To provide a web based resource devoted to sharing best practice in the planning and design of library spaces of value for anyone with an interest or involvement in library design and building projects. The portal incorporates a database of library building projects from 1990 - 2011; image galleries; news on library building projects, events and publications; RSS feeds; links to hundreds of information resources and the opportunity to interact with others in the field. Designing Libraries aims to be the focus of an active community of librarians, architects, planners and others interested in library design.

The Designing Libraries team was set up in 2004 at Aberystwyth University, building on staff expertise and resources within the University relating to library building and library planning and design. These resources included the University's Library Planning Collection, itself including collections amassed by the UK Library Association, now CILIP, plus materials submitted to the UK and Ireland Public Library Building Awards.

The team won a tender in 2004 from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council under its Framework for the Future Programme, to provide a web based database of recent public library building projects in the UK.

From 2004 onwards, with funding from MLA and support from CILIP, it has maintained and expanded the Designing Libraries site as a data and image bank and an information resource aimed at providing a service to anyone with interests in library design and planning. During that the time Designing Libraries has expanded the scope of its database to accommodate libraries from other sectors and other countries; entered into partnership with SCONUL to make available SCONUL's data relating to UK and Ireland university library buildings, and added numerous new facilities. Major site restructuring in 2008 has updated the look of the site; and further changes are underway to expand the range of information resources, add comment and analysis and provide facilities for sponsorship and advertising on the site.