The creation of the George and Helen Ladd Library a quarter of a century ago was indeed a great leap of faith for the future of Bates College. This fine Library continues to guide the academic life of the faculty and students as well as shape the physical environment of the campus.

Ladd Library is the focal point of Bates College as its construction in 1973 interrupted Bardwell Street between Andrews Road and Campus Avenue, shaping the "campus" as we know it today. The Library's design responded to the needs of the college faculty and students and looked as far to the future as was possible. Allowing for internal flexibility and growth as well as campus scale, the building received a number of design awards, notably, honor awards from the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association. The design team from the Architects Collaborative of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was headed by Sarah Harkness and James Burlage with engineering support from Alonzo Harriman and Associates of Auburn, Maine. Keyes Metcalf, a world renowned library consultant, guided the initial library planning and programming effort.

The open, flowing design of the internal spaces of the Library encourages exploration, while the reading areas provide privacy without isolation through the use of carrels and group study tables. The generous use of natural wood throughout the building adds to its character.

In the early 1980s the ground floor expansion space was occupied by Government Documents and other elements of the collection. A music listening area was constructed which introduced electronics to the presentation of information. Compact shelving was installed at the ground floor level in the early 1990s. However, in a very few years, shelf capacity will be reached in many areas of the Library.

As technology has accelerated the pace of our society, the electronic storage and retrieval of information has assumed a central position in the business and academic world. For academic institutions, the print media, audiovisual, and electronic text come together in the Library creating a centralized multimedia mix of research, learning, teaching, socializing, and browsing. Todays students and faculty are now computer literate and possess the personal hardware to tap into the world's software. The library staff provides the expertise to assist in the search for information and teaches the skills needed to continue this life-long discovery process.

The Ladd Library was designed for the users and for efficient materials processing. The focus upon the card catalog of in-house holdings is no longer relevant. An electronic information center will do all the card catalog did and much, much, more. In order to facilitate these new demands of space, speed, and information, the Ladd Library as a building must again respond with flexibility, efficiency, and economy.

In his charge to the library staff and the consultants, President Harward asked that concepts be developed into a long range plan for the Library, addressing the needs of the library through discreet small scale projects. The following report outlines the identified needs and goals, and presents specific projects which respond to that charge.

The current and anticipated needs related to Ladd Library fall into four major categories of the Library's mission:

Beginning in mid-March 1995, the consultants met with library staff on a bi-weekly basis and then on a monthly schedule through mid-summer. Discussions covered the detailed functions of the staff, their role in the overall process of providing library services, and their knowledge of the information needs of the users.

Plan diagrams were prepared by the consultants which graphically demonstrated the current organization of the collection and the staff and proposed modifications that could address the needs and goals. The library staff provided statistical information regarding existing shelf capacity and seating capacity so that the impact of any reorganization could be measured as to its benefit.

In the discussions, there was early agreement that one of the design assumptions should be to satisfy the needs of the Library within its present envelope. A brief review of the campus plan and adjacent open spaces showed that any exterior additions to the Library would cause adverse effects on the campus and would involve broader issues of cost and benefit.

The potential use of Coram for Information Services or Library functions was considered, but not planned. When Coram is vacated and a new academic building is completed, Coram will provide staff space for Information Services. Detailed planning would be premature at this time, but all modifications to Ladd Library are proposed to complement the anticipated use of Coram.

In certain existing interior spaces, efficiencies of use and internal expansion potentials became the focus of renovation-reorganization projects that could directly respond to the goals.

The existing two story space at the Science Library, if floored over, would create an additional 750 square feet of space. A consolidation of Technical Services, including Bind and Mend and Reference offices, could open an additional 440 square feet of space for reading and the Reference collection at the main floor, and a 600 square foot classroom at the ground floor. The somewhat dark south-west corner of the main floor appeared to be an ideal location for a much needed Bibliographic Instruction classroom.

These projects were investigated in detail with plans and diagrams to show their potential benefit. Other space saving potentials were discussed and diagrammed, such as collections shifting to create more reading area at the ground floor.

The investigation of the flooring over of the Science Library led to a number of exciting changes. By moving the current Reading Room and copy machines to the new floor, Current Periodicals could move from the ground floor to a more desirable location on the main floor. By removing key walls at the ground floor at the base of the open stair, Microforms could be located so as to use a small section of compact shelves. The Science collection could expand and the open stairway connection would at last connect the ground floor and main floor in a very obvious strongly organized manner. The expansion of Special Collections proved to be quite easily accommodated and would allow functional separation so as to provide space for educational and social gatherings.

The lower level Coram B stacks was identified as a "problem area" as it is an unpleasant, perhaps frightening, place for many users and staff. Discussion ranged from filling it in and leveling Coram A floor to Ladd Library ground floor, to eliminating Coram A floor.

Discussion settled upon reshelving periodicals to put seldom used older bound periodicals at Coram B, reducing its use. Further disposition of old bound periodicals would be to a remote storage area. The long range future of Coram B was discussed as a possible site for a campus multi-media preparation, viewing, and editing center.

Discussions with academic department heads and faculty pointed to the increased use of electronics in the classroom, but also to the need to provide instruction to the faculty in the creation and use of multi-media in their teaching. The long-range need for a multi-media classroom, resource and production facility, to serve the campus, was also discussed and agreed as to its benefit.

The list of responses to the needs and goals are a combination of coordinated "stand- alone" construction projects and tasks which in themselves are not connected physically in a linear sequence or phases. They are, rather, individual projects that each contribute to the overall master plan to improve the learning environment, enhance information retrieval services, allow collection growth, and improve efficiencies in the working environment of the staff. Many of these projects can be undertaken by Bates College physical plant staff and library staff, as their scope and duration are achievable with minimal disruption to library operations.

A few projects are larger in scope and duration and will require off-campus construction assistance. These "linked" projects have sequential moves or steps in order to complete and will require work by college and library staff to shift elements of the collection for protection and permit ongoing services. The remaining projects are either equipment and furnishings purchases or building operations improvements.

The projects are given letter designations to aid in cross referencing contributions to the needs and goals, and do not imply a priority designation. It is anticipated that funding sources and alumni giving interests will guide the sequence of responses.

a. Bibliographic Instruction Classroom. Main Level.

• Construct classroom in southwest corner by adding two walls extending to second level ceiling.

• Provide 16 two person computer tables, one instructional podium console, and a wall screen.

• Provide 16 student terminals and one instructor terminal and video projection equipment, all inter-linked to provide interactive instruction capabilities.

• Wiring shall be at the perimeter of the room allowing flexibility of layout.

b. Electronic wiring of all work stations, carrels, seats, and tables. All levels.

• Provide electric power and electronic ports for access to the campus network. This will allow users to connect to databases and software alongside the Library's print resources and will promote the most efficient use of information services.

c. Electronic Reference. Main Level.

• Provide 26 electronic reference stations adjacent to the reference desk.

• Provide 4 electronic reference stations at the reference desk, two of which are for librarian/user assistance, and two dedicated for reference librarian use.

• Provide electronic reference stations in key stack areas of the collection as future demands dictate.

d. Music Library. Ground Level.

• Reconfigure shelving storage areas and head end equipment to provide more collection space.

• A second phase of this project will be to relocate the entry door to the Music Library in order to move it from the "service corridor" to be more convenient to the stack collection and more visible to the paths of travel and new organizational layout of the lower level.

e. Conversion of faculty carrels. Third Level.

The twenty-two enclosed faculty carrels are inefficiently used and their use will be further diminished by the completion of the new academic building at the corner of Andrews and Bardwell.

• Provide audio-video equipment including head phones at each office/carrel.

• Change locks to latches with lever handles at each door.

f. Add video stack. Main Level.

• Locate circulating videos on main level.

g. Equipment Purchases.

• As about 80% of the 912 seats in the Library will be wired for computer access and power, some library equipment will be made available permanently at specific stations and some equipment can be loaned to users.

• Other equipment not related to specific projects such as CRT Catalog Stations in the stack areas may be considered.

As part of the consolidation of Technical Services at the main level, Bind and mend will move from the lower level to Technical Services.

• Reconfigure former Bind and Mend to 49 student capacity viewing classroom.

• Classroom use to be scheduled by the Library for college-wide use.

i. Provide new signage system. Various Levels.

• A new signage system for directions and shelving which meets ADA standards must be provided.

• Consider a new directory when the circulation desk area is upgraded. Interactive electronic directory should be considered.

j. Construct new Reading Room. Main Level.

• By flooring over the two story space in the Science Library and eliminating the stacked carrels, a new enclosed reading room for thirty-five persons is proposed. This will allow current periodicals to move to the main level where the current reading room is located.

• Remove the glass curtain wall which encloses the present reading room (former all night reading room).

• Construct copy machine room adjacent to New Periodicals area and Reading Room.

• Add reading area adjacent to Circulation Desk and main entry.

• Reconfigure Circulation Desk to provide more walking space in conjunction with new security system "wickets".

• Remove walls around the open stair at the ground level.

• Reconfigure the science collection.

• Construct new microforms area.

• Convert small compact shelves to microforms storage.

k. Reconfigure Technical Service and Reference Desk/offices. Main Level.

Through analysis and detailed discussions with staff, it is proposed to reconfigure the technical services area and to provide proper work stations for staff. It was discovered that areas allocated for use by work-study students has dictated the space utilization of Technical Services. By reserving work surfaces for students and by not having proper staff work stations, the available space has been reduced to a single plane 30 inches above the floor. New work stations and consolidation of student stations will permit the relocation of reference offices adjacent to Technical Services rather than their current location in the middle of the reference collection. A new reference desk configuration in closer proximity to the main entry would then be possible, permitting closer relationship between electronic reference services, the reference desk, and the circulation desk.

• Reconfigure technical services area to accommodate offices and work stations, including those for reference staff.

• Provide new reference desk near main entry.

• Reconfigure reference collection and adjacent reading areas.

• Move Bind and Mend to Technical Services area. Create (electronic) forty-nine student, large group classroom at ground floor (former Bind and Mend).

• I.L.L., circulation office, work rooms, and administrative offices revisions complete this renovation.

l. Furnishings.

• With the 125-130 additional seats in the library, new tables and chairs, and new lounge seating and end tables, will be required. Four person tables are a preferred configuration.

• It is anticipated that there will be a sufficient number of study carrels that can be redistributed.

• Other miscellaneous furnishings that are unrelated to specific projects may include specialized storage elements, display, and exhibit cases, etc.

• Expand special collections reading area into adjacent study area.

• Construct work area with work surfaces and storage for equipment and work in progress.

• Move office to be adjacent to new reading area.

• Enclose third level balcony from railing to ceiling with glass wall using the same details used in prior modifications elsewhere in the Library.

n. Shift Collections. Various Levels.

The lower level south corner currently housing government documents does not meet the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards for shelf spacing. This will require a major effort by library and Bates staff. Upon review of growth capacity of this collection and other shelf capacities a shift of the collection is proposed.

The video tape collection currently housed in the Music Library is the fastest growing portion of the collection and is currently at capacity with no room to expand. Art, music, and oversized books, predominantly art books, have nearly reached capacity. Many of these problems and others in portions of the collection can be greatly alleviated by a coordinated shifting of the collection.

• Shift government documents to lower level compact shelves.

• Respace shelves in the south corner lower level providing additional reading space and views to the campus.

• Shift L, U, V, and Z, to the third floor and balance growth space.

• Shift G to the second floor and balance growth space.

• Reshelve H, J, and K, on reconfigured shelving and compact shelving at the ground floor.

• Move circulating videos to the main floor.

• Respace the oversize book collection to work with the column grid, providing room for additional shelving.

o. Shipping and Receiving. Ground Level.

• Construct shelving and compartments to organize this area for deliveries to and from the building for separate vendors, such as Federal Express, U.S.P.S., United Parcel Service, and Maine Delivery Services.

• Provide a paging/intercom, perhaps video security system, to monitor this room and to provide response to delivery companies.

p. Shift/weed periodicals. Current Periodicals. Ground Level.

• In preparation for a move of current periodicals to the main level. A new organization of periodicals is proposed that would reshelve least-used bound periodicals to the lower level Coram B.

The result will be to reduce traffic in Coram B and prepare for the shift of current periodicals to the main level.

q. Building Improvements.

• The Ladd Library mechanical systems need general attention and balancing in order to provide proper air quality for the 1000 or so potential occupants that can be accommodated in the reconfigured facility.

• Acoustical treatment should be provided to reduce sound reverberation in upper floor reading areas.

As part of the discussions of the potential of Ladd Library in the long range, there was agreement that as the library has a finite capacity that will be reached in ten or so years. Additional considerations must be anticipated.

Remote, off-campus, climate-controlled storage, is a definite possibility for least- circulated books and bound periodicals. Discussion of a Colby, Bates, Bowdoin combined facility and remote collection, is underway and should be pursued to a positive conclusion as soon as possible.

Further discussions focused the need for a central electronic media center for assisting, creating, teaching, researching, presenting, multi-media, which is information center or library based.

The combination of thoughts about Coram B lower level, which currently is a least favored location to visit in Ladd Library, to "nearly dead" storage of bound periodicals where few people would have to visit, to the potential of a multi-media center complete with editing facilities, viewing rooms, cubicles, carrels, work rooms, and equipment repair facilities, poses an attractive long range solution to an emerging need.

As the capital campaign moves ahead, a great many needs identified for the future of the college will be linked to funding sources. The projects at Ladd Library will similarly await funding in order to be realized. Each project in the overall plan for the library may have a funding constituency. However, as the money for construction/renovation is not yet in hand, a schedule of projects related to calendar is not yet appropriate.

It is, therefore, appropriate to identify projects as to scope, priority group, and duration to construct, as this latter factor will help to determine those improvements that can be accomplished in normal vacation periods by Bates physical plant staff.

For this reason, the list of stand-alone projects provides likely candidates for vacation-sized projects, increasing their likelihood of early completion. Responses to the goals can be listed as projects as follows:

As can be seen from the list above, much of the work is of short duration. It is, however, also of interest to speculate as to the relative impacts that the satisfaction of each goal will have on library services and as to "fundability" of the goals' projects.

By Ranking of Goals

In all probability, the schedule and sequencing of the projects outlined will ultimately be triggered by funding availability, perhaps project by project. However, as the potential beneficial impacts of the projects are brought into the discussion, identification of high impact projects may trigger fundability.

The list of projects that have been developed by the staff and consultants is by most measures modest. It is, however, not conservative. The proposed projects will have an enormous impact on the ability of Ladd Library to meet the rapidly changing expectations of college libraries. One of the Library's strengths is its open, functional and flexible design. Most of the projects proposed here increase the building's capacity to promote the effective use of information resources.

Goal Number 1 is to integrate electronics into the collection. The new bibliographic class room, electronic reference stations and networked wiring throughout the Library and campus will provide easy access to information.

Goal Number 2 is to improve the availability of video. The shifting of circulating video cassettes from the Music Library to video stacks at the main level is an easy response. Additional viewing stations on the third floor, and a viewing classroom will meet some urgent needs.

Goal Number 3 is to improve user seating. Most seating projects are designed to improve the quality of seating, including location, adjacency to windows, and access to electronic services. An overall increase of 6.8 percent is projected. The chart below summarizes where this is distributed in the proposed shifts and projects.

The chart does not include Response e., Conversion of faculty carrels Third Level (22 seats), or Response h., Viewing Classroom Lower Level (49 seats).

Goal Number 4 is to improve special collections. This can be easily accomplished and will further bring academic and historic interests together in a more gracious facility.

Goal Number 5 is to improve collection storage. While it is necessary to reduce stack space in order to assure the correct aisle width for access by persons with disabilities and to improve seating quality, a more balanced distribution of collections is possible. The plans show relocation of Current Periodicals and Reference collections, but their overall shelf capacity is unchanged. For circulating collections, the chart below shows how better balance is achieved:

Collection or Floor	Current Capacity (volumes)	Projected Capacity (volumes)	Current Percent Occupied	Projected Percent Occupied	Estimated Years of Growth (current)	Estimated Years of Growth (projected)
Third Floor	51,755	51,755	56	73	20.0	8.2
Second Floor	178,022	178,022	77	81	9.8	7.8
Ground Floor
Documents	162,875	162,875	73	73	9.0	9.0
Science	37,541	41,036	77	75	0.0	5.0
Social Science	103,727	65,205	55	70	22.3	7.4
Art and Music	29,767	32,340	76	63	3.3	7.7

These estimates are based on current rates of acquisitions without weeding. Capacity is estimated at 90 percent shelf occupancy. With weeding, an estimated ten years of growth is possible. The Library should immediately begin a program to discard unneeded materials, and plan to develop off-site storage capacity for lesser-used materials. The ten-year plan provides time for these programs to be developed and implemented. With these measures, the Library's service and learning environment that enhances the College's ability to serve students and faculty will not be crowded out by growth of its circulating collections.