Ohio Northern University Heterick Memorial Library staff members Kathleen Baril and Kelly Kobiela delivered a presentation, “Community Engagement: Renovating Space with Participatory Design,” at the Academic Library Association of Ohio’s annual conference in October. Baril is director of the library, and Kobiela is systems librarian.
 
Their presentation discussed how the participatory-design process was utilized in the recent renovation of Heterick’s first floor into the Oscar J. and Judith D. Mifsud Collaborative Learning Center. Participatory design is a design approach that involves all stakeholders to ensure users have ownership in the end product and that the product meets workplace needs.
 
Heterick Memorial Library’s newly re-designed first floor boasts a modern space with increased opportunity for student collaboration. The renovation added furniture conducive to studying alone and in groups, including tables, booths and lounge chairs. There also are whiteboards in cubicle-like meeting rooms for group projects. Study carrels were modernized to fit laptops and textbooks to give students enough space to study with modern technology – a feature not utilized in the old carrels.