SIRIUS
Vetere
ROLE: DESIGNER, STRATEGIST, RESEARCHER
01/22 - 03/22
Academic project completed at Cornell University with Connie Hui
Instructor: Professor Ying Hua
ABOUT THE PROJECT
A future-oriented concept for collaborative learning environment in a library.
The mission of this project is to equip the Mui Ho Fine Arts Library with innovative technologies and services for new modes of interdisciplinary collaboration.
01 INTRODUCTION
Mui Ho Fine Arts Library
The new library is four levels of mass stacks with shelves of books suspended as a centerpiece. The collection is surrounded by new research, computing, and instruction spaces, as well as a reading and study space.
02 FINDINGS
User Personas
AAP x Other Colleges
Extracurricular
Activities
Academic
Programs
Opportunities
Attitude to Collaboration
Information Access
Use of Space
Emails
Social Media
Peers
Social Flyers
Rent Book
Rest
Visit
Work / Study
AAP Students
Non-AAP Students
Staff/Faculty
Library Hosted
Events
Elaine, a third-year architecture student who uses the library for research. She sometimes comes to the library directly from the studio to take a nap on the couches. She likes the comfortable seating and beautiful views in the library. She wishes she could discuss and work with others without disturbing others.
David, a second-year computer science student who has only come to the library once. He was brought here by his friends from the architecture department to have a tour of the cool book stacks. He likes the interior structure of the library but lacks a sense of belonging to the space compared to other study spaces in the engineering quad.
Ben, the facility manager of the fine arts library, works daily from 9 am to 5 pm in his office behind the circulation desk. He helps train student workers and organizes equipment in the library. He would like to see students from across Cornell’s departments and college visit and use the facility.
On-Site Observation
The internal structure of the library was different from the original design. The design showed study areas from the library's first to the third level; however, there were only study areas on the first level. At the same time, after a long time of observation, most of the students in the library were found to study as individuals and did not move around for a long time; only two people sat together, but there was almost no communication, and the library remained extremely quiet the whole time.
Collaborative
Individual
Idling Space
Computers
Staff
Student Organizations
Through conversations with students and organization leaders from various departments, their usage of space and types of activities throughout the semester have been summarized by their corresponding colleges.
Even though there is a consistent trend in the choice of space for each type of activity by students from each of these colleges, there is no space on campus dedicated to serving interdisciplinary programs. Considering that the fine art library is within the College of Art, Architecture, and Urban Planning ecosystem, we explored the great potential of transforming this facility into a space for collaborative programs run by AAP and other colleges.
CoE
CAS/SHA
CHE
AAP
Gates, Upson
Klarman, Statler
HEB, MVR
Milstein, Sibley
Upson, Duffield, Rhodes
Klarman, Olin Library
HEB, MVR
Milstein, Sibley
Upson, Duffield
Klarman, Statler
HEB, MVR
Milstein, Sibley
AAP x Others
Showcase
Review/Critique
Venues
Gathering
Info Sessions
Interviews
Meetings
Collaboration
Work Sessions
Workshops
Case Studies
While the Duoyun Bookstore and Ziwu Bookstore practices illustrate the concept of a library in a commercialized bookstore setting, the d.school shows the potential of multifunctional space on higher education campuses for innovation-focused programs. By analyzing these facilities' physical space and services, we explore two sets of attributes that could be used to position target programs for the Mui Ho Fine Arts library to support.
Educational
Commercial
Structured
Flexible
Ziwu
Bookstore
Duoyun
Bookstore
d.school
x
Theater
x
Gallery
&
“Rawness”
Trends
Institutional
Interdisciplinary education and collaborative opportunities with a focus on innovation.
Individual
Preference on multifunctional study space and opportunities for engagements.
Facility
Integration of campus services in technology-mediated space and digital platforms.
03
Concept
Transforming the Mui Ho Fine Arts Library into a multifunctional, technology-mediated study space to support interdisciplinary creative education on the future college campus.
Computing in the Arts
(Fine Arts + Computer Science + Psychology)
Baker Program
in Real Estate
(City and Regional Planning + Hotel Administration)
Medium Design Collectives
AAP/
Collaborative Programs
Research/
Project Teams/
Competitions
Exhibition/
Events
Clubs/
Student
Organizations
Extracurricular
Academic
Structured
Flexible
Location
Resources
Space
Equipment
Goal
While AAP offers a variety of studio courses in art, architecture, and urban planning, more collaborative opportunities among students with diverse backgrounds can offer design students knowledge in engineering, sociology, and other disciplines. This multidisciplinary knowledge could serve as a valuable resource of inspiration.
For the other colleges, the curriculum is mostly instructional and research-heavy. Students can have opportunities to apply their knowledge through independent and hands-on innovation projects using the facilities in or around the fine arts library.
Colleges
Focused
& Research Heavy
Hands-on Innovation
04 RECOMMENDATIONS
With a future-oriented vision and feasibility considerations, phased recommendations have been proposed on both physical implementations and service upgradation.
Vertere App
Hackthon
New Employments
Staff Training
IoT Wall System
Equipments
Interior Facility
Digital Platform
Long-Term
Library Services
Short-Term
Vetere App
Book Search
The books you want to find.
Everything you want to know.
Quickly find the material you need, know its availability and quickly locate it in the library.
Event
Interesting Events
Recommended only to you
Reservation
Link Between
you & Library
Make reservations according to your needs and easily view the facilities availability in each area, as well as order additional equipment such as whiteboards, projectors, etc.
IOT Wall System
A smart wall system will be built in the study area, which would be hung on the ceiling and can extend to reach the ground. Using the IoT technology, these panels will not only serve as physical partitions in-between seats but also as creed and whiteboards.
01
Panels as
"Meta-Interfaces"
These “meta-interface” are interactive and can be used to facilitate services such as seat reservation and library assistance without using other digital devices.
02
Accommodating
Different
Study Modes
They can accommodate not only collaborative learning but also individual studying by sending hints through sensory stimulations.
03
Well-Equipped
Responsive
Environment
These panels can be equipped with speakers and lighting fixtures to create a responsive environment in the fine art library for different themed events.
04
Future Oriented
Multifunctional
Facility
As we enter the era of Metaverse, these panels are expected to become part of the virtual environment as a physical touchpoint.
Library
Services
05 OUTCOME
Scenarios
Based on different activities we discussed in previous sessions, we illustrate four user scenarios to better vision the design outcomes of the facility with the merge of virtual and physical interventions. In each of these scenarios, users can access event information on the mobile application, and the wall panels will be positioned and used according to the nature of every event.
Game Design Showcase
Structured & Academic
Students will use the wall panels as screens and whiteboards to draw mind maps.
Library Reading Night
Structured & Extracurricular
Participants will sit in circles and read text projected on the wall panels.
Real Estate Competiton
Flexible & Academic
The wall panels will be used as partitions in-between teams, and students can write and draw on with markers.
Passion Project Showcase
Flexible and Extracurricular
The wall panels will be hung above the ground as display boards for digital artworks. The library can also be turned into a NFT gallery.
Opening Ceremony
Event
New Mui Ho Fine Arts Library Information Session
& Student Passion Project Showcase
Target Audiences
Student Organization Leaders
Interdisciplinary Program Coordinators
General Students & Faculties
Facilities
Smart Whitboards, Projectors, VR
Propogranda Channels
Emails
Postes
We propose an opening ceremony in the facility as its first and signature event. The event is expected to be both the new Mui Ho Fine Arts Library information session, introducing new services on event hosting and space reservations, and the student passion project showcase in order to open up the space for the diverse community. The first part will introduce the future direction of the library and hold a Hackathon for students to design and develop a digital platform for the library. The second part will use the library space to showcase students' passion projects.
06 SUMMARY
Mui Ho Fine Arts Library Level 1
A future oriented study space for interdisciplinary collaborations
In the short term, we hope that the library can do some minor updates to the existing equipment and begin to support some existing programs. And start training for librarians in event organization. In the long term, we expect a systematic upgradation of the library environment with interactive wall panels, mobile applications, and new event planning and management team implemented.
Education
Promoting creative education outcomes, extracurricular exploration, and integration of expertise.
Management
Tracking space utilization and user behavioral datas for improvements and innovations in campus services and facility administration.
Technology
Facilitating adoption of future technological advances in collaborative working space on college campus.
REFERENCE
McDonald, J. K., West, R. E., Rich, P. J., & Pfleger, I. (2018). “it’s so wonderful having different majors working together”: The development of an interdisciplinary design thinking minor. TechTrends, 63(4), 440–450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0325-2
Enis, M. (2019, April 1). LABS IN THE LIBRARY: High-tech, specialized collaboration spaces center the academic library as a hub for interdisciplinary learning. Library Journal, 144(3), 18.
Mui Ho Fine Arts Library. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://finearts.library.cornell.edu/
Mui Ho Fine Arts Library. Cornell University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://aap.cornell.edu/about/our-locations/ithaca/mui-ho-fine-arts-library