To respond to the demands for library service and space from our readers during the past few years, we established the Space Planning Team on March 2014. At that time, the main task of the team was to plan and build a learning commons. After years of planning and effort-making, the “KnowLEDGE” learning commons was officially put into use during the term of office of the University Librarian, Wang, Chien-Wen, on April 2017, which provides the readers with a diverse new space for reading and discussing. The “KnowLEDGE” learning commons has opened up the imagination of readers in the accumulation of knowledge and different exchanges. Meanwhile, university libraries abroad have consecutively rethink and redefine the new roles played by the library in campus. Other than the existing various services of the original library we still need to respond to the information acquisition channel and knowledge exchange environment, changing rapidly nowadays and more diverse demand changes from readers. Hence, library functions, services and spaces of the past shall face challenges to enhance and optimize.

Thus, led by the former Associate University Librarian, Chien, Sheng-Fen, in July 2017, we called for all librarians to participate in the Library Space Renovation Workshop to jointly conceive the future style of NCKU Library. Subsequently, Associate University Librarian, Lin, Hui-Wen, launched courses to come up with ideas for innovative library services in 2018 Spring for the first time. During this period, librarians were invited to jointly participate in the course so that readers and librarians can establish an interactive and connective platform to bring the supply and demand closer.

To extend the thoughts from more extensive readers in NCKU campus and collect opinions, we held a nearly three-month interactive exhibition “One Hundred Possible Dreams” starting from October 2018 and invited students from various college/department to participate in the “Workshop for Dreamed NCKU Library”, serving as the exchange platform for readers to express their thoughts. During this period, we collected more than 1,700 sticky notes with readers’ opinion. We valued and cherished various opinions provided by the readers a lot. Hence, the Space Planning Team had held 17 discussions consecutively during January to June 2019 to summarize the opinions. Not only did we prioritize the space and service improvement for the library, but we also extensively collected brilliant case studies of important university libraries abroad in terms of space and service innovation to serve as references for our future library building and service improvement.

Besides organizing the opinions from both parties, the librarians and the readers, we also hope to include the perspective of a professional space designer. Thus, first-stage project proposal for space renovation was conducted simultaneously. We commissioned professional design company to participate in the 13 physical and online coordination and discussion meeting during a year starting from August 2018 so that we can develop possibilities for space renovation, which are more diverse and more innovative from the professional designers.

Undergoing the aforementioned process, we are fortunate to obtain the support from the school after years of brewing and waiting. Led by the University Librarian, Wang, Han-Ching, we have gradually launched the practical actions for optimizing library service and space. Phase I space renovation plan was officially activated in April 2020. Since then, we clarified the detailed requirement of the area and executed the pre-processing and relevant procedure for space renovation bidding. After bidding, award of bid and several design reviews, parts of the Library 1st space renovation were officially started on Oct. 8, 2020.

We are looking forward to a library that could provide knowledge confluence, cross-domain learning ability, access to information, open and diverse development ability to lay a foundation for important thinking. We carried these expectations on our shoulders as we activated the renovation of National Cheng Kung University Library, including new visions, spaces, services, and resources. These new expectations and new developments will gradually become a dream come true from now on.