BOSTON, MA – In promotions announced today, Janette S. Blackburn AIA LEED AP, was named a new Principal at Shepley Bulfinch. Joining the firm in 1989, her work includes projects for the Avery Art and Architecture Library and the Teachers College Library at Columbia University, Princeton University’s Firestone Library, and Fondren Library at Rice University. Janette is a member of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP).

It was also announced that Melissa Bennett, Katherine Faulkner, and Ann Newman have been named Associate Principals. Melissa, who joined the firm in 2007, is a senior member of the firm’s library practice. Katie, who has been ...[more]

How does a liberal arts education remain a valid, viable and affordable pathway for millennial students?

That was the big question at last week’s conference at Wake Forest on Rethinking Success, from the Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21st century, which drew academic and student development leaders from across the country.

Conference participants talked at length about how the skills that are central to academic success are also vital to building a sustainable career in the 21st century. It is imperative that colleges and universities not only support the skills ...[more]

Janette Blackburn and Joe Rondinelli discuss the changing roles and forms of libraries in the March 2010 issue of Building Design & Construction. In the article, they discuss how, as readers needs change and libraries accommodate more diverse uses, space, flexibility, and acoustical control play increasingly important roles.

The Evolving Library – Building Design & Construction

In early November I attended the Educause 2009 conference in Denver and a series of discussions about technology and higher education. I left with three takeaways that warrant further reflection and discussion:

- What’s the relationship between the current higher education budgetary crisis and shifts in IT/ Library organizational structures and service philosophies?

- Seventy percent of scholarly research in the humanities is now being published digitally. In the transition from print to digital library collections, are academic libraries at a tipping point?

- What does the word “library” mean today? As library facilities expand to include programs for student life, student success, teaching excellence, and technology support, does the building type need ...[more]