Students Help Redesign the Library:

Auraria Library and the University of Colorado

School of Architecture and Planning

Meg Brown-SicaAssociate Director of Technology Strategy and Learning Spaces

Auraria Library

Rick Petersen, AIA,LEED APUCD Architecture and Planning Lecturer

OZ Architecture

Inspiration

Erika Rogers is a retired Professor of Computer Science at California

Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, and the former Director

of the Cal Poly University Honors Program. She is currently doing research

and consulting through ChezVous Technology. Her background includes a BA

in French from University of Western Ontario and a BMath in Applied Math and

Computer Science from University of Waterloo. She received her Masters in

Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology in the area of

Computer Graphics, and completed her Ph.D. at Georgia Tech in the area of

Artificial Intelligence.

Erika Rogers

Research Workshops Summer 2009

• Data Collection Studio I

• Data Collection Studio II

• Participatory Action Research Workshop

• Data Analysis Studio

"Essentially Participatory Action Research (PAR) is research which involves all

relevant parties in actively examining together current action (which they

experience as problematic) in order to change and improve it. … Participatory

action research is not just research which is hoped that will be followed by

action. It is action which is researched, changed and re-researched, within the

research process by participants. Nor is it simply an exotic variant of

consultation. Instead, it aims to be active co-research, by and for those to be

helped. Nor can it be used by one group of people to get another group of

people to do what is thought best for them - whether that is to implement a

central policy or an organizational or service change. Instead it tries to be a

genuinely democratic or non-coercive process whereby those to be helped,

determine the purposes and outcomes of their own inquiry."

- Wadsworth, Y. (1998)

Placemaking:The Project for Public Spaces

Bambi L. Yost

Learning Landscapes Project

Research

Furniture Preference51%

48%

42%

32%

22%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Soft Lounge Group Study Booths Flexible

Floor

Modular

Half of all patrons prefer Soft Lounge Furniture, followed closely by Group Study

Furniture.

Among those who prefer the Soft Lounge Furniture, half also indicated that they

linked the Group Study Furniture equally well.

There is no difference in furniture preference based on technology used by patrons

or class requirements (e.g. group study).

Follow-up questions should determine furniture preference by floor of the library (first

or second) or activity (individual study, group study, café use, etc).

% Prefer Furniture

(Prefer = rating of 8 or higher)

Technology Used

88% of all survey respondents use a laptop.

Of those who use a laptop, over 80% also use a cell phone, Smartphone or PDA.

Those who use a Smartphone are more likely to also use other technology, such as

scanners, audio devices, and video equipment.

88%

77%

47%

21% 21%

12%8%

5%

13%15%

34%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Laptop

Cell phone

Audio device

Scanner

Smartphone

Built-in computer camera

Multiple monitors

Video equipement

E-book readerPDA

Other

Potential Services Offered

Almost three-fourths of all survey respondents would like to have more laptop plug-

ins available.

Those who would like a Writing Center were significantly more likely to also want

Tutoring services.

Follow-up questions should determine preference for services based on age, student

type, frequency of use, etc.

73%

59%55%

43%39%

29% 28%25% 24%

18%

31%

38%

54%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Laptop plug-ins

Writing Center

Eating area

Tutoring

Reserve research help

Scanning stations

Computer/application help

Class presentation practice area

News and weather station

Addition softw

are

Representatives from IT Dept

Ability to reserve computer

Video editing equipment

Class Requirements

Of those who engage in group work/study, 87% also give presentations in their

classes.

For students in classes that require presentations, they were not more likely to want

a presentation practice area in the library than other students.

73%71%

39%

32% 32%

24%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Group

work/study

Presentations Audio/visuals in

assignments

Use of citation

software

Statistical

analysis

Use of social

applications

Favorite Study Location• Favorite Location for Studying

The Auraria Library is the preferred location for study and research among respondents.

One-fourth of respondents specifically mentioned the 1st floor of the library.

• Why Favorite

Reasons for choosing a favorite study/research location include:

Less noise

Availability of computers

Good Lighting

107

59

16 14 125

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Auraria

Library

Home Computer

Lab

Study

Room

Restaurant Office

137

49

26

1610 7

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Less noise Computers

available

Light Space to

spread out

Coffee

available

Electrical

outlets

Technology Needs for Group Study

Respondents are most interested in having a projector available for group study

sessions.

12

8

5

5

3

3

2

1

4

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Projector/Monitor

Wireless Access

Electrical outlets

Whiteboards

Specialized Software

Computers

Printers

Scanner

No other technology

Open-ended Question

count of responses

Desirable for Group Study

Respondents gave the highest rankings for Laptop Plug-ins and Closed Rooms.

9.99.3

8.48 7.9

5.7 5.5

4.53.7

6.97.6

8.1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Lapto

p Plu

g-ins

Clo

sed r

oomQuie

t

White

board

Room

for 3-

4 peo

ple

Flexi

ble fu

rnitu

re

Large

scre

en/m

onitor

Rooom

for 5-

10 p

eople

Apple

com

puters

Open

after

10p

m

Open

bef

ore 8

am

Room

for 10

+ pe

ople

Average Rating

1=least desirable, 12=most desirable

“Re-Imagining the Auraria Library”

Kickoff Meeting

• At the Library

• Invited the Original Library Planner

• Invited Campus and College Planners

• Toured the Library

• Presented Data

Auraria Library Program Essentials and Design Priorities

Auraria Library Program Basics

• Learning Materials Collection

• Access and Discover Library Resources

• Learning Spaces and Computer Resources

• Services for People with Disabilities

Auraria Library Facility Design Priorities

• Library as Service

• Library as Resource

• Library as Place

Architecture Student Work

Precedent Studies

Programming

Student Proposals