ERIC Number: EJ1240482
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1361-4533
EISSN: N/A
From Cubicles to Community: Reducing Library Anxiety through Critically Reimagined Social Spaces
Larsen, Dale; Wallace, Shane; Parker, Adriana; Pankl, Lis
New Review of Academic Librarianship, v25 n2-4 p408-423 2019
Researchers in the Graduate and Undergraduate Services (GUS) department at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah designed and created a collaborative service interaction space to alleviate symptoms of library anxiety. This plan led to several iterations of purchase and renovation proposals. After a lengthy design period, the space underwent a dramatic change, including new paint, decor, furniture, technology, and stated purpose. The researchers adapted Brookfield's Critical Incident Questionnaire to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis. The researchers discovered that their embedded roles elicited a higher student response rate to the survey. Results of the questionnaire were highly encouraging, and GUS librarians are actively reaching out to bring students into a redesigned space that enhances and nurtures the research process. The researchers found that the notion of library-as-place is most effective when supplemented by analysis of space in conjunction with services, spaces, and the communities we serve.
Descriptors: Academic Libraries, College Students, Anxiety, Change, Student Attitudes, Space Utilization, Librarians, Group Activities, Role, Library Services, Library Materials
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Utah
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A