Case Study:
University Of Kentucky – William T. Young Library
The University of Kentucky (UK) William T. Young Library is the central library in the University of Kentucky library system. The library is a frequently visited destinations for students, faculty and visitors to campus. It is home to a general undergraduate collection along with materials focusing on agriculture, biology, business, humanities, and social sciences. Along with reference and academic material, the library is home to the Student Media Depot, the Hemenway Writing Center, Presentation U, and the Ricoh Document Service Center. Most visitors to the library start their search at the Circulation Desk located on the first floor. From here, library users are directed to the many destinations and services offered.
The UK system partnered with INNERFACE to improve the student and guest experience in what is a large and complex library environment. We worked to organize and present wayfinding and identification information through clear and concise signage throughout the facility.
Interior Signage & Wayfinding Solutions
Challenges And Opportunities
The size and complexity of the WT Young library created many wayfinding and identification challenges. Each of the library’s five floors contains four stairwells. There are also elevator lobbies on each floor. Each floor featured access points that looked exactly the same.
This lack of distinction between areas created confusion and kept students and guests from finding their destination. It also created difficulty for students trying to locate each other within the library for team projects, study groups, etc.
Defining Library Area Types
To the left is an example of how we defined some of the library area types on this project:
Enhancing The Library Experience
The library architecture has a circular design with four core areas and four wings. In order to provide distinct spaces, we renamed each core area *Core A, B C, and D” and kept this designation throughout each of the five floors. This clear delineation of each area helps provide both orientation and direction to all library destinations.
In addition, the student study center “The Hub” is a high-frequency destination located in the basement of the building, and its entrance was difficult to find. The new wayfinding program clearly identifies and navigates to “The Hub”.
Future Projects And More
One of the goals of this first UK library project was to set a new signage and wayfinding standard that can be used across all UK library facilities. Through continued partnerships with educational institutions like UK, INNERFACE delivers customized signage and wayfinding solutions that can strengthen campus identity, enhance the student and guest experience, and support the evolving needs of multi-building environments. In alignment with UK rebrand, INNERFACE helped create a more cohesive, accessible, and welcoming campus environment.
For more information on how INNERFACE can support your signage and wayfinding needs, please get in touch.