UCLA Library Renovation Boasts New Technology

LOS ANGELES — Teamwork may flow a little more freely in the two-story, 60,000-square-foot renovation of the University of California Los Angeles’ Charles E. Young Research Library.

Perkins + Will’s Los Angeles office, which completed the library’s multi-phased renovation, focused in particular on incorporating technology into the space.

Architect A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons of Southern California originally designed the Charles E. Young Research Library in the 1960s. The library serves as a common study and research facility for graduate students and faculty in the humanities and social sciences. It is also home to the library system’s administrative offices.

The renovation focused on ensuring smooth circulation, upgrading technological capabilities and creating aesthetically appealing and flexible public spaces.

“In order to support the changing research and instructional needs of UCLA students and faculty, a major reconceptualization was required,” said University Librarian Gary Strong, who worked with Deputy University Librarian Susan Parker and Perkins + Will on the design. “New patterns of pedagogy, novel forms of scholarship and transformations in the information landscape demand a new definition of the research library. This renovation addresses those needs and offers a model for other academic libraries around the world.”

Phase I, completed in 2009, involved renovating the lower level to create a study commons for more than 100 patrons. It also created office space for library administrative staff.

The second phase created new spaces on the main floor, including a reading room, collaborative spaces, group study rooms, a conference space, exhibit areas and a café.

The entrance was completely transformed to include sliding glass doors, light colors and clear glass walls that allow visitors to look into the facility.

Meanwhile, the interior features a wide central circulation spine, nicknamed “The Street,” that runs through the center of the main floor and offers views of the surrounding program spaces.

To navigate the library, users can look to display screens, a ticker, QR codes and custom environmental graphics that provide information on library collections, services and events.

For the first time at the library, users can also hold meetings or study sessions in a 120-person capacity conference space with two-way video technology.

“The renovation brings a significant example of Southern California modernism into the 21st century,” said Annette Wiley, associate principal of Perkins + Will.