Assessing Library Space for Learning

With the surge in electronic access to the library's resources, there has been an ongoing discussion about the need for a physical library building. On a college or university campus, the library is a destination for its users. Students, faculty and staff go to the library for various reasons. Their usage makes the academic library a valuable learning space on campus. However, not much is known about how the library space contributes to user learning. In Assessing Library Space for Learning, chapters discuss library usage at academic institutions and how that usage is an integral part of the student learning experience.
Included are the perspectives of an architect who is tasked with designing library spaces with learning in mind, a psychologist whose professional research focuses on the concept of place, and a dynamic group of academic librarians who are dedicated to making the library conducive to the needs of their learners. This book is a combination of theory, practical…