SMU Libraries: “Sensory” in library spaces (original) (raw)
Related papers
“Sensory” in Library Spaces at SMU Libraries.
2016
The Li Ka Shing Library recently included a new section, “Heat Maps” on the library website, providing users instant access to the physical occupancy spaces across all the different levels in the library. The indoor location-aware system is one in the latest slew of additions in tracking the library patrons’ visitations. It is the first of the many forms of library usage data sources that seek to provide an impetus in engaging the SMU community through real-time data visualizations. This enhances the perception of SMU Libraries as a creative nexus that nurtures and champions innovative methods of information access through technology innovations. This paper details the various forms of library usage data sources and how they impact the student patrons’ experience. It also outlines a case study on how data harnessed solutions can further foster a safe space that enriches and embodies the SMU Libraries experience.
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 open-ended 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 book-centered paradigm, and an emerging technologically-supported learning-centered paradigm.
Heat Map Visualizations of Seating Patterns in an Academic Library
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.
Library & Information Science Research, 2003
Although libraries are public spaces in which individuals engage in a range of social and informational activities, few researchers in library and information science use ethnographic approaches to study users' experiences in these settings. This article describes spatial analysis techniques used by geographers and other researchers of social space. It examines the ways in which these techniques may be used to map the physical layout of libraries and information centers, and patrons' uses of those spaces. The article focuses on one observational approach (the “seating sweeps” method) used to study individuals' use of central public libraries in two large Canadian cities. In addition to a description of the design and implementation of the method, the article presents some of the study's findings that support the utility of this method for facilities redesign or planning to accommodate patrons' information behaviors and usage patterns and to emphasize the central library as a vibrant and vital public space.
"A Really Nice Spot": Evaluating Place, Space, and Technology in Academic Libraries
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.