Library Spaces for Urban, Diverse Commuter Students: A Participatory Action Research Project

Brown-Sica, Margaret

doi:10.5860/crl-221

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…It was not surprising, given the consensus in the literature that one of the students' most frequent suggestions was for additional electrical outlets (Brown-Sica, 2012;Halling & Carrigan, 2012;Norton et al, 2013;Vaska et al, 2009). This was doubly confirmed via the observations, during which it was noted that both in the third floor quiet space and in the furniture lab, the most commonly observed item in the occupants' possession was a laptop or tablet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future space demands are particularly hard to predict, especially with changing technology. For example, increasing the number of electrical outlets has been identified as a major space need in many studies given the rise of the laptop computer, something that may have been difficult to imagine even 10 or 15 years ago (Brown-Sica, 2012;Halling & Carrigan, 2012;Norton et al, 2013;Vaska, Chan, & Powelson, 2009). …”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Looking and Listening: A Mixed-Methods Study of Space Use and User Satisfaction

Holder¹,

Lange²

2014

EBLIP

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Objective -This study was designed to assess users' reactions to two newly re-designed spacesone intended for quiet study and the other for group study -in the busiest library branch of a large research university. The researchers sought to answer the following questions: For which activity (group work, quiet study, and lounging or relaxing) do the users feel the space is most effective? Which furniture pieces do users prefer and for which activities? How are these spaces being used?Methods -Researchers used a mixed-methods approach for this study. Two methods -surveys and comment boards -were used to gather user feedback on preference for use of the space and users' feelings about particular furniture types. A third method -observation -was used to determine which of the particular areas and furniture pieces occupants were using most, for Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2014, 9.3 5 which activities the furniture was most commonly used, and what types of possessions occupants most often carried with them.Results -User opinion indicated that each of the spaces assessed was most effective for the type of activity for which it was designed. Of the 80% of respondents that indicated they would use the quiet study space for quiet study, 91% indicated that the space was either "very effective" or "effective" for that purpose. The survey results also indicated that 47% of the respondents would use the group study space for that purpose. The observation data confirmed that the quiet study space was being used primarily for individual study; however, the data for the group study space showed equal levels of use for individual and group study. Users expressed a preference for traditional furniture, such as tables and desk chairs, over comfortable pieces for group work and for quiet study. One exception was a cushioned reading chair that was the preferred item for quiet study in 23% of the responses. The white boards were chosen as a preferred item for group study by 27% of respondents. The observations showed similar results for group study, with the three table types and the desk chair being used most often. The lounge chairs and couch grouping was used most often for individual study, followed by the tables and desk chairs.Conclusion -By combining user feedback gathered through surveys and comment boards with usage patterns determined via observation data, the researchers were able to answer the questions for which their assessment was designed. Results were analyzed to compare userstated preferences with actual behaviour and were used to make future design decisions for other library spaces. Although the results of this study are institutionally specific, the methodology could be successfully applied in other library settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Looking and Listening: A Mixed-Methods Study of Space Use and User Satisfaction

Holder¹,

Lange²

2014

EBLIP

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“…This involved using multiple and mixed methods of data collection, including organisational statistics, online surveys, participant observation, focus groups, structured interviews and informal conversations (Brown-Sica, Sobel, and Rogers 2010;Brown-Sica 2012). This data was then analysed collaboratively through enquiry-centred workplace information practices and formed the basis for evidence-based decision-making (Pan and Howard 2010;Somerville and Howard 2012;Somerville and Mirijamdotter, forthcoming).…”

Section: Auraria Library Participatory Action Research Initiative Formentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of two design charrettes: implications for codesign and participatory action research

Howard

Somerville

2014

CoDesign

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The purpose of this paper is to explore how participatory prototyping, through the use of design charrettes, can advance participatory action research (PAR) approaches and contribute to codesign practices in organisational settings. This will be achieved through the comparison of two varying design charrette experiences from a PAR initiative to redesign spaces in the Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado. Each design charrette followed a three-stage sequence of information sharing, idea generation and prototyping, and prioritisation with each stage building upon the former, both in terms of design concepts and in building up elements of 'making'. While both charrette structures were similar, leadership and execution varied considerably. Lessons learned from the two design charrette experiences are presented, including the value of participatory prototyping within PAR to support 'research through design' activities. In addition, it highlights the value of authentic design participation of 'designing with' rather than 'designing for' to encourage optimal design outcomes.

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“…It was envisaged that a group of students who were located in the same city may be able to access community facilities such as meeting spaces in local libraries (Brown-Sica, 2012) rather than necessarily working from their own homes. However, co-location of students in the same city is not essential for the model.…”

Section: A Remotely Supervised Student Unitmentioning

confidence: 99%