A key area of debate within the public and academic library sectors across the world is use of physical space. Changing ideas about what a library should be, coupled with the growth of digital collections, has raised fundamental questions about how library buildings are used and the role of space in library services. Alongside these drivers is the need for libraries to produce data on services to inform their future development and design. This article is a case study from Loughborough University in the UK to evaluate the use of a large open learning/social space in the library. The investigation employs an ethnographic approach to gather data, a method little used in the field. Findings are explored under the following themes: collaborative study, individual study, social space, intrusions and interruptions, use of technology, diversity, library staff/library materials and spatial organization. The role of ethnographic studies within the library context is considered alongside the broader theoretical con...

Academic libraries and social and learning space: A case study of Loughborough University Library, UK

In an effort to understand how academic scientists seek information relevant to their research in today's environment of ubiquitous electronic access, a correlation framework is built and regression analysis is applied to the survey results from 2,063 academic researchers in natural science, engineering, and medical science at five research universities in the United States. Previous work has reported descriptive statistics about these scientists' information-seeking behavior. This study extends that work to examine relationships between scientists' information-seeking behaviors and their personal and environmental factors. Several regression models, including the Poisson model, the logit model, and the ordered logit model, are built to interpret the correlation among scientists' behaviors. In addition, exploratory factor analysis is used for data reduction. Overall, many factors were found to affect the specific information-seeking behaviors of scientists, including demographic, psychological, role-related, and environmental factors. Of the factors having an effect, academic position was the most important determinant of information behavior. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

/pdf/a-study-of-factors-that-affect-the-information-seeking-3mt88jfavo.pdf

A study of factors that affect the information-seeking behavior of academic scientists

The Library Is for Studying: Student Preferences for Study Space

What Matters for Students' Use of Physical Library Space?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine undergraduates' perception and use of two distinct library spaces – social and communal – in an academic library in order to provide more customized services.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted at D.H. Hill Library at North Carolina State University, including structured questions on perceptions and use of the library, perceptions of library layout and design, and respondent demographics, as well as open questions on the advantages and disadvantages of social and communal spaces.Findings – Undergraduates frequently use the physical library. Their usage patterns mirror common characteristics of Generation Y by going there mostly on weekday nights, with friends or in a group. Both communal and social spaces appear to be well‐used for many different activities ranging from solitary academic work to technology‐driven collaborative work and socializing. Some demographic variables, such as ethnicity and gender, are found to affect aspects of per...

Planning library spaces and services for Millennials: an evidence‐based approach

https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/23259/Academic%20Libraries%20Social%20or%20Communal%20%28Revised%20Draft%29.pdf?sequence=2

Jeffrey T. Gayton

Papers

Academic Libraries: “Social” or “Communal?” The Nature and Future of Academic Libraries