Have you ever wondered how midshipmen, faculty, and staff use Nimitz Library? So have we! This fall, the library staff launched a study of our physical spaces and how people use them throughout the semester. The goal of this space study is to approach building, staffing, and service decisions in an evidence-based way, in order to ensure that the Library is providing the spaces and resources that midshipmen need to develop mentally and academically. The big questions to be addressed by this project are:
How do midshipmen use Nimitz Library spaces?
How can we make these spaces more welcoming and conducive to learning?
To answer those questions, we’re using a few methods for data collection: a two-question survey, participant observation, and focus group interviews. This semester we’re focused on the survey and observation. At various times throughout the semester you may see library staff at the main entrance asking why you’re visiting the library or library staff roving the floors with a tablet recording how spaces are being used. Next semester we’ll invite some of you to participate in focus groups so we can make more sense of some of the data we gather this fall.
The Nimitz librarians and staff strive to make service and policy decisions based on research, local evidence, and professional knowledge. The data collected in the space study will be considered along with other evidence such as gate counts and Research Help Desk usage statistics for future assessment and problem-solving.
If you have any questions about the Nimitz Library space study, please contact Amanda Click, Head of Research & Instruction, at click@usna.edu.
0 Comments.