Post-Occupancy Evaluation of library buildings

Abstract

Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is the process of evaluating buildings after they have been built and occupied for some time – in order to assess their conformity to the original project and to their actual use – paying particular attention to the feedback from the occupants of the building being evaluated. POE is of some help for enhancing buildings’ organization, finding inspiration for a possible future renovation and – in wider terms – for improving buildings’ design. It usually includes a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques and it’s versatile enough to be adapted to different needs and specific budget/time limitations.
Library buildings’ Post-Occupancy Evaluation has been adopted in order to plan libraries’ refurbishment and to support organizational changes. On the whole, it increased the positive perception of spaces and the patrons’ sense of belonging and participation to the library. Given these positive results, it is advisable to test POE in Italian libraries too.