Lisa Gayhart, director of user experience for NYU Libraries, recently spent time in London to study how libraries and other cultural spaces are designed to meet the changing needs of visitors. Her research included visits to a range of locations such as public and academic libraries, archives, museums, and even Liberty London, a historic department store.
“It’s like a Nordstrom, but in this old mansion of wood and stairs. It’s kind of a difficult building, but the way they have made it accessible and welcoming and have organized their inventory was really interesting to see,” Gayhart said.
Gayhart has played a leading role in changes at Bobst Library at New York University (NYU), particularly on its first floor where updates included an atrium, service desk, and sensory space. She is interested in how design can improve visitor experiences in non-academic areas like lobbies and lounges.
She chose NYU London as her base for this research because of the city’s diverse architecture and its many examples of buildings adapted for new uses. Her trip was supported by a Provost’s Global Research Initiative Fellowship.
“People use libraries differently now than they did only a few decades ago. In the 1970s, when Bobst Library opened, students couldn’t go up to the stacks and get the books and bring them down,” she explained. “Today we think of this as a place for the community, almost. People are moving about on their own accord, having their own experiences that we don’t have a lot of control over. So how do we improve those experiences by design?”
During her visits, Gayhart used structured observation with checklists focused on factors such as sound levels, accessibility features, clear signage, seating availability, and overall atmosphere.
She highlighted some key observations from various sites. At the British Library she noted escalators placed next to stairs that emphasize accessibility for all visitors; plants and lighting around service desks created an inviting environment; while at Queen Mary University’s Whitechapel Library—a former church—modern features were added without removing historical elements.
“When people go to a historic library, they want to see the arches and the stained glass, but how do they modernize it so they can still provide services? It’s threading that needle, that’s what I’m observing,” she said.
Gayhart also visited cultural centers like the Barbican Centre which blends multiple uses—such as restaurants and shops—with public gathering spaces while maintaining an organized feel. She valued opportunities both for planned observation and spontaneous exploration during her stay.
Back in New York City after her trip abroad, Gayhart is analyzing scholarship on library design with plans to write a journal article expanding upon work begun during her master’s thesis at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study last spring.
“We focused on increasing the accessibility of the space and making it more welcome and I think the impact has been dramatic,” she said about recent changes at Bobst Library. “There are people in there all the time now and it feels alive… It’s a very different kind of space today.”
Gayhart aims to create guidelines outlining best practices for library spaces so others can adapt solutions suited to their communities’ needs.
“Librarians think a lot about what students want and it can be tricky because we work within the constraints of what we have. We are good at reading our students and knowing what they need,” she said. “It’s never static.”
