Emily's Book Den: "Helping Children Learn While They Heal" Planning and Designing a Children's Library at the New Alberta Children's Hospital

Abstract

This planning project discusses the layout of a proposed children's library at the new Alberta Children's Hospital, focusing on a number of issues and requirements appropriate to such a library design within an existing building, and justifying these planning decisions based on recommendations from a number of experienced children's facility planners. Case studies documenting hospitals that have successfully designed and implemented libraries for children will also be mentioned. Books and reading have long been considered a form of healing; this notion has emphasized the author's desire to create a library facility for children in a hospital environment.