Library labs are dedicated spaces with highly trained library, IT, and research support staff. The staff are on hand to help teach faculty and advanced graduate students new and emerging methodologies and technologies. Such a lab is a place to engage in new ways of, for example, doing digital scholarship or putting Open Science into practice. This…

As part of the annual American Library Association 2019 Annual Conference, George Washington University Library in Washington, D.C., hosted a preconference workshop to inform librarians about the planning process necessary for a successful library renovation or new building. The workshop offered participants practical advice from architects and…

Anecdotal evidence implies that students use library spaces for spiritual practices at many colleges and universities. Using focus groups, the authors investigated students' prayer behaviors on four regional campuses of a large research university, asking questions about students' frequency of prayer, campus areas used for devotions, and students'…

This paper investigated how libraries can support the transition of first-year international undergraduate students to a large research university. The research explored the students' use of libraries, their use of information to learn, and their academic and information literacy learning needs. The methods were a survey (with 135 responses) and…

This article deals with the management of noise in an academic library by outlining an evidence-based approach taken over seven years by the University of Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. The objective of this study was to measure the impact on library users of noise management interventions implemented from 2007 to 2014 through retrospective…

This essay notes the emergence of learning as a key factor in academic library planning. It argues for an improved, learning-oriented planning process by noting the dangers that arise from the priority usually given to fixing dysfunctional space and from the traps of mistaking the "things" of learning for learning itself and of thinking…

The University of Dayton (UD) used a multi-method research approach to evaluate current space use in the library. A general campus survey on study spaces, online library surveys, a week-long video study, and data from the "National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)" were examined to understand student choices in library usage. Results…

What specific learning behaviors are important to students and faculty members? Does the campus provide spaces that foster these behaviors? Where are those spaces? Asking these three questions at six colleges and universities reveals notable differences in the ways students and faculty members answer them. Student and faculty member answers also…

This article discusses and illustrates selected changes and trends in the way academic libraries are programmed and designed in response to changes in teaching techniques in higher education. The author draws particular attention to the new requirements for collaborative study in technology-rich spaces and makes detailed recommendations for those…