Why students use university libraries and what they use them for

WHY STUDENTS USE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES AND WHAT THEY USE THEM FOR: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Katie Burn (University of York) and Matt Cunningham (Loughborough University)

Introduction• Shared interests in how Library buildings are being used• Based on approach developed by York they called ‘grab

and go’ using iPad• Using two universities made the results more powerful

than a single institution• If university libraries do not develop insight and

awareness into why and how staff/ students use their buildings, there is a real risk that spaces will not be fit for purpose

Similarities and differences between Loughborough and York Universities and their Libraries Loughborough

University and its Library

York University and its Library

Year founded 1966 1963Number of students c. 15,000 c. 16, 500Size of campus 438 acres 200 acresSize of Library 9161 sq. m. 19,998 sq. mBook stock 500,000 1,000,000Number of study space in Library

1370

1321

Date of refurbishment and cost

2013 (£4.7 million) 2012 (£20 million)

Opening hours Varies between 24/7 at exam and revision times and 8.5 hours in some

vacations

24/7 362 days per year

Questions asked (after course and year)• What is the purpose of your visit today? (people can select multiple answers)

Finding an individual study space Finding a group study space Using resources to study Meet friends/eat/socialiseGetting help from staff – Library Getting help from staff – ITBorrow or return items Use a PCPhotocopy/print/scan To attend class or workshopUse the Library cafe Other

• How often do you visit the Library (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly. Other)

• Do you use other spaces on campus to study/work? • Have you brought a laptop or tablet to use today?

2015 survey results

• Users interviewed as they entered or left Library in February 2015

• 495 responses at Loughborough and 238 from York• Analysed using Tableau software• Report created using Googledocs

Breakdown by user groups 2015

Purposes of visits (similarities and differences)Overall the undergraduate results for Loughborough and York are very similar. Differences include:• higher proportion of York students (30.19%) are using the Library for individual

study (18.71% at Loughborough)

• printing and photocopying feature in the results for UGs at Loughborough (11.72%) but not highly at York (5.3%)

• meeting friends whilst listed at York (8.75%) is not strongly featured at Loughborough (3.86%)

• PGs again use for individual study is much higher at York (30.19%) than at Loughborough (18.71%).

Example of results by academic discipline 2015

Frequency of Library visits 2015

Weekly usage

Loughborough % York %

UG 1 73.58 64.44

UG 2 66.17 47.76

UG 3 60.22 34.6

UG 4 60.34 50.00

1-1 interview held with 25 Loughborough University students

• WHY USE THE LIBRARY?

• WHY DO STUDENTS NOT USE THE LIBRARY?

• WHICH PARTS OF THE LIBRARY BUILDING DO YOU MOST USE?

• HOW OFTEN DO YOU USE THE LIBRARY?

• WHAT MAKES THE LIBRARY DIFFERENT?

• WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LIBRARY?

• WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ONLINE RESOURCES?

Why do students not use the Library?

• Most common themes• Too far away• Library is too full• Library is too crowded and noise• Too stressful at examination times• Other themes• Better software/ pcs elsewhere• Knowing that copies of textbooks required will not be there• Library seen as boring• Online information is accessible so don’t need to use Library building

What is the purpose of the Library?

Most common themes

• Provide welcoming and stimulating environment• Make available everything in one place• Give access to different learning spaces• Deliver collection of books

2016 Survey• Survey repeated in Feb 2016• 880 responses (715 from Lboro – 81%)• An additional question was added to this survey

regarding user perceptions about silent study areas as Lboro wanted info on this

• Different software used “Qualtrics” – easier to export results and gave both institutions access to raw data

• Data below is for UGs, but we have info on all segments available

Breakdown by user groups 2016# Answer

Response %

1 Undergraduate Year 1

181 20%


192 21%


217 24%


114 13%

5 Taught Postgraduate

82 9%

6 Research Postgradute

50 6%

7 Academic Staff

20 2%

8 Support/Admin Staff

28 3%

9 Other

13 1% Total 897 100%

Purpose of visit 2016• The top two reasons were the same in both institutions:

finding an individual study space and using library resources to study

• York outscored Lboro (53% v 42%) as they had for the top purpose last year and the second category was roughly equal (32% York v 33% Lboro)

• Third result was different – Using a PC at Lboro and Borrowing/returning items at York

Frequency of usage 2016

Daily usage Lboro % York %

UG1 24 40UG2 25 61UG3 28 63UG4 43 100

Weekly usage Lboro % York %

UG1 60 52UG2 66 32UG3 60 33UG4 45 0

Lessons learnt -1 • Don’t get Lboro involved in a competition – our sporty

ethos means the students want to “win”• It is possible to work collaboratively across different

institutions using tools such as Googledocs and Skype• Libraries play an integral role in the informal learning

strategies of higher education• Paper surveys are a thing of the past – new software

gives instant access to results• Snapshot surveys are a good tool for focusing on

specific issues

Lessons learnt - 2• Know where to stop – a relatively large data set is generated

even from a few questions. When should you stop analysing and start doing?

• Having said that, sometimes you have to “go big” to start with to know where to stop

• Gathering data is the easy part – the analysis is what takes the time, especially if no extra resources are allocated to the survey. It is much easier the second time round.

• There is an obvious gap in the data – we only surveyed people in the library – what about the people who don’t use our service?

Next actions?

• The collaboration has provided the libraries with further insight into how people use the building, which will be used to inform space management decisions at both universities

• Surveys like ours help prove the impact and value of investing in Library space: e.g. York has already increased silent study spaces in Burton library as direct result of feedback.

• Future surveys at Loughborough will take place in a variety of spaces across campus, not just in the Library to give a wider picture of usage patterns

Inspiring Winners Since 1909

Thank you! Any questions?

Matt Cunningham [email protected] Burn [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Education

Why students use university libraries and what they use them for