ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the viability of Priestner and Tilley's boutique library model' through the lens of current library commons trends and recent library space renovations at Providence College in Rhode Island. In the twenty-first-century library, evolving expectations and study habits of college students regularly compete alongside budget woes, aging infrastructure and obsolescing equipment, making designing personalized spaces and services in libraries no minor consideration. In the early days of converting library spaces into library commons, it was customary to direct renovation efforts towards updating and increasing the variety of technology equipment and maximising the number of computing seats available to library users. The progression from library to learning commons illustrates the evolving nature of the commons model and a marked shift in focus towards users and the more personalized services they demand. Researchers and administrators in higher education within the UK and Australia have also been very responsive to new trends in collaborative and learning space development.
