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2. Building Consultants

• To make sure that you have looked consciously at all the problems facing your building—rather than just one or two particularly painful ones—always start your project by hiring a building consultant.
  
  
• The job of a building consultant is to help you review your current building and options, and to convert your needs to architectural terms. A consultant will also bring the perspective of a working librarian with special knowledge of how libraries occupy spaces.
  
  
• A building consultant is not an architect. Do not expect your consultant to design your building, write bid specifications, estimate construction costs, or help administer construction.
  
  
• Always hire a consultant before you hire an architect. And always hire an architect before you hire a contractor.
  
  
• There are many ways to find consultants, including word of mouth, recommendations of other libraries, the LAMA consultant list, and lists compiled by state agencies and associations. But just because a name is on a list, it doesn't mean that's the kind of person you want.
  
  
• In order to maintain proper checks and balances, it's important that the consultant NOT be an employee of the architect. The job of the consultant is to view the project as you would if you had more experience with buildings, and to provide you with opinions independent of your architect's.
  
  
• Sometimes part of the job of a consultant is to convince local people that what their library staff and board have been saying all along is actually true. That's just the sad part about experts—none of us is an expert at home.
  
  
• Prefer a consultant with extensive (at least ten years) practical and fairly recent experience working in real libraries. If your consultant is a librarian with a strong background in library architecture, rather than an architect with experience designing libraries, you will have a far better balanced team.
  
  
• It's always reasonable to ask for an example of a prior program.
  
  
• Make sure that your consultant is committed to following your project through to the end—or at least through the preparation of bid documents. Clarify this, and check on follow-through costs. Dropping your consultant from the project once your architect is hired is a very serious error.
  
  
• Not all architects like working with consultants. It is your responsibility, therefore, to be sure that your consultant is in attendance at most or all planning meetings.
  
  
• Whether you like the consultant personally is an important consideration. The consultant is there to put your needs into architectural terms. To do so successfully, he has to be someone you like. If he gives you a major pain when you interview him, don't hire him.
  
  
• Always check references, both staff and boards. Prospective candidates should be happy to give you lists of previous clients.
  
  
• Questions to ask references include the following: Were you generally satisfied with the consultant? Did you enjoy working with the consultant? Did the consultant listen to you? Did he suggest all kinds of possibilities (even if you rejected most of them)? If the consultant squabbled with your architect, who in retrospect was correct? Was your consultant regarded positively by the grant giving authorities?
  
  
• Compared with other construction costs, consultants are very inexpensive. If your consultant averts even one bad decision, you will probably have saved much more than the entire consulting fee.
  
  
• When hiring professionals—both consultants and architects—never get involved in discussions with disappointed applicants about why they were not hired. Say something to the effect that, "We hired the person we felt best met our needs," and do not let yourself be drawn out, just as you would not let yourself be drawn out when hiring personnel for your library.