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SEATTLE CENTRAL LIBRARY
Public Work Group- Children’s Services
Meeting #1, January 5, 2000

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WHAT IS THE SEATTLE PUBLIC CENTRAL LIBRARY’S ROLE/AUDIENCE FOR IT’S CHILDREN’S CENTER?

1. LARGEST CHILDREN’S CENTER IN SEATTLE SYSTEM (IN REGION?).
2. PRIMARY REFERENCE FOR SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM.
3. DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY – CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, WORKING FAMILIES.
4. BIRTH TO 12-YEAR OLDS, PARENTS, PROVIDERS WHO WORK WITH THESE KIDS.

KEY ELEMENTS/ISSUES FOR THE DESIGN TEAM.

1. Security- Fun, attractive, not oppressive.
2. Accessibility- Consider travel through library to arrival at Kid’s area.
3. Integrate mission of organization with continuum of child development/relationships (w/librarian, other adults).
4. Understand demographics of users first.
5. Kid friendly- place for kids makes for happy parents and caregivers.
6. Enough resources dedicated to kids.
7. The more beautiful you make it, the more people will love, use and respect it.

1. WHAT SHOULD ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN’S CENTER BE?
   • Speak your mission.
   • Safe (Physically, within the entire library- for kids & parents).
   • Creative, accessible, place to explore.
   • Visually/physically connected to rest of library.
   • Accessible for physically handicapped.
   • Different developmental needs within age range.
     • Young children and 9-12 year olds have school as focus.
     • Transition for older kids into other areas in the library.
   • Get demographic info. about your patrons via survey, ie. What do they know about library? What services do they want?
   • Reflects diversity of everyone who enters. Sense of belonging.
   • Provides role models for kids (Staff).
   • Look forward to needs in future. Be flexible, ie. How will kids use resources/computers in 10+ years?
   • Cozy places to read (not uncomfortable/hard back chairs)- sitting and standing places.
   • Acknowledge different learning styles.
   • Keep in mind what childcare providers need too.
   • Different sizes of chairs. Place where adult can sit with kids sitting in their laps.
   • Areas where groups can be to team/work together.
   • Quiet places, plus noisy places (place to host Birthday party?)
   • Reading lofts (where light is), near the ceiling.
   • Height of shelves/stuff: eye level, reach level.
   • Combination of different spaces:
     • Quiet study to be alone to read.
     • Place for discussions.
   • Organize around levels:
     • Low (baskets w/young kids’ picture books).
     • Place objects/books to appropriate age, eye level.
   • Better to segregate or integrate activities/materials?
   • Up to date and inviting, but not necessarily in competition w/MTV, “6 Flags Over Texas.”
   • Clearly define what needs to happen in the space and it will likely happen. If it’s not clear, it won’t happen as you plan. Space for large/small activities.
   • Reading room collections (non-circulating).
   • Miscellaneous: Possibility of licensed drop-in childcare facility?
2. HOW CAN WE BEST ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES/CHILDREN’S GROUPS VISITING? SECURITY? ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES?
   • Kids Photo Survey to show us what they like (Give kids disposable cameras and ask them to take pictures of their favorite building elements.).
   • Low, accessible water fountains, book drops, WC’s - details important.
   • Kids love art.
   • Concern about security presence: Does it mean you don’t trust us (kid’s point of view)?
   • Concern about kids’ safety.
     • Single, regulated gate in/out.
     • Way for caregiver to know if the child has left area without them.
     • Low gate/wall to keep kids in, but visible from other areas.
     • Sitelines – KEY.
     • O.K. to supervise/verify unaccompanied adults and their purpose in library.
   • Location of computers/technology important.
   • Consider adjacency of age groups within kids, as well as location of Kid’s Area within the library.
   • What do kids/families walk through to get to Kid’s Area?
   • Any plans for surveillance cameras/monitors in remote location?
   • Remember all ages will use this area because of literacy needs.
   • Place to have snack without going to the café.
   • Library meeting place.
     • Caseworkers meeting kids.
     • Foster parents meeting kids.
     • Kids meeting parents.
   • Restrooms- all sizes (example: 5 tiers in Children’s Museum WC).
   • Changing tables in both mens/womens.
   • Family toilet rooms.
   • Miscellaneous. Focus groups for the kids early. Tap into their creativity before the design is too set. Tap into their perspective throughout process- even once facility is completed. Have survey available in Kid’s Area continuously, ie. “How much do you read? What do you read? What do you like about the library?”
3. EXPERIENCES, PRO/CON, THAT MIGHT BENEFIT OUR DESIGN PROCESS.
• Tree house feeling, all windows over a stream. Boulder, CO,
• Flexible (Example of fireplace, but no seating near it).
• Themes throughout room: raised floor, nooks, places to read, padded materials to absorb sound.
• Bathtub w/pillows (kids read in tub), Minneapolis, MN
• Plants. Edmonton, ONT.
• Fish in pool. Hawaii? (Fish tanks calm kids down.)
• Sound of water. (Fountain in Principal’s office.)
• Walls meant to take staples/pushpins to display kids’ art.
• Community place to generate dialog on reading, to post recommendations.
• Catalog cards w/individual’s thoughts (Like SF’s art piece.).
• 9-12 year olds are very underserved population. Make a place where they would want to go (ie. clubhouse housing recognition of peers, privacy).
• Theater space for acting out, dress up both work well.
• Floor space where kids can wiggle/move around.
• Need sink.
• Need cubbies, coat hooks for all stuff (secure/visible).
• Stroller parking area.
• Storage for puppets, story time collection, etc. to make staging activity easier.
• Higher percentage of kids’ body that touches the floor, the higher the attention level. (OK for parents to sit on floor?) Not so true for the older kids?
• People who are uncomfortable in institutional environment - literacy, ESL issues- need more interactive/more visible information
• Attract people from different cultures.
• Signage important: Use picture icons located where kids can see them.
• CON: In one library, boat installed to provide a cool place to read; instead boat became a jungle gym.
4. SPECIFIC SERVICES/ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
   • How is adult comfortable in space? Adult is one often making choice to go to library.
   • Place for kids to display their personal collections.
     • Display cases for materials not to be touched.
     • Low enough for kids to see.
     • Display cases “multi-dimensional” related to other materials.
     • “Wrap-around displays”- makes a little cubby around them.
   • Kids’ recommendations.
   • Books on tables- face out, sloping shelves.
   • Highlight topics and subjects. Change them over time.
   • Interactive displays (Example: On Skeleton display, kids find the heart or brain.).
   • Various lighting levels help with transition between spaces too.
   • Displays that highlight changing images of patron’s faces.
   • Get illustrations. (Visiting displays, but issues w/security, care etc.)
   • Get artists to donate illustrations. Think of all elements as artful. Look for art opportunities.
   • Honor the kids.
     • Contests.
     • Thank-yous for their donations.
     • Encourage/reward their efforts/reading.
   • Family fun w/kids’ materials.
     • Get parents interested in reading.
     • Place to demonstrate adults reading to kids.
   • Consider the height of reference desk.
   • Highlight process for creating a picture book (Example: Stick figures to final product).
   • Authors in residence. School classes come and visit.
   • Single parent reading groups.
   • Different language reading groups.
   • Capitalize on close relationship between library/publishers/book sellers (partners having the same goal of getting books into the hands of people).
   • Safe place but allow family time and grown-up time (kid able to be alone while parent is in other part of library). Security key.
   • Segregation of entries for kids/adults. Limit number of adults that end up in the kid’s area when they don’t have a reason to be there.

Content modified: 24 March 2000

12/31/2004

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