THE ESPACES STUDY: DESIGNING,DEVELOPING AND MANAGING LEARNING SPACES FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING

This paper was given as a key note at the North West Academic Libraries conference ‘Designing Spaces for Learning: Flexible learning spaces, libraries and changing roles’ in September 2006 and was adapted from the eSpaces study so that it met the aims and objectives of the North West Academic Libraries conference. The eSpaces study is shorthand for the Joint Information Systems Committee's ‘Study on How Innovative Technologies are Influencing the Design of Physical Learning Spaces in the Post-16 Sector’. The need for this study came from a recognition that most, if not all, education institutions are now integrating learning technologies into the design of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing ones. Managed learning environments, mobile computing, wireless local area networks and broadband are just a few of the technologies that are influencing how we design, use and manage our learning spaces. They are also changing how we design our libraries. The key findings of this study are outlined and the implications for library space and staff roles discussed.