CHAPTER III

3.0 Research Methodology

This chapter will discuss the methods that will be used in order to obtain the
sufficient amount and class of data required to make the project proposal feasible.
The resulting research will be a combination of historical and descriptive research.
To fully understand the problems that pertain to planning a modern or 21 st century
library a complete understanding of past library concepts must be obtained along
with a translation and prediction of upcoming trends in order to make it relevant.
3.1 Research framework: Understanding library history
This part of the research will be conducted with and through the historical research
method in the belief that studying the history of the library and its planning will give
us sufficient data to establish the first half of the basis in predicting effective library
strategies for the future.
Most of the data will be gathered from previous library management systems and
set ups as well as old library planning guides with the goal to be able to set a basis
for the plans of the proposed new library. This data shall then be combined with a
survey set of librarians with the intention to get their insights.
3.2 Research framework: Understanding and interpreting the ideal structure for the
21st century library
The 2nd part of the research focuses on getting behind the knowledge that fuels
the current trends and settings employed in libraries today by means of descriptive
research.
a. Case studies Case studies on modern library designs and concepts as well as
management systems will allow for a full analysis of the strengths and weaknesses
of various applications of contemporary library designs. The data gathered will be
used as a guide for the concept generation phase of the proposal.
b. Developmental studies The scope of this study encompasses the results and
effects of the changes in the way a library is built and set up through the years with
deference to the user feedback. Data gathered from the historical research will be
compared with the data from the result of the 2nd part of this research.

Survey A survey will be conducted with the objective of getting the insight of
people of no specific background on the efficiency and relevance of the library
today.

d. Correlational studies: This shall be done for the purpose of finding out which set
of variables could affect the efficiency of library designs in the present, these
variables may arise from different base contexts such as, culture, ideologies,
lifestyles, necessities and the like.
The result of this research segment aim to find out what the library today needs in
order to be efficient in the coming years.

Librarians: Librarians from different institutions will provide a wide set of

information and insight which will make a good basis for related studies and
drawing of relevant information.
b. Users (students, researchers, professionals, general public): They shall provide
the most crucial feedback as it will dictate the general direction your library design
will take.