Library Buildings and Construction

Using this Guide and its accompanying Worksheet, librarians and trustees can obtain a general estimate of their library's space needs and help initiate a larger facility planning process. The Division of Library Development updated this guide and worksheet in 2021.

The Space Planning Guidelines call for library building plans for the next 10-20 years. In line with the United States Census, the Space Planning Worksheet uses 10 years for community needs assessment, population projections.

The Library Area Work Form provided above is an important concept and tool for use in developing the Building Program, which is a necessary step in library design, these books from the professional development collection at the Middletown Library Service Center have particularly helpful chapters about writing a library Building Program:

• Libraries designed for users: a 21st century guide / Nolan Lushington
• Managing your library construction project: a step-by-step guide / Richard C. McCarthy
• Constructing library buildings that work / Fred Schlipf

A bibliography of additional books and websites related to library design is available in the box below.