This article describes a qualitative mixed-method study of students’ perceptions of place and space in an academic library. The approach is informed by Scott Bennett’s model of library design, which posits a shift from a ‘book-centered’ to a technology supported ‘learning centered’ paradigm of library space. Two surveys gathered data on (a) students’ perceptions of places in an academic library, and (b) on occupancy rates in the same library. When triangulated, the results identified two distinct and contrasting models of place: a more traditional model based on individual study near stacks of books, and an emergent technologically-supported group study model. The results suggest that academic libraries should develop new metrics to measure library place and space in settings of technologically-supported group work.
Library seating surveys record the use of seats in a library. They estimate library usage and are used to plan library spaces for future use. This paper describes a seating survey in an academic library, which aggregated data from 112 seat counts to generate heat maps to visualize occupancy. Triangulation of the seating survey data with another survey on users' perceptions of space in the library, revealed an interesting contrast between highly-occupied areas that were perceived as quiet, and less occupied areas perceived as crowded and noisy. Discussion of this finding is framed in terms of Bennett's (2009) model of a technology-driven paradigm shift in academic libraries from places for solo work to places for group learning.
This paper presents results from a face-to-face survey that elicited users' perceptions of space and place in an academic library. The survey required respondents to annotate maps of an academic library, and to answer openended survey questions. The survey identified two overlapping sets of places and student practices in the library. These places and practices reflect two contrasting paradigms of library space provision: a current bookcentered paradigm, and an emerging technologicallysupported learning-centered paradigm.
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