spaces for over three decades.  

Download here!

If you are solely interested in refurbishing your existing space, this guide is for you!

We cover every stage you’ll come across when you start a new refurbishment project, including:

• Future vision
• Space analysis and auditing
• Communication and your vision
• Planning and managing your project
• Other considerations

Download the guide to get started!

Perhaps the main barrier that prevents librarians from having their dream space!

Sourcing additional funding for public and school projects and activities can be challenging and time-consuming, so we have curated a comprehensive (but not exhaustive) list of funding and grant opportunities for libraries in the UK.

Our regularly updated “funding libraries guide” also provides valuable tips for putting together and presenting successful applications.

Download the guide to unlock potential funding opportunities you could be eligible for.

Download here!

Measuring Libraries

Since library or LRC refurbishments are an important capital investment for most schools, it is crucial that they be planned to respond to current and future needs.

“WF Education's Library Space Evaluation and Measuring Guide” is intended to form part of your library refurbishment planning process.

By following our tips, you can quickly obtain a useful survey and a general estimate of your library's space needs.

Insights include…

• What you'll need to get started
• How to measure your space 
• Useful symbols
• Helpful tech tools and apps
• Measuring book stock
• Measuring from a scale plan

Download here!

If you have never been part of library refurbishment before, working with architects may be completely alien to you.

But fear not, we have put together a design brief checklist to help get you started!

Download here!