Shared notes for this session:
https://goo.gl/Vuc849 Music librarians seek to design facilities that meet user needs. Therefore, we need to know what those needs are. Many of us make informed guesses, but how much do we actually know about what patrons really do in music libraries? We’ll answer these questions with data from two studies conducted at four music or performing arts libraries, presenting our conclusions along with practical implications for music library design.
The first, a multi-site research study, involved three music or performing arts libraries: East Carolina University (ECU), Kent State University (KSU), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). In fall 2017, we collected data at each library via two complementary methods: hourly “sweeps” recording details of interest for each patron present in the library, and surveys asking patrons about their library activities. This study builds on ECU’s 2010 single-site study to answer these questions: What areas do patrons visit? What technologies do they use? What kinds of work do they do? How long do they stay? Do they work together or alone? We will examine differences and similarities between the three libraries, including how location of the library and combinations and amounts of spaces (stacks, computer labs, printing/copying/scanning, group study rooms, and open study areas) affect behaviors.
The second project, conducted at the University of Oregon, took a multi-pronged approach to data collection about user habits, in order to guide a proposed redesign of the spaces and resources for music and dance in Knight Library. In order to assess current patron habits, we pulled from existing library datasets: circulation and in-house use, reference transactions, computer terminal logins, and hourly floor counts of users in our Audio & Video Room. We also designed a survey for patrons in the School of Music & Dance that addressed their current library habits, and sought direct input on the redesign through focus groups of SOMD students and faculty.
Presentation files (Clark & Newcomer portion):
https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:23261
