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Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences 2017 IATUL Proceedings

Making the Library the Preferred Place to Study: Rethinking

Existing Spaces and Opening the Library to the Users
Anne-Berit Gregersen
Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, [email protected]

Gry Bettina Moxnes

Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, [email protected]

Anne-Berit Gregersen and Gry Bettina Moxnes, "Making the Library the Preferred Place to Study:
Rethinking Existing Spaces and Opening the Library to the Users." Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences.
Paper 2.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2017/spaces/2

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 MAKING THE LIBRARY THE PREFERRED PLACE TO
STUDY: RETHINKING AND REDESIGNING EXISTING
LIBRARY SPACE

Anne-Berit Gregersen & Gry Bettina Moxnes

Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Abstract

Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences is Norway’s largest university
college, situated in the city center of Oslo. The University covers a wide range of professional
education from teacher training, nursing and other health educations, arts and engineering. The
four libraries supports research and education at their local campuses. The main library, P48,
moved into existing premises in 2007. This was previous an office space and not ideal for library
use. The university is growing and the need for working space for the students are increasing.

In this paper, we will describe the process of rethinking and redesigning existing library space.
As a tool for analyzing the use of the premises, we used “Tracking the Traffic” (TTT), and we will
present work with this method as a tool for redesign. The redesign of the library included
implementing RFID-technology. With this technology we are able to offer extensive self-service
to our users, and extend the opening hours without library staff. Our opening hours are now 06-
22 all days throughout the year. This means that our users can use the library also when it is
unstaffed. Our experience with extended opening hours will be discussed.

A project on rethinking the library premises was established in 2012, and involved all employees
at the library P48. Weeding the collection to create more space was imperative to gain
alternative space. New furniture and other equipment were introduced in 2014 and 2015. The
visits to the library increased 15,3% from 2014-2015. During spring 2016 we did a new TTT to
further investigate the use of the premises and made new plans for our main goal: to make the
library the preferred place to study. The visits to the library increased with 25% from 2015-2016.
The refurnishing and making a new design manual for the library was all done by the library
staff of P48.

Keywords: Academic libraries; Library space; Tracking the traffic; Library redesign

Introduction
Oslo and Akershus College of Applied Sciences (HiOA) is Norway’s largest state university
college. HiOA has four faculties located at two campuses; Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty
of Education and International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Faculty of Technology,
Art and Design. HiOA has a student body of approximately 20 000 students and 2 000
employees. The university covers a wide range of professional education from teacher training,
nursing and other health educations, arts and engineering.
The Learning Centre and Library’s (LSB) main goal is to disseminate knowledge, encourage
research and support students. Four libraries, a Learning Support Centre, an English for
Academic Purposes Unit, a Diversity in Pedagogical Practices Unit, a Section for Multimedia
and Moochahuset ensure that students and staff is offered a wide range of services.
The main library - The Library P48 (P48) is located at Campus Pilestredet, situated in the city
center of Oslo. The library resources covers a broad variety of subjects as health science,
archivistics, Library and media studies, Teacher education and international studies. The
library’s main goal is to support students and staff in their academic work.
The Library P48 moved into existing premises in 2007. This was previous an office space, and
not ideal for library use. P48 is located on three different floors The book collection with 80
doublesided bookshelves covered most of the space. The library had one silent reading room,
one silent readingroom with computers, one Anatomy room, a 24/7 study room, a few soft
seatings and some small round “café-tables” between the bookshelves.
Project: rethinking exicting spaces
The university was growing and the need for student working space was increasing. The
change in the way students work was a major factor in rethinking the use of the library space.
LSB set as one of its main goals to become an attractive place to work on campus and to
increase the visitation numbers [Læringssenter og bibliotek, 2014].
In 2012 we stared a small project in P48 to facilitate for student workspace. The library
received some funds and hired an interior architect to make some new floorplans for the library
premises. A draft of the premises was made, but then the money ran out. However, the idea of
rethinking the space was made, and the staff started their own project. In the beginning all of
the staff was involved. There was no money in the project but the desire to make some
changes. Three different groups; SPACE, ACTIVITY and STATISTICS was established. Each
group had different tasks .The SPACE group made a map of all rooms used by the library. The
ACTIVITY group made a list of all the different services and equipment in the library. The
Statistics group performed a Track The Traffic (TTT) survey. The Library staff was able to
choose which group to participate in.
The project ended with a workshop where all the groups presented their findings and discussed
the library space. A smaller group continued this work. A new plan of the premises was made
from the findings. The principles for the refurbishing was; ZONES, FLEXIBILITY and WORK
SPACE. The main focus was to cater for a variety of activities and learning styles: group
seatings, individual seatings and flexible seatings. It is important to have in mind the need for
different workspaces to accommodate for the variety of student needs [Fatt Cheong & Su Nee,
2016].
To create more workspace for the students we had to weed the book collection. All of the library
staff was involved. Of a total of 80 bookshelves, 16 were removed, enabling more workspace.
The space on the first floor was quite dark and claustrophobic with all the bookshelves blocking
the natural light. Opening up and letting the light in was an important task.
In 2016 we got funds for implementing the RFID system. This made it possible to make some
greater changes in the entrance area. We replaced a 7 meter long reference desk with two
smaller infopods and self-service checking machines. We established a new exhibition area and
a social zone with a large sofa in bright colors. Opening up this area made the entrance a more
welcoming space.
The implementing of the RFID made it possible to enhance the libraries opening hours. The
students are now able to use the library outside the staffed opening hours. They get access to
the premises by using their student and staff key-card and a pincode.
By choosing the sofa and furniture for the entrance we also choosed new colors for the
library.The library was painted in new, fresh colours. A design manual for the different types of
furniture and colours was made, making it easy to plan ahead of future fundings.
Creating workspaces
New group study space with flexible furniture and mobile walls was implemented. The flexible
furniture makes it easy to rearrange the room for different purposes, such as group study,
lectures or events. The mobile walls makes it possible to divide the room into smaller spaces,
creating more privacy and reduce noise. Some of the mobile walls can be used as whiteboards.
We have created several new individual seatings, some with screens creating more privacy for
work which requires a high level of concentration. Communal work space, with individual
seatings was also implemented.
Social zones are furnished with soft seatings, either sofas or lounge chairs with low tables. Our
experience is that these spaces are often used for group study making the library mainly as a
working space more than a social meeting place. Of a total of 476 seatings, 162 new seatings
was created and we achieved a much better floor-space ratio.
Removing bookshelves and creating new seatings in the library also created more noise.
Measures was taken, and we installed soundproofing panels on the walls in several spaces in
the library, in all the group study rooms, and the silent reading room. We are now about to put
up signs and stickers around the library to display the different kinds of zones: talking allowed,
quiet zone and silent zone.
Students use multiple electronic devices in their studying, and the ability to charge these is
important. Creating study space with power outlets is a challenge as many of the work spaces
often is positioned in the middle of the floor and not next to a wall where the power outlet is.
In our work with planning for working space in the library we looked at the recommendations of
accessibility [Nylund & Knarlag, [2009]], and McDonald’s key qualities for good learning space
[McDonald, 2006]. According to Norwegian laws we are required to make sure that people with
disabilities are able to participate in the society on equal terms with other citizens [Universell,
2014]. We try to make our premises as flexible and accessible as possible: adjustable tables,
scanning devices and equipment for the visually impaired. Scanners makes it possible to
transform text into speech synthesis.
Tracking the traffic (TTT)
Library activity are measured using statistics and questionnaires. The statistics give us valuable
numbers about acquisition and discarding of books and other materials, circulation, interlibrary
loans, etc. Questionnaires can tell us about user satisfaction with library services. However, not
every activity is measured. What about those who use the library as a working space? They use
the library PC’s alone or in groups. They find literature on the shelves or online, or they use the
library as a social meeting place. Is the premises furnished to meet different kind of learning
styles? The librarians know there are a variety of activities in the library, many of which are hard
to quantify and does not appear in traditional user surveys. In our experience, TTT can be a
valuable supplement to statistics and user surveys. TTT can give useful background
information in planning and evaluating the library premises and furniture
The method of tracking the traffic is used in public libraries, focusing on who the users are and
what they are doing in the library. In university libraries, we know who the users are and why
they use the library. We will therefore focus on whether the space and furniture supports and
accommodate a variety of students with different learning styles.
Theory
Tracking the traffic gives us other sides of the library activities than traditional statistics. The
users themselves and how they use the premises are in focus. Methods from ethnography and
geography are used to describe user behavior. In the article “Sweeping the library” Given and
Leckie [2003] adopts methods developed for mapping the use of public places and shopping
centers to also describe the use of library spaces. Tord Høivik [2014] developed this method to
an easy and adaptable way of analyzing the use of libraries. He introduced the “15 activities” as
a tool for standardizing the observations and to facilitate comparisons between different
libraries. The method has been used in both Norwegian public and academic libraries as well as
a great number of libraries abroad.
Systematic observation is a central part of the TTT. The observers are passive participants in
the environment. The observers are not taking part in the activities they observe, but are simply
looking in from the outside. Neither are they assessing what the students are reading or doing,
simply that they read, and what sort of media they use (PC’s and other electronic devices, or
printed books).
We anticipated the entire staff to take part in the TTT walkthrough. We arranged preparatory
meetings where the emphasis was on the role of the observers. We discussed the differences
between observation and assessment or interpretation. We also did a preliminary walkthrough
to test the schemes and the role of the observers. Because the observations are made by
different persons, they are less consistent. However, we gain a sense of community, a fresh
look at the library and ownership to the data obtained.
The ethical aspects of the observations were taken care of by information boards in and outside
the library. Information was given on when the walkthroughs were taking place and the role of
the observers and the purpose of the project.
Method
We used Tord Høiviks methodology for tracking the traffic as described in his blog “Practical
statistics” [Høivik]. We did a TTT in 2012 and wanted to do an additional study in 2016, to catch
changes.
We started with making a floor plan of the public areas of the library and divided it into zones:
circulation area, book collection, group study areas, recreational areas, reading rooms etc. Each
zone should be described as to the purpose of the area, number of seating, number of
stationary PCs etc. Then we had to decide on a time plan, with dates and times for all
walkthroughs, how many rounds per day and how many days. The walkthroughs should be
done over a period to gather information about a typical day in the library. We chose two
different weeks – one in February and one in April 2016. We did the walkthroughs every hour in
the mornings (09, 11 and 13) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and in the afternoon (15, 17,
19) on Tuesday and Thursday. On Saturday we only did one walkthrough at one o’clock as the
library is only staffed between 10:30 and 14.
A list of activities to be observed is crucial, and Høivik strongly recommends his standard list of
activities. Using the standard list will enabling benchmarking with other, similar libraries.
In 2012 the 15 activities was expanded with a 16th activity: group contact with staff:

Individual activities

1. ALUP = Walks or stands alone. Covers standing or walking around without browsing
and without relating to library staff or other users.
2. ALBR = Browses alone. Covers browsing or scanning of items on shelves while
standing or walking around. Includes watching exhibitions.
3. ALSI = Sits alone. Sits alone without relating to media, to library staff or to other users.
4. ALMD = Sits alone reading (or writing). Sits and reads by her/himself. Includes
individual work - reading and or writing - without using data equipment. Includes
listening to music, watching videos and using other media - but not the use of
computers.
5. ALLT = Sits alone with laptop. Sits alone with active mobile or tablet computer (active
screen)
6. ALPC = Sits alone with stationary computer. Sits alone with stationary active computer
(active screen).
7. ALSF = Individual contact with staff. Covers all direct contact with staff. Here we want
to register activities where staff spends time with an individual user, whether it involves
speaking, writing, demonstrating or walking around.

Group activities

1. GRUP = Walks or stands in company. Participates in a group of two or more persons

that stands or walks around without browsing and without relating to library staff.
2. GRBR = Browses in company. Participates in a group of two or more persons that
browse or scan items on shelves together while standing or walking around.
3. GRSI = Sits in a group without media. Participates in a group of two or more persons
that does not relate to books or other media or to library staff.
4. GRMD = Sits in a group with media. Participates in a group without active computer,
where at least one person relates to books or other media. [Use GRLT or GRPC for
groups with active use of data].
5. GRLT = Sits in a group with laptop(s).Participates in a group where at least one person
is using a mobile PC (active screen).
6. GRPC = Sits in a group with stationary computer(s). Participates in a group of two or
more persons that is using one or more stationary PCs (active screen).
 7. GRSF = Group contact with staff. Covers all direct contact with staff. Here we want to
register activities where staff spends time with a group of several users, whether it
involves speaking, writing, demonstrating or walking around.

Other

1. QUE = Queuing. Covers all visible waiting for service or facilities, whether in a proper
line or not: waiting for staff, waiting for access to equipment, toilet queues, also.

ETC = Other activities. Activities not covered by the other categories.

Floor plans of the of the library floors with defined zones

1st floor Ground floor

Figure 1: Floor plan

P48 – ZONES TTT

A Circulation area
B1 Public Pc’s
B2 PC workplaces
B3 PC workplaces, 24/7 study room
B4 IPad project
C1 Entrance area on ground and first floor, groop tables and , sofas
C2 Quiet reading rooms
C3 Reading space/group tables
C4 Anatomy room
C5 Learning lab
D Media: journals and newpapers
Er Media: R-wing (fiction)
Es Media: S-wing (nonfiction)
Fr Group study rooms – R-wing
Fs Group study rooms – S-wing
G1 Copy machine
G2 Self service check in/out
H Meda: Music, films, student assignments

The activities and the zones are put in a spreadsheet (Excel) enabling us to find the distribution
of users by hours, zones and activities. From this we can explore a number of bivariate
distributions, like what zones are most used during the day, what activities are the most popular,
what activities takes place in different zones. Hence the results are given in percentage of the
people present in the library.
Our experience from several TTT is that some of the activities are difficult to track, as the
students now are using a multiple of devices and materials simultaneously. This makes it often
difficult to pin it down to one specific activity. This makes the observations even more reliable on
the observers’ interpretations.
Results from the 2016 sweeps
Activities:
The first floor is the main library floor, with the library circulation desks, the library collections,
group study rooms, quiet reading rooms and furniture for both group activities as well as
individual work. Nearly 60% of the observed activities takes place on the first floor.
55% is group activities and 45% of the groups use one or more laptops – in the group study
rooms and in the library space in general.
Only 10% use printed books without any digital equipment.
The ground floor contains area for individual study, with 24 library PC’s and reading tables for
24 persons. There is also a flexible space used for presentations and group work. The ground
floor area also hosts the IT help desk staffed with IT students.
36% of the overall activities takes part on the ground floor. 43% use the library PCs alone while
38% bring their own laptops. 85% sits alone and only 15% works in groups on the ground floor.
On the ground floor we also have the 24/7 study room with direct access from the street. This
contains library PC’s and individual reading tables. This room is not widely known. The average
per day use is 35, which is 5.5% of the total library visits.
Zones:
Top three zones are: group study rooms and spaces for group work, quiet reading rooms and
spaces with sofas and soft furniture. We also observed that although the spaces for group
activities can be quite noisy, many students prefer to sit here alone. Sitting alone together, in a
place to see and be seen, is an activity described by Gayton [2008] :” as a communal activity “
What they come for and value is the “communal” experience of seeing and being seen by
others, quietly engaged in the same serious, studious activity.”[Gayton, 2008, p. 61]
One of the findings from the 2012 study was the relatively high number – 13%, of people
“strolling”, walking around with no obvious aim than to find a place to sit or people to meet. In
the 2016 study this was reduced to a minimum. The number of seatings has been increased by
162, and the gate counts shows an increase of 25% on the main library floor. This tells us that
weeding the collection and replacing bookshelves with study spaces is the right thing to do.
It is important to remember that the library sweeps gives a short glimpse of the use of the library
premises at a given period of time. For the library employees it can be disappointing to see that
the users are in contact with the staff only 3% of the time. Counting the reference questions
gives quite another picture.
This also goes for the self-service checking machines. Since the time spent in front of these
machines are very limited, they hardly make an impact on the sweeps. However, our library
statistics tells us that more than half of the loans and returns of books are made with the self-
checking machines.
Extended opening hours:
RFID technology is installed in all the printed materials, in the gates and the self-checking
machines. The technology opens up to a wider use of self-service, and from December 2016 we
have opened the library from 06 in the morning to 22 in the evening all days throughout the
year. This has been implemented without reducing the staffed opening hours, but is offered as
an additional service. This has turned out to be highly popular. During the weekends the visits to
the library has increased considerably. The users can borrow and check out printed materials
and reserved books. But first and foremost, the library is used as a working space.
The library is situated in the center of Oslo and we did worry about how the library might be
used during weekends and holidays. However, we already had experience with a 24/7 study
room which did not give us any worries. This room is equipped with stationary PC’s and study
facilities, but no soft furniture. Access to the library premises after 4 o’clock in the afternoon and
before 8 o’clock in the mornings in the staffed opening hours is regulated by the use of student
or staff key-cards. Video surveillance at the entrance door makes it possible to track any severe
incidents, should it occur. All buildings on campus closes at 22 in the evening, and security
personnel see to that all buildings are empty during the night. Access is restricted to the
university’s staff and students. Others might enter together with someone with an access card,
but this has so far not been a problem. The biggest change is more tidying up and emptying of
rubbish bins on Monday mornings. We also feared that the library would be used as a cheap
overnight stop, but so far this has not happened.
Further plans
“Space and service are inseparable, and it can be argued that the provision of space is a
service in its own right” [Watson, 2013, p. xvii]. We will continue to create more learning spaces
with suitable furniture. A new service, providing a Learning Lab in the library, will demand new
space and new services. This will be our main goal for next year.
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