Headcounts on Steroids: A Lightweight Method for Evaluating Space and Furniture Use

Abstract

The study identified patterns of space and furniture use to inform planning and vision for the busiest library on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Library staff manually gathered headcount and user behavior data in Walter Library during the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semesters. Data was gathered three times a day, three days per week, during three weeks throughout the semester. The data included counts of people by furniture type and was augmented with time and location data. These data were combined with total seat counts by furniture type, room, and floor and compared across time and space. The instrument was updated and refined to improve data collection. Library users’ furniture preferences changed drastically from room to room. We found that spaces with furniture and atmosphere designed for collaborative work were very popular, as were spaces designed for quiet, individual study. Furniture supportive of individual study were underutilized in rooms and areas more conducive to group or parallel study and vice versa. We want flexible spaces and a nimble decision-making process but have limitations due to the constraints of our historic building. The study has encouraged creative, user-centered thinking. The methodology is lightweight enough to repeat the study each semester and at the same time produces actionable information that have informed major decisions and a vision for our library space as a whole. The datasets we generated answered big picture questions about library use and informed individual decisions about the placement and use of pieces of furniture. Most importantly, the study has challenged many of our assumptions about how people use the library’s spaces. Introduction The University of Minnesota Libraries are, like many libraries, moving from a collection-centered approach to library spaces to re-envisioning the library as an informal learning space. To that end, the largest libraries on campus have recently seen a massive reduction of the size of the reference collections housed on site to make space for additional student work areas and collaboration space. Just as libraries do collection analysis to ensure they are providing the resources their users need, it is important to understand user needs and behaviors in informal learning spaces as a means of ensuring those spaces provide the environment required to help our patrons accomplish the work they came to do. Developing an understanding of user interactions with library spaces has prompted a number of userfocused studies in the library literature. The simplest method used to obtain baseline information on humanenvironment interactions is a passive observational study.1 Observational studies use a wide range of methods. They may include counts by room and furniture type or divide spaces into artificially defined zones.2 Observational studies can employ the use of paper maps, mobile apps, or even GIS mapping software.3 Observational studies often use a mixed-methods approach to create a more complete picture of user activity and perceptions, incorporating surveys, photo diaries, mapping exercises, or whiteboard comments.4 A mixed-methods approach can also provide qualitative information about what users want out of a space.5 Libraries have used a variety of methods to design learning spaces and gather feedback from potential users, including observations, interviews, usability tests, environmental scans, ideal space design exercises, and focus groups.6 Environmental psychology is the field of study devoted to the exchanges and interactions between people and their surroundings. Many of the methods used in environmental psychology can be employed to gain an understanding of library space use. Additionally, findings in environmental psychology provide the