Libraries as learning spaces: exploring how students make use of the physical space in academic libraries

摘要

Although students report engaging in many types of activities, both academic and non-academic, the primary purpose that brings them to the library is academic work. Students using the library are choosing this space to accomplish a good proportion of their out of class work. These findings expand those of several previous research studies, including one whose observation of library study spaces indicated that students were generally engaged in academic activities (Suarez, 2007). Suarez also concluded that although students participated in social and leisure pursuits while in the library, these activities were only secondary to academic activities (Suarez, 2007). Other observational research found that the university library was a preferred study location on that campus (Applegate, 2009). The findings of the research presented here confirm the importance of the library as a student study space and provide evidence in support of the claim that this may be true of academic libraries in general. The important role these libraries play in the lives of respondents highlights them as important campus learning spaces. These libraries are providing spaces where students can engage in learning and be immersed in the academic experience. When students work on academic activities in the library they are choosing to place themselves in a setting that connects information to the social experience of learning (Bennett, 2006). This research provides evidence to affirm the claim that people come to libraries to engage in academic activities because they enjoy doing so in a place that supports and fosters a learning environment, and in the company of others engaged in similar activities (Demas, 2005). This study rejects the common refrain that there is little need for a physical library in the digital era, or that the modern campus library serves largely social purposes. The majority of students report using their library as an information retrieval space, and nearly all indicate using it as a learning space. These findings, combined with those showing that most students continue to borrow print materials and seek help from library staff, suggest that the library is, indeed, a vital component of the campus learning environment.