Space: Describing and Assessing Library and Other Learning Spaces
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The document discusses assessing library spaces through surveys and inventories. It describes the ARL Facilities Inventory that collects data on library spaces, including number of seats, square footage, and funding. Preliminary results show wide variations in spaces across libraries. Assessment can help libraries improve processes, inform planning, and advocate for resources by showing space needs. Examples demonstrate how assessments of quiet study space needs convinced administrators to allocate more funding.
Space: Describing and Assessing Library and Other Learning Spaces
- 1. SPACE: DESCRIBING & ASSESSING LIBRARY & OTHER LEARNING SPACES PART TWO: THE WHY, HOW,AND WHAT FOR RESEARCH LIBRARY SPACEASSESSMENT BOB FOX MARTHAKYRILLIDOU CNI TASK FORCE MEETING APRIL13, 2015
- 2. LIBRARY SPACE ASSESSMENT 1.0 • Entry gate count • Hours open/week • Seat count • Satisfaction survey
- 3. WHY BOTHER ASSESSING LIBRARY SPACES? • People voting with their feet • Academic support units • Other campus units • Value/image to campus
- 4. IS THIS VALUE THE SAME TO ALL? • Benchmark survey comments • Faculty: 14% • Graduate students: 20% • Undergraduate students: 50% • Discipline • Location • Alternative locations
- 5. SURVEY INTEREST • ARL Facilities Inventory • ACRL Academic Libraries Facilities Questionnaire
- 6. “CALL TO ACTION: CREATING TOMORROW’S LIBRARIES TODAY” We really did not measure how well they understood our jargonized signage ….. - Rush Miller, Choice Magazine, April 2015
- 7. LIBRARY SPACE ASSESSMENT 1.5 ARL Facilities Inventory 2012-2014: • Descriptive • Numeric • Qualitative • Visual • Predictive
- 8. ARL FACILITIES INVENTORY 2012-2015 PRELIMINARY RESULTS • Seats = 3,836 on average More Less CASE WESTERN RESERVE 6,015 MIT 1,332 WISCONSIN 7,109 SYRACUSE 1,394 RUTGERS 7,285 LAVAL 1,572 PENNSYLVANIA STATE 9,100 GEORGETOWN 1,774 SASKATCHEWAN 10,478 VIRGINIA TECH 1,796 TORONTO 13,113 HAWAII 1,811
- 9. ARL FACILITIES INVENTORY 2012-2015 PRELIMINARY RESULTS • Net assignable square feet Total (n=77) 433,793 Collections (n=72) 177,110 Seating (n=72) 117,168 Other (n=72) 103,090 Classroom (n=68) 17,142
- 10. PHYSICAL LOCATIONS TREND PRELIMINARY RESULTS decreasing 13 16.7 increasing 15 19.2 staying the same 50 64.1 Total 78 100.0
- 11. ARL FACILITIES INVENTORY 2012-2015 PRELIMINARY RESULTS Funds spent $7,187,735 on average LAVAL 17,174,444 SASKATCHEWAN 17,246,316 OHIO STATE 18,076,508 NORTHWESTERN 19,625,877 JOHNS HOPKINS 21,882,420 MASSACHUSETTS 25,762,145 DUKE 27,010,000 EMORY 47,186,664 WISCONSIN 53,875,000 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 85,162,296
- 12. FUNDING TRENDS PRELIMINARY RESULTS Number of libraries Percent decrease 13 16.7 increase 46 59.0 stay about the same 19 24.4 Total 78 100.0
- 14. VISUAL DATA • New data format • Uncertain how to analyze them • What is the story behind the pictures
- 18. THINKING PLACES
- 19. LIBRARY SPACE ASSESSMENT 2.0 • Do our jobs better • Improve a process • Inform our direction • Tell our story • PR • Statistical compilations/Benchmarking • Convincing others to allocate resources • Donors • Funding agency/process • Internal
- 20. ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES • Do our jobs better (Internally-focused) • Determining space allocations • Informing renovations/construction • Process improvements • Tools • Full range of standard assessment tools • Scope • Reflective of project • Time availability • Intended audience
- 21. ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES Longitudinal space studies
- 22. The Libraries Get Used! • 3.1 Million Gate count FY 2013 • 1.2 Million Full-text article downloads • 1.1 Million Catalog searches • 1,000+ Classes taught with over 19,000 students • Event hosting • Technology hub Telling our story (Externally-focused): ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES
- 24. ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES • Convincing others to allocate resources (Externally-focused)
- 25. ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES • Convince others to allocate resources • Seating space concerns • Quiet study space
- 26. ASSESSMENT OUTCOME: QUIET STUDY SPACE
- 27. ASSESSMENT OUTCOME: QUIET STUDY SPACE
- 28. ASSESSING LIBRARY SPACES • Why we should assess library spaces • ARL Facilities Inventory • Internally-focused assessment • Externally-focused assessment • Applied examples
- 29. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS • How can we derive a sense of quality of the higher education experience based on physical spaces data? • How can institutions learn from each other? What types of comparisons can libraries derive from the facilities inventory? • How can we use and analyze visual evidence effectively? What are some useful analytical approaches? • How can facilities data help us tell our story and inform future renovation/construction?
Editor's Notes
- #7: … It really did not matter how “user friendly” our libraries were, since students had to use them regardless. We knew what was best for students and would arrange our libraries and array our services to meet their needs, whether they were pleased or disappointed with the outcome. We really did not measure how well they understood our jargonized signage ….. We simply perched ourselves behind desks and waited until the inevitable happened: our users would become confused and frustrated trying to help themselves and ultimately would seek our help. The wise ones started with us! We lost that captive audience …. - Rush Miller, Choice Magazine, April 2015
- #8: We developed and tested a survey that covered three pages – push back on having too many data elements; reduced it to six key questions, three images, and contextual data (URLs, designs, flowcharts). Questions include: number of seats, net assignable square footage for study areas, classrooms, collections, other; gate count which will need to move to the annual ARL Statistics, trend for the number of physical locations (up, down, same), funds spent, projecting funds (up, down, same). Images need to show how spaces are used (no pictures of symbolic gothic or not exteriors of buildings).
- #9: Seats = 3,836 (76 libraries reporting)
- #10: Most space occupied on average by collections – least by classrooms Gate counts (no shown on this chart on average = 1,984,693 (n = 76) Universities: Mean Total (n=77) 433,793 Collections (n=72) 177,110 Seating (n=72) 117,168 Other (n=72) 103,090 Classroom (n=68) 17,142 Both Universities and non-universities: Mean Total (n=80) 423,923 Collections (n=75) 173,989 Seating (n=75) 113,010 Other (n=75) 101,047 Classroom (n=71) 16,684
- #12: On average 71 libraries spending a bit over 7 million over the last three years on facilities – the major building projects are listed below with the well known North Carolina State captured through this data collection leading the way with their amazing new facility – the Hunt Library. Wisconsin- Major projects total: $4.25 million [Two WisCEL Centers (one College (Undergraduate Library), one Wendt (Engineering Library)): $3.5 million; Computer Lab/Media Studio/DesignLab: $750,000] - Wisconsin Historical Library: Summer or early fall we will break ground on a $48,000,000 preservation facility that will include 40,000 sq ft for library and archives materials. Duke: #5: This money went toward the renovation and construction of the Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Massachusetts: DuBois Library has been undergoing almost constant renovation and upgrading for the past decade due to deferred maintenance issues and repurposing of space. Major improvements include a modernized elevator system, upgrading of the electrical system in the entire building and addition of a fire suppression system (water sprinklers). Other significant alterations include improvements to the HVAC system, creation of a 10 table, 100 seat Team Based Learning Center (classroom), installation of an experimental micro climates space within the Learning Center and numerous other enhancements to the space and environment.
- #14: Good juicy footnotes are provided by many libraries – here’s an example from Brigham Young U where they provided a URL to a flowchart they use showing the decision making process for initiating a facilities project – from start to finish
- #16: Images Uploaded into the ARL Statistics database with descriptive information
- #17: Images located on other web pages with additional contextual explanations
- #18: Images of future projects