Using Evidence in Practice
24/7 Library Operations – Will They Actually Come?
Susan Breakenridge
Director of Technical Services, Facilities and
Business Administration
University Libraries
Rowan University
Glassboro, New Jersey, United States of America
Email: fink@rowan.edu
Received: 14 July 2017 Accepted: 16 Oct. 2017
2017 Breakenridge. This
is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons‐Attribution‐Noncommercial‐Share Alike License
4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial
purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the same
or similar license to this one.
Setting
Rowan University, a
public comprehensive research institution with approximately 17,300 students,
is located in southern New Jersey. The University is comprised of seven
colleges and five schools on three campuses. Rowan is one of two public
universities in the country to offer M.D. and D.O. medical degree programs.
Campbell Library is the undergraduate library of Rowan University Libraries
system located on the main campus in Glassboro, New Jersey. Even though
Glassboro is approximately 20 miles from Philadelphia, the campus is considered
to be a rural college campus where over 60% of the undergraduate students are
classified as commuters.
Campbell Library, a 5
story – 130,000 square foot building, is located near the centre
of the main campus next to the student centre and
recreational centre. It is open 99.5 hours during a
regular semester week and has seating for over 800. The building also houses
the Writing Center, two college departments (Sociology/Anthropology and
Law/Justice Studies), and five university classrooms that can have classes
scheduled between 8:00a.m. to 10:45p.m.
Problem
Student organizations
approach many academic libraries about providing 24/7 library operations
especially at finals time. But just because students think they might use it,
it does not mean they will. In the fall of 2013, Rowan University Libraries’
new administration was approached mid-semester about providing 24/7 hours
during finals. The Administration did not have sufficient information to
determine if use would justify the cost. What they did know was (1) the
undergraduates were primarily commuter students which can impact usage, (2) the
cost of full-time library staff to cover the additional hours, as well as a
staff member to conduct the head counts, would be expensive, and (3) the staff
were concerned about safety so a public safety officer would have to be hired.
The compromise was to initiate a Pilot
Project to extend the hours during finals and conduct head counts to evaluate
building use during those extended hours and to determine the continuation or
expansion to overnight hours during future finals.
Evidence
The library hours
during the fall 2013 finals were adjusted for the days the building was already
open until midnight and extended to 2:00a.m. The staff member conducting the
head counts walked the building, recording the number of students in each of the
different library spaces, as well as recording whether or not the students were
using technology (computers or similar devices). The head counts as seen in
Figure 1 were about what the Administration expected to see with a decline in
the counts starting by 11:00p.m. That fall semester also had some weather
consequences for the library hours. The library closed early on the first
Sunday due to a snow storm and the entire university was closed for another
storm on the Tuesday of finals.
The staff that conducted
the head counts were debriefed after finals. Their
observations included:
- The group study
spaces were not adequate in quality or quantity. Groups were putting
individual tables together to make group space. Furniture and chairs in
the group study rooms were in poor condition and were mixed and matched.
- Space and
furniture across the library needed improvements. Many spaces seemed old,
dim, and dingy. Stained and broken chairs had to be removed on a regular
basis.
- Some spaces were
underutilized such as the spacious photocopy rooms which creative students
would take over as study space.
- Students needed
more public computers. During prime times, students would line up waiting
to use computers and printers.
Upon review of the
usage, the Administration considered the pilot project a success and agreed to
extend building hours the following semester.
Figure 1
2013 head counts – fall semester pilot project.
Figure 2
Before and after
photos of 4th floor open study room.
Figure 3
2014 head counts – spring semester.
The pilot project
observations also helped inform renovation plans that were conducted the
following semester and implemented in summer of 2015. The 4th Floor
Open Study Room had been a collection of mixed and matched tables and chairs
that were at least 20-30 years old. See the before and after photos in Figure
2.
Implementation
The results of the
pilot project were sufficient enough for the Administration to proceed with
expanding hours during finals. Since one snap shot of usage is not enough to
make permanent changes, the Administrators committed to collecting data to
determine how to optimize use of the building and the costs to keep the
building open. The Administration has since approved the head counts to
continue for seven semesters.
Spring 2014
Implementation
The spring semester of
2014, the building hours were expanded to be open four consecutive days (Sunday
through Wednesday) the week before finals and four consecutive days during
finals. The Thursday through Saturday hours stayed the same. The staff conducted
the head counts during the extra hours (midnight to 7:30a.m.) but due to
staffing, only six of the eight overnight extended hours were counted as seen
in Figure 3. As expected by the Administration, the usage declined after
midnight with a significant drop between 2:00a.m. and
3:00a.m. Unlike the pilot project counts, the library was not closed during the
spring finals due to the weather.
Fall 2014
Implementation
The fall semester of
2014, the building hours were expanded to be open three consecutive days during
finals. The Administration was concerned about the potential of weather closures
like the previous year and limited the days. Like the previous semesters, the
head counts were conducted only during the expanded hours and the same decline
in usage appeared as seen in Figure 4.
Spring 2015
Implementation
During the spring
semester of 2015, the building hours were expanded to be open seven consecutive
days (Wednesday through Thursday) the week before finals. The staff conducted
the head counts during the extra hours during the weekdays from midnight to
7:30a.m., and most of the hours on Saturday and Sunday. As seen in Figure 5,
the trend line continued to be the same downward line from midnight to 7:00a.m.,
but the number of students in the building at midnight and 1:00a.m. were higher than the previous semesters.
As seen in Figure 6,
the hourly counts during the weekend mornings were low, however that would be
expected from a commuter campus. Days and hours of service are usually
controversial. As Lawrence and Weber (2012) reiterate, certain late hours such
as Friday and Saturdays are not used (p. 543). The graphic also shows the early
evening dip on Sunday before increasing toward midnight.
Figure 4
2014 head counts – fall semester.
Figure 5
2015 head counts – spring semester.
Figure 6
2015 weekend head counts – spring semester.
Fall 2015
Implementation
During the fall
semester of 2015, the building hours were expanded to be open two consecutive
days the week before finals and 3 consecutive days during finals. The
Administration also agreed that all hours should be counted during the extended
hours (day, evening, and overnight). As seen in Figure 7, the hourly counts
tell more of a story. One could have hypothesized that the midday counts would
be busier than the early morning hours, but the double bumps were not obvious
via observation and only detected with the head counts. One thought was the
students leave to eat dinner and then return. Another thought was the second
bump was a different group of users than the early afternoon group.
Figure 7
2015 mid-semester head counts – fall semester.
Spring 2016 – Spring 2017 Implementation
The building hours
were expanded during the semester finals for 2016 and 2017 including overnight
hours. The head counts were taken during mid-semester and at finals. The
numbers and the trend lines continued to be consistent with the previous
semesters.
Outcome
The implementation of
the head counting project has had positive impact. In less than four years, the
number of students using the library during the extended hours has increased.
The head counts from the end of the semester and the mid-semester were used by
the Administration to adjust the building hours during finals and regular
semester hours. Additionally, the collected data and observations led the
Administration to update the study and collaboration spaces to better serve the
students. The library Administration is now positioned to explore different
assessment approaches to demonstrate the library’s impact on students.
Reflection
Conducting head counts
is not as easy as it sounds when people are busy moving about the building. The
staff conducting the head counts had to agree on their approach. For example,
they did not count university staff or library student employee staff. When
they were walking the building, they counted only the people in front of them.
If they had already passed an area, they would not turn around and try to
recount.
Comparing the results
between days of the week or between semester counts became difficult because
the finals did not always start on the same day of the week and different days
have different dynamics that would impact the counts. Seasonal weather changes
and general differences between the fall and spring semesters made it difficult
to try to compare counts.
Since the data
collected were just counts and did not include any interaction with the
students, the Administration cannot determine what might have caused the
increase of use through the years. One major point to acknowledge is over the
last 3.5 years, the library has
completed 3 room renovations (all included new furniture); added 7 group study
rooms (for a total of 18), and added 16 computer work stations (for a total of
36). Renovated spaces and new furniture and equipment yield interest and use.
Even the 4th Floor Open Study Room that was renovated three years
ago remains one of the most popular places in the building (see Figure 8).
Figure 8
The 4th
floor open study room – spring 2017.
Conclusion
Assessment is a very
important tool for decision making. This basic head count activity has helped
improve services for students, provided information for scheduling building
hours, and informed the Administration on space planning decisions. Will
students come for 24/7 library operations during finals? Yes. The question is
whether it is economical for the library to be open just in case a student
might come to the library. The next step is to start inquiring with students
about their use of the library.
References
Lawrence, P., & Weber, L. (2012).
Midnight-2:00 a.m.: What goes on at the library? New Library World, 113(11/12), 528-548. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/0374801211282911