Safety first at the libraries: Utilization of design checklist as a tool for promotion and enhancement of library design, safety and security

• Main Authors: Cruz, Luis Ezra D., Balbas, Yugosto A.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2020
• Subjects: Library buildings—Design and construction; Library buildings—Safety measures; Library and Information Science
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/9321
• Institution: De La Salle University

As the center where the academe fulfills its information and research needs and as well as an integral place for social engagement on campus, the library needs to ensure that it proactively provides safe and secure spaces for their clientele at all times. Further, the ever-changing needs of library users in the 21st century have led to multifaceted changes in their space requirements. With this in mind, the study aims to utilize a design checklist as a tool to promote and enhance library design, safety, and security practices of the De La Salle Philippines (DLSP) Libraries. This paper will provide relevant results and recommendations to help support the existing space requirements and needs of its users. The study utilized a design checklist – Checklist of Library Building Design Considerations, 6th ed. (2016) published by the American Library Association (ALA) as a self- survey that will be accomplished by library administrators. For this study, libraries of DLSP member institutions offering secondary, undergraduate, and graduate programs served as respondents to focus on the school and academic library settings. Applicable areas and contents within the checklist above were curated to formulate a self-survey tool to assess current practices concerning the design, safety, and security of their respective libraries. Responses were summarized and analyzed to identify overall recurring patterns and themes. General best practices were identified for possible adoption. Areas for further improvement were likewise recognized and furnished to respective libraries as reference for possible policy and process improvements. Furthermore, overall policy and procedural recommendations were established based on the results of the study to improve further, promote, and enhance the library design, safety, and security practices of the institutions. If applied with existing measures adopted by the library, the university, and relevant government legislation concerning safety and security, utilizing the design checklist to assess library spaces will positively impact and enhance the overall library design, safety, and security practices of the DLSP Libraries. The self-survey tool could also be adopted by other academic libraries to assess their current practices concerning design, safety, and security and improve their library spaces to meet the ever-changing needs of their users.