How can libraries best assess and improve user space, even if they are not in a position to undertake new construction or a major renovation? Staff at New Mexico State University used a variety of ethnographic methods to learn how our spaces were being used as well as what our users considered to be ideal library space. Our findings helped us make high-impact changes to public spaces while staying within a modest budget and a tight timeline. We used many of the same methods after our redesigns to evaluate our efforts and plan for future improvements.
Our ability to make informed decisions about ebooks is constrained by our limited understanding of how students perceive and use them. A team of librarians and a professor in learning sciences asked graduate students to serve as informants on student experience with ebooks. We analyzed student work in two semester-long studies, focusing on barriers and affordances they identified. In the first cohort, students who chose to explore ebooks uncovered affordances. In the second cohort, student comfort levels with PDF formats increased, while comfort with ebooks decreased. We discuss strategies for minimizing challenges and increasing desirable difficulties to support ebooks as learning tools.
Purpose-This paper explores the changing role of the reference collection in learning commons at ARL member libraries. Design/Methodology/Approach-A 15 question survey was sent to managers at academic research libraries with membership in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Respondents were asked about their learning commons and reference collections. To increase the sample size, the researchers conducted phone interviews using the same questions with a random sample of individuals from the same target population. Findings-Most respondents had or were planning learning commons for their libraries. The role of reference collections varied. Of those who had retained a print reference collection, the majority believed them to be little-used. The researchers believe this may signal an end to a formerly cherished idea: the primacy of the reference collection within a library learning space. Research limitations/implications-This study involved a random sample of public service managers at North American ARL academic libraries. While the sample is believed to be representative of the broader population, findings may not be generalizable to all ARL libraries or to other academic libraries. Originality/value-Many papers have been written about information or learning commons spaces and their distinctive elements. Others have discussed the changing role of reference collections. This paper is unique in examining the changing role of the reference collection within learning commons spaces.
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