The conditions are right for a perfect storm that could cause libraries to disappear, says Nancy Foster, director of anthropologic research for the University of Rochester.

Most information can be accessed digitally from home, the office, or almost anywhere the Internet is available. So, who needs a library?

Librarians at the UR asked that question beginning several years ago to determine what the library of the future needs to be. Their research, "Studying Students: the Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester," has since been applied by more than 40 university libraries throughout the world.

Their approach, Foster says, began with investigating how students work, and how librarians could assist them. The librarians drew upon a technique often referred to as the "participatory design method." It's based on the idea that the best way to improve the tools of a workplace is to involve the people doing the work.

In one exercise, the librarians asked students to draw their perfect library. In another, students were given cameras and told to photograph their lives on campus, including their favorite places to study.

The research revealed that students look to libraries for inspiration, which led to designing the Gleason Library on the UR's River Campus to include as much window space as possible. Students needed to see the outdoors, and they also needed to see activity inside the library. A college campus can be intimidating for new students, the study found, so visually connecting the library with the rest of the campus makes the library more accessible.

Librarians also learned that a simple thing like adjusting how late the reference desk is open is important to students, who are often overwhelmed by their workload.