Most librarians gain knowledge about buildings and construction only by going through a renovation project—meaning that the “lessons learned” come only after the fact. The Library Renovation, Maintenance, and Construction Handbook can remedy this knowledge gap, as it is a great starting place for anyone undertaking responsibility for a building or renovation endeavor. This well-organized book divides the stages of the building process into manageable pieces and introduces the requisite vocabulary and concepts, interspersing them with useful and convincing anecdotal tidbits from the authors, who gained “ground-up” experience in designing the first library for the University of California's Merced campus in 2005.

The table of contents and index allow readers easily to skim the chapters in each of the three parts of the book: “The Basics of Construction and Renovation,” “Library-Specific Construction and Renovation,” and “Maintaining an Existing Library Building.” For example, in the first chapter, the authors explain the elements of a successful building project: design, construction, and commissioning. A chapter on “Building System Basics” gives an overview of the different types of buildings and the mechanical systems inside, such as electricity and plumbing. However, information on lighting is notably lacking, given the many choices one can make and mistakes that can occur.

Chapter 3 provides valuable details and resources about architectural plans, codes, and the construction profession. Specific public and nonpublic areas, furniture and fixtures, and navigation aids are briefly described in part 2 and include many useful tips on topics ranging from shelving capacity to digital signage. Safety and security and green libraries are highlighted in the final part of the book.

The challenging effort that it takes to run a library during an addition or renovation demands that the chapter on this topic be located in a more prominent location, while the building maintenance chapter is best left for the library staff responsible for maintenance. Unfortunately, the book does not include a full sample request for proposal to go along with the information in the Appendix. A CD accompanies the book and contains blueprint symbols and samples, a building term glossary, and photos of common construction techniques. All of the chapters give important lessons and great advice, with chapter 11 highlighting the take-away points of the book.

This conversational, easy-to-read manual places a great deal of reference information in one place for those who find themselves working with a library construction or renovation project. It is particularly helpful that, throughout the book, the authors pose questions for readers to consider, focusing on issues such as functionality versus aesthetics. The authors are frank about what is not a librarian's job with regard to building projects (e.g., interpreting code), and they emphasize safety and security as well as flexible planning for future modifications. Although the authors could not fit everything on building and renovating into this handbook, they successfully pull together complex information and present it in such a way to make it a required handbook for all libraries.