Place Attachment, Libraries, and Student Preferences

abstract: This study examines student use of and reaction to study spaces in academic libraries through the lenses of place attachment, including appropriation, affordance, and attention restoration theories. Experimenting with new methods of research (four of six methods were new), researchers identified the walking interview as the best for examining their research questions. They found that students identify the library as a study space, and they rely on the library and those within it to reinforce the discipline of study. Findings include more detailed insight into the “study ethos,” noise or distraction levels, decor, and other aspects of study spaces.