Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, spends much of their time consuming and creating digital content online. 92% check social media daily. But, according to some, they still like print and like going to the library. Research released on public library use and media consumption among Gen Z and Millennials It was published by the American Library Association last fall. Because Gen Z makes up a significant portion of today’s college students, their attitudes toward libraries are influencing higher education.
“This report is very interesting from an academic library perspective,” said Beth McNeil, 2023-2024 president of the Association of University Research Libraries and dean of Purdue University Libraries. “A lot of ACRL members will say, ‘Oh, we see a lot of similarities in terms of usage and media consumption.'”
The study’s authors, Kathy Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda of Portland State University, analyzed quantitative data from about 2,000 respondents, roughly divided between Gen Z and Millennials. They also conducted ethnographic research in his two branches of public libraries in Ohio. Those who work in academic libraries say young people expect libraries to provide safe hangouts and access to resources such as free Wi-Fi, makerspaces and high-tech equipment. Understood. It is said that this expectation has been carried over to universities as well.
At Purdue University, a whopping 98 percent of undergraduate students actually spend time in the library, McNeil said. (The ALA survey found that 54% of respondents had visited a public library within their 12 months). While many undergraduates come to study and find academic resources, there is also a social pull, another trend shown in the ALA survey. “They might come in for coffee. If we’re in a combination library and classroom space, they might come in for a class. They might come in to see a friend. No, but we know they’re coming into our physical space,” McNeil said. “For most of us, especially for undergraduate libraries, it’s about space and location,” she added.
Some students visit the library to impress their friends. She recalled one undergraduate student who loved studying there. “Because you know who’s there, they can see you, and they can tell you’re smart.” McNeil says, “Seeing and being seen are the foundations for engaging in learning.” says.
Assess student needs
For undergraduate students with packed schedules, the campus library has become a kind of one-stop shop, a place to recharge, recharge, grab a snack or coffee, relax, and socialize between classes. Masu. Gen Z students typically carry multiple pieces of luggage. Devices that require juice (laptops, tablets, smartphones, headphones, etc.).
“The option of having more and more outlets is also great for students who may be on campus all day, going to class, going to the library, going to eat, going to class, going to another library. It’s important,” McNeil said. . She listed some of the other amenities students seek, including furniture suitable for quiet individual and group study and natural light, rare in older libraries designed to protect print collections from the damage of ultraviolet rays.
As university libraries add more services and reconfigure their facilities to meet patron demand for flexible, multi-purpose spaces, print collections are increasingly becoming an afterthought for people, especially in main campus libraries. I am. Purdue recently renovated its second largest library, renovated two floors and moved some books to off-site storage, as many institutions do to free up space for other uses. Moved to.
Jessica Figenholtz is vice principal and higher education leader in the North Carolina studio of global architecture firm Perkins & Will. She admitted that light was a big draw. “Students naturally gravitate toward seats and areas with natural light, even if the seats are close together, crowded, or small,” she said. “They’re just attracted to the sunlight. It kind of keeps them on guard.” In her experience, Gen Z students (and the Alphas that come after them) are “less likely to meet up with friends.” We’re looking to libraries to provide a kind of Starbucks atmosphere where you can have a cup of coffee and then go to a private room and bow out. work. “
The company gains insight into student preferences through planning interviews it conducts during library renovation projects. Interviews will be conducted in existing library spaces as well as in student unions, multicultural centers, residence halls, and other centers of student life throughout campus to gain a wide range of perspectives.
Derek Jones, Principal and National Leader of Library Services at Perkins & Will, explains that these “wireless interviews” are a good way to gather details about students’ preferences. For example, if you mention lighting as an issue, the interviewer can ask for details that may affect the final design. “What about the lighting? Is it too dim, too warm, or too cold?” ”
The conversations reveal how students use and value library space on an everyday level, sometimes in unexpected ways. In a recent conversation, someone told Mr. Jones that he loves group study rooms. Not for group work, he says, but because he can create a learning environment that suits him: a dark room, music streaming, a monitor on the wall and a video fireplace. . “This is almost the definition of a neurodiverse space where you can adjust your environment,” Jones says.
Today’s libraries often look nothing like the temples of books of the past. “We used to build grand libraries with breathtaking greeting rooms and halls,” Jones said. The modernist movement brought a sense of what he called “clean utility” to library design. But it turns out that Gen Z doesn’t like that utilitarian aesthetic. Jones said faculty tend to favor “the efficiency of a modern-looking library,” but students express a certain yearning for something grander. “Students really responded to the direct practicality of modernism, and you would think it would be only us older people who would miss its grandeur, but it was quite the opposite.”
He asked one student why. “Is it just because it’s beautiful, or because it meets Hogwarts’ idea of what a library should be like?” The answer surprised him. “No, it’s about validating my commitment to education. If an institution says, ‘We’re not just going to create a space for you to work, we’re going to recognize your commitment to higher education. It’s a monumental place.”
But when it comes to what fills library space, students prefer flexible options that weren’t available to previous generations. According to Figenholz, “Students are looking for spaces where they can pop in, pop in, and participate in online classes if needed without having to find another room.” Some libraries offer a certain amount of privacy. She said they are testing furniture solutions like virtual learning pods that provide quietness and quietness.
Measure library usage
To find ways to best meet users’ needs, library managers need to know how many people are using a particular area and for how long. Although gate counts are incomplete and becoming obsolete, there are other ways to collect usage data. About 70 academic institutions in the U.S. and Canada currently use the service, called Occuspace, according to founder Nick Halverson. He and a friend who specializes in machine learning devised an approach that doesn’t use cameras (too invasive) or gate counts (not local enough). “We came up with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signal analysis, scanning all the different electronic devices in the room: phones, computers, watches, headphones, printers, thermostats, etc.,” Halverson said. I am.
Occuspace was born out of Halverson’s experience several years ago as an electrical engineering student at the University of California, San Diego. “I hated going up and down his eighth floor in the library to find a place to study,” he said. “One day, I literally said out loud, ‘Man, before I came, I wish I knew how crowded it was on each floor, in each gymnasium, in each cafeteria on campus,’ at any time.”
Occuspace collects data through plug-in devices in each area. In keeping with the Library’s commitment to protecting user privacy, this service does not collect personal information or identifiers or track individual behavior. However, it tells you how many people are in a particular space at a particular time.
Convenient for students looking for a place to relax. It’s also useful for library managers who want to assess how well a space is working for users and what adjustments need to be made, such as adding more or different furniture. Occuspace gives customers access to dashboards that allow them to track usage patterns and make decisions.
From what Halverson observed, the data supports the general observation that group spaces are popular with students. “The first thing that fills up in a library is always the big, noisy, collaborative areas where everyone can talk and hang out together,” he said.
Using anonymized Occuspace data from 38 universities in the U.S. and Canada, the strategy firm Bright spot We recently analyzed space usage patterns in 140 library areas. They published their findings in the following paper: report The analysis found that rather than the presence of print collections driving library use, the presence of services such as “student success” partners and writing centers and tutoring centers did.
“After moving the archives into study spaces, the biggest change in reconfiguring library spaces and services is that the library will partner with other functions within the university to meet students and faculty where they are: within the library. programming and a way of delivering services!,” the report notes. “These partnerships leverage a common mission and complementary services, especially to promote student success.”
timothy botolph I am the Librarian of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. He is also Vice-Chair of the ACRL’s new role and Changing Landscape Committee. He has seen firsthand how different student groups seek out specific amenities. At large universities with both general and professional programs, students majoring in the humanities may prioritize quiet spaces for studying, while pre-professional students in management programs, for example, We need more collaborative spaces, more places to work together, and more technology.” He said. For these students, the library becomes a place where they come to access the technology they need to do their jobs.
He also noticed that students were turning to libraries to fill their personal technology gaps. “Devices, laptops, cords, cables, cameras, webcams, you name it. We have very popular small tech devices and checkout items,” Bottorff said. The campus’s main library is “considering adding things like a podcast studio and visualization lab where students can take advantage of technology not available at home.”
The overall goal is to “make the space as accessible as possible for all users, including people with disabilities and people with different preferences,” Bottorf said. “It could be something as simple as a sit-stand desk with adjustable height for wheelchairs,” or adding a nursing or meditation room.
And the eternal appeal of any library is access to content. Much of that content is now available in digital format. But as an ALA survey of public library patrons found, despite how much time they spend with digital technology, Gen Zers are still drawn to print. That also applies to academic libraries.
“In fact, students still prefer print even when they have the option to do so,” Bottorff said. While digital materials can expand access and affordability, they don’t always have the most user-friendly interfaces, and students don’t always know how to use them. (According to the ALA survey, only 37% of respondents use their public library’s digital collections.)
Bottorf said that while UCF’s extensive electronic collection is heavily used, print checkouts are also active, especially, of course, reservations. “The print format is very easy to use once people are familiar with it,” he said. If books alone aren’t enough for Gen Z to take advantage of a campus library, adaptable space, outlets, friends, and easy access to caffeine probably will.