A DOCUMENTATION OF THE UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN PUBLIC LIBRARY DESIGN IN ABUJA, NIGERIA.

Society depends on the access of knowledge and preservation of history for consistent growth. Through public libraries, people can gain access to every piece of knowledge and history. Public libraries not only serve as hubs of knowledge, but they also provide support to the educational system, strengthen the economy, are regarded as third places, and are considered important landmarks, for example the Library of Alexandria amongst other things. A key importance in the design of public libraries is that they should reflect the diversity of people who use them and not impose barriers of any kind. This is where Universal Design Principles (UDP) comes into the design process. Universal Design Principles (UDP) are a set of principles designed to maximize access by everyone. These principles govern the design of any good library. This research aims to identify the various universal design principles applied during the design process of public libraries and the impact of principles such as perceptible information and low physical effort on deaf and visually impaired users of these spaces. This research adopts the use of qualitative research approach through case studies and quantitative research approach using questionnaires related to universal design principles in the design process of public libraries. The findings from this research will provide recommendations on the integration of universal design principles in the public library designs and will document cases of its application.