Space planning in libraries: For students, by students

Kahn, Michelle; Underwood, Peter G.

doi:10.3233/efi-180177

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Several space reconfiguration projects have taken place in academic libraries in South Africa, to accommodate researchers and postgraduate students (Daniels, 2014;Kahn and Underwood, 2018). These projects provided many libraries with resources that helped to facilitate online and traditional learning.…”

Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking academic library space amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa: preparing for the future

Chisita

Chizoma

2021

IDD

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Purpose Academic libraries’ response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic might be an opportunity to reassert and reemphasise their roles in the national disaster management matrix. The purpose of this study is to review the responses of academic libraries in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has precipitated a challenge amongst all institutions, communities and libraries as evidenced by the growing lockdowns, deaths and shocking statistics of infections. This has triggered a fundamental need to rethink how libraries can establish innovative ways to continue providing services to users. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted the interpretive research paradigm to review the situation in South Africa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used an analysis of secondary sources, the activities that took place and personal experience to answer the research questions. Findings The analysis showed that academic libraries and publishers have risen to the occasion, offering more free content and curating personalised collections so that citizens can have uninterrupted access to content and learning. The digital libraries in South Africa are considered vital alleyways to high-quality e-books, journals and educational content, including open educational resources. Digital library services have enabled academic libraries in South Africa to excel in providing online services, therefore ensuring that learning, research and teaching continued. Originality/value This study, using Habermas’s idea of the public sphere as a fundamental theoretical framework, notes that when the physical space is closed, it is necessary for academic libraries in South Africa to make use of the digital space. This study will contribute to the corpus of knowledge relating to South African digital libraries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking academic library space amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa: preparing for the future

Chisita

Chizoma

2021

IDD

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“…Certain themes emerge when one reads literature on academic library spaces. There is literature that focusses on types of spaces that these libraries (ought to) have (Crawford, 1999), the planning of these spaces (Kahn and Underwood, 2018), how they are redesigned (Majal, 2017) and the assessment of their usage (Adeyemi, 2017). A seminal paper by Crawford (1999) identified six different types of physical spaces required in academic libraries, which are: shelving spaces, study spaces, reading spaces, meeting spaces, coherent spaces and research spaces.…”

Section: Senior Research Commonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In South Africa, academic libraries have been involved in several space reconfiguration projects to accommodate researchers and postgraduate students and fully use prime space occupied by less used print resources (Daniels et al, 2010;Pather, 2016;Majal, 2017;Kahn and Underwood, 2018). The demand for more access to the actual physical library has bulked the developed world trends with students constantly demanding 24 h physical library access and services despite the availability of electronic resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The utilisation of library spaces by postgraduate students at a university in an African country

Bangani

Moyo

Mashiyane

2019

GKMC

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the use of library spaces by postgraduate students at the North-West University in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach A survey research methodology was used in which both online and print questionnaires were used to gather data. Findings The major findings of the study were that postgraduate students frequently visited the libraries to make use of the quite study spaces, which include the research commons and the study carrels. The study further found out that postgraduate students rarely visited the libraries for the purpose of consulting librarians regarding their studies. Challenges expressed by the students include insufficient workstations, poor internet and Wi-Fi connectivity and limited seating capacity. The benefit of the study is that it will help librarians and the university administrators to better understand the postgraduate students space needs, as well as the challenges being encountered. Research limitations/implications This biggest limitation of this study was a lack or low response rate by certain faculties, which mitigated against comparing the use of spaces by faculty. Practical implications The results of this study re-affirm the need for postgraduate spaces. University libraries that seek to build postgraduate spaces in the future need to ensure that an adequate number of computer workstations are supplied and Wi-Fi and bandwidth are improved. University libraries that already have postgraduate spaces should consider adding more workstations and improving bandwidth and Wi-Fi connectivity in those spaces. These results further point to a need for libraries in Africa and elsewhere to consider having more quiet study spaces for postgraduate students while reducing the number of group study spaces. Social implications The results of this study point to a need for libraries and university authorities to periodically review library spaces as a way to ensure their continued optimal usage. They also point to a need for more funds to further enhance the library spaces for postgraduate students’ use. Originality/value South African libraries are faced with challenges including the addition of 15 per cent value added tax to print and online resources. In this environment, libraries are expected by university authorities to demonstrate return on investment. This study, therefore, is located within the realm of determining return on investment for the funds spent by universities to build dedicated postgraduate library spaces. This study will further benefit librarians and the university administrators by helping them to better understand the postgraduate students space needs, as well as the challenges being encountered.

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Engaging Students in Academic Library Design: Emergent Practices in Co-Design

Decker

2020

New Review of Academic Librarianship

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Space planning in libraries: For students, by students

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Rethinking academic library space amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa: preparing for the future

Rethinking academic library space amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa: preparing for the future

The utilisation of library spaces by postgraduate students at a university in an African country

Engaging Students in Academic Library Design: Emergent Practices in Co-Design

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