Library space assessment methods: perspectives of new information professionals
| Published date | 08 January 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2017-0097 |
| Pages | 39-63 |
| Date | 08 January 2018 |
| Author | Sheila Corrall |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
Library space assessment
methods: perspectives of new
information professionals
Sheila Corrall
School of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The research explores the emergingspecialty of learning space assessment with a focus on how
new information professionals represented by graduate students in an academic libraries course defined
quality criteria for library spaces and how they approacheddesigning and conducting a one-shot multi-site
space assessmentproject.
Design/methodology/approach –The instructor-investigator adopted a diachronic collective case
study strategy, using documentsgenerated by six cohorts over three academic years. The data included 180
online discussion posts, 97 individual site assessments and 32 group project reports. Data were analysed
quantitativelyand qualitatively to identify patterns and trendsin student behaviour.
Findings –The analysis revealed a strong trend among students for creating their own evaluation
frameworks in preference to reusing existing professional tools in their current form; the proportion of
students who developed theirown criteria or combined existingcriteria in new ways shifted from 40 per cent
to 80 per cent in threeyears. Their approaches demonstrated willingnessand ability to engage in independent
and creative thinking, and readiness to explore interdisciplinary and international perspectives on space.
They also displayed a commitment to accessible, flexible and adaptable user-centred design for active,
collaborativelearning and to bringing a user perspective to their observations.
Originality/value –The focus on student-librarians provides a uniqueforward-looking perspective on the
desirable qualities of next-generation learning spaces in academic libraries. The study documents an
unprecedented range of establishedand novel space evaluation frameworks and tools informed by different
professional disciplines. Theresults should be of interest to library and information science (LIS) educators
and practitioners.
Keywords Professional education, Academic libraries, Service quality, Library assessment,
Learning spaces, Evaluation frameworks
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Assessment and space are among the most critical issues facing higher education
institutions and their libraries in the twenty-first century. Assessmenthas been highlighted
as a strategic concern by academic librarians and their professional associations, evidenced
by initiatives such as the ACRL Assessment in Action program (Ackermann, 2015).
Saunders (2015, pp. 1-2) observes that “Academiclibraries are under enormous pressure to
demonstrate their value throughassessment”and “must engage in assessment”. In addition,
in parallel with significant growth in specialist assessment librarian positions
The author gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the MLIS students who participated in the
group multi-site space study as part of their Academic Libraries course in 2014, 2015 and 2016,
whose ideas and insights have enriched the research reported here.
Library space
assessment
methods
39
Received2 October 2017
Revised13 November 2017
Accepted15 November 2017
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.119 No. 1/2, 2018
pp. 39-63
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-10-2017-0097
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2398-5348.htm
(Oakleaf, 2013;Passonneau and Erickson, 2014), we find growing recognition that:
“Assessment cannot be seen as a separate ‘management activity’, but must be appreciated
and valued by all members of the culture and assumed to be a part of their regular work”
(Lakos and Phipps, 2004, p. 351), which is reflected in the competency statements of
professional associations in our field (ALA, 2009;ALIA, 2014;CARL, 2010), and underlines
the need for professional master’s programs to prepare student librarians for assessment
activities. However, a recent surveyof American librarians with assessment responsibilities
indicated that their professional education did not prepare them to perform assessment-
related tasks (Fleming-Mayand Mays, 2015).
Similarly, space/facilities planning features prominently in 60 of 63 academic library
strategy documents reviewedby Saunders (2015), which in turn is reflected in the noticeable
growth, development and diversification of methodologies, techniques and tools for
conducting space evaluation and assessment research drawing on literature from both the
traditional professional domains of librarianship and architecture, and emergent research
communities specializing in green buildings, learning spaces and sedentary physiology
(Crumpton and Crowe, 2009;DeClerq and Cranz, 2014;Felix and Brown, 2011;Gerke and
Teeter, 2017;Germany, 2014;Lippincott and Duckett, 2013;Montgomery, 2017;Nitecki,
2011). A key trend here is the specific focus on assessing library spaces as learning
environments (Felix and Brown, 2011;Lippincott and Duckett, 2013;Montgomery, 2017;
Nitecki and Simpson, 2016). With spaceno longer viewed as just another part of the library
infrastructure, but elevated to a mission-critical service, it makes sense to move space
assessment from an occasional, limited activity to a core element of an ongoing assessment
strategy (Gerke and Teeter, 2017). In addition, as Nitecki (2011, p. 27) suggests, assessing
and evaluating the use of library space can provide additional meaningful insights into the
present and future roles and purposes of an academic library.Hands-on evaluation projects
with a focus on space have thus becomean obvious vehicle for introducing new information
professionals tothe theory and practice of assessing service quality.
The purpose of the pedagogical research reported here was to investigate how new
information professionals represented by six cohorts of master’s students enrolled in a
library and information science (LIS) program approached the task of assessing space in
academic libraries. No prior studies of LIS students learning to conduct space assessments
have been identified,and we anticipate the results of our study will be of interest to other LIS
educators and practitioners in the field with an interest in assessing and evaluating library
and learning spaces. The specific questions explored were how the MLIS students framed
their space assessments, what evaluation criteria they chose to use and whether they
displayed particular characteristics associated with next-generation professionals. The
paper first describes the data and methods used; next explains the space assessment task
and its context, and then analyses and discusses the findings, usingexamples and extracts
from student coursework to illustrate their approaches and methods. It is not possible to
include comprehensive details here of the tools created by students to support their
assessments; interested readers are invited to contact the authorfor additional information
on material available.
Literature related to library space assessment is not reviewed separately but forms an
integral part of the case study and is referenced throughout the research report. Readers
interested in exploring the growing literature on the planning, design, development and
assessment of library space can find fuller discussion in the recent book chapter by Diller
(2017) or in the articles by Matthews and Walton (2014),Nitecki and Simpson (2016) and
Turner et al. (2013).
ILS
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