Bibliotheca: A Paradigm for Translating Student Preferences into the Design of a Library

The university library continues to evolve in response to student behaviors, perceived desires, and technological advancements. The interior qualities of the library can contribute to academic success and provide students with an unparalleled study environment that supports peer collaboration and scholastic achievement (Gardner and Eng, 2005). How can a student’s perception of an ideal study environment be integrated into the design of a library to foster an environment of learning? Using results from a case study to develop a model project, this research examines the design of a student group study space within a library. Image board and graffiti wall methods were used to engage users of an existing group study space to identify the spatial design features that exemplify their ideal collaborative environment. A poster of collected pictures and illustrations were used to visually communicate design intent to a targeted user group (Hanington and Martin, 2012). To prevent bias in describing the visual images in this study, a user-centered card sort study was developed to understand the meaning of the images through the lens of undergraduate students (Kaufman, 2006). Graffiti walls “provide an open canvas on which participants can freely offer their written or visual comments about an environment of system, directly in the context of use” (Hanington and Martin, 2012). A content analysis of the written phrases and images drawn from the graffiti wall was used to quantify data collection. The informal approach of these methods was fundamental in creating an open and unbiased platform for students to respond and provide feedback on the design of a group study space. The most noteworthy design feature from the study results were that students had a preference for a group study space with an alcove design feature, whether actual or perceived, to allow