KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY An Architectural Response to Changing Educational and Social Demdnds

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Date
2013-06
Authors
MUHAMMAD, MUHAMMAD ZIA-UL-HAQ
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Abstract
The academic library program of the 21s1 century is undergoing a paradigm shift evident in new allocations of functional spaces as well as its service delivery. The paradigm shift is towards the efficient organisation and management of both print and non-print materials for users that are hitherto, displaying a variety of learning styles. The changes are so profound that it has dispelled the popular notion that the traditional investment in library space is diminishing or that libraries are mere repositories for books. These changes can be attributed to technology; explosion of electronic 'content'; mass digitization projects and the internet. This thesis was aimed at explorin current design issues in contemporary academic library design used to address the changing demands in library spaces. Case studies and a literature review was used to examine the changing educational and social demands in academic libraries and their resultant spatial demand on library design, methods employed in tackling space design issues, and impact of digital technologies on contemporary academic library design. Major findings show that there is a growing acknowledgement that the library is as much about social interaction and intellectual exchange as storage for book; evidence of the enormous changes taking place in the information landscape that is transforming teaching and learning, scholarly communication and the role of "traditional" research library services. Other findings include the growth of library collections, changing character of study space needs, inclusion of the concept of 'commons' in libraries, increasing interdisciplinary work and changes in library instruction programmes. This thesis concludes that although there is a variety of changing demands of educational and social components of academic libraries, they must be carefully balanced in order to achieve a functional design and a synergy of the formal and informal space in the 21st century academic library. Also, there is an increasing awareness of involving the end users (students) in designing libraries that will reflect the students' personal lives as well as the changes taking place in higher education pedagogy. Recommendations include the provision of more social spaces in the form of collaborative spaces and group study spaces, the use of print repositories for low-use or infrequently used print materials that are likely to have duplicates in other libraries. Future research should investigate critically, the difficulties in designing spaces that will cater for the changing educational and social demands of libraries.
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A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZAR1A IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Keywords
KADUNA STATE,, UNIVERSITY LIBRARY,, Architectural Response,, Changing Educational,, Social Demdnds
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