Revised Space Planning Outline and Webinar Registration for Public Libraries Now Available

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Bureau of Libraries released the fourth edition of Public Library Space Needs: a Planning Outline.

The Space Planning Outline, first developed in 1998 by DPI library consultant Anders Dahlgren, is a tool to help libraries translate their service goals and long-range plans into a general estimate of the space needed to achieve those goals. It allows library planners to estimate the adequacy of their library’s current square footage and determine whether to embark on a more detailed study for a building plan. The results of a Space Planning Outline analysis can provide libraries with a starting place for a larger conversation about the future of library service in their communities.

To share more information about the revised Space Planning Outline, the developers of Wisconsin Library Buildings & Spaces will host “Space to Grow: Assessing Future Library Building Needs,” a free webinar on Tuesday, October 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The webinar will offer an introduction to the revised Space Planning Outline, including more information on the relevance and limitations of the Outline as a planning tool for Wisconsin public libraries. Presenters Deb Haeffner, Building and Design Consultant with South Central Library System; Teresa Schmidt, DPI Public Library Administration Consultant; and John Thompson, System Director and Building Consultant with the IFLS Library System, will share examples of how to use the Outline and its companion worksheet to evaluate library space needs.

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dbPDMFSKTtO9024Q2s04Kw

For registration help, please contact Kelly Nelson, SEWI Libraries Coordinator, at knelson@bridgeslibrarysystem.org.

For more information on Public Library Space Needs: a Planning Outline, contact Teresa Schmidt, Bureau of Libraries Public Library Administration Consultant, at teresa.schmidt@dpi.wi.gov.