Gen Zers, defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, are heavy internet users who both produce and consume digital content. Of them, 92% monitor social media on a daily basis. However, a poll of Gen Z and Millennials’ usage of public libraries and media consumption conducted last autumn by the American Library Association revealed that they still like print and visiting libraries. Given that a sizable percentage of today’s college students are from Generation Z, their views on libraries have an impact on higher education.
According to Purdue University’s dean of libraries and president of the Association of College and Research Libraries for 2023–2024, Beth McNeil, “the report is quite interesting from an academic library perspective.” “We see a lot of similarities in terms of usage and media consumption,” other ACRL members would remark.
The 2,000 respondents, approximately split between Millennials and Gen Zers, provided quantitative data for analysis by the study’s authors, Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda of Portland State University. In two Ohio public library branches, they conducted ethnographic research as well. People who work in and with academic libraries discovered that young people rely to libraries to offer safe places to hang out and to access services like free Wi-Fi, maker spaces, and tech equipment – expectations they bring with them to college.
According to McNeil, 98 percent of Purdue University students really spend time in libraries. 54 percent of respondents to the ALA study said they had visited a public library during the previous 12 months. In addition to the fact that many undergrads come to study or find academic resources, the ALA poll also noted that there is a social draw. They may be stopping by for a cup of coffee. If our facility is paired with a library and a classroom, they may be arriving for a lesson. Although they may be visiting their pals, we are aware that they are entering our physical locations, according to McNeil. For the majority of us, particularly in student libraries, it’s about location and space, she said.
To make an impression on their peers, some kids go to the library. Because “you can see who’s there and they can see you and they can know you’re smart,” the undergraduate student, she remembered, enjoyed studying there. “See and be seen is the basis for applying yourself to your studies,” McNeil said.
Evaluating the Needs of Students
The campus library has evolved into a kind of one-stop shop for undergrads with hectic schedules; they can come here to plug in, get a snack or a cup of coffee, charge and recharge in between courses, and just hang around. The majority of Gen Z students carry numerous gadgets (such as a laptop or tablet, smartphone, and headphones) that need charging.
For a student who could spend the whole day on campus, attending classes, using one of our libraries, going out to lunch, attending classes, and using another library, having an increasing number of outlets available is essential, according to McNeil. She mentioned a few additional features that students search for, such as natural light, which is uncommon in older libraries built to shield print collections from the damaging effects of UV radiation, and furniture that is suitable for both quiet solitary and group study sessions.
Print collections are becoming less and less important to users as academic libraries expand their offerings and reorganize their premises to accommodate their needs for adaptable and multifunctional spaces. This is particularly the case for major campus libraries. Like many other institutions, Purdue recently renovated two floors of its second-largest library and moved some volumes into an off-site repository to make room for new purposes.
Jessica Figenholtz is a higher education leader and associate principal of the Perkins&Will North Carolina Studio, a renowned international architectural company. She affirmed that light had a strong attraction. According to her, students will always choose seats or locations that are near natural light, regardless of how close together, crowded, or tiny they are. They just sense a draw toward the sunshine. In a way, it keeps them vigilant. She believes that libraries should provide something “like that Starbucks ambience, where they can meet with friends, have a coffee, and then go to a private room and do heads-down work” for Gen Z students and Gen Alpha students who will follow them.
When the company plans interviews to renovate a library, it learns about the preferences of the pupils. In order to get a broad variety of opinions, the interviews are conducted around campus, not just in the library spaces that are already in situ but also at student unions, multicultural centres, residence halls, and other hubs of student life.
These “intercept interviews,” according to the principal and national head of the Perkins&Will Library practice Derek Jones, are an effective method of learning more about pupils’ interests. An interviewer could inquire about aspects that might influence the final design if someone brings up lighting, for example: “What is it about the lighting? Too chilly, too warm, or too dim?
The talks shed light on how students respect and utilize libraries on a daily basis—sometimes in surprising ways. A recent set of talks revealed to Jones that one of her favourite things about group study rooms is not because they are great for group work, but rather that they let her customize the study environment to her liking—dark, music streaming, wall-mounted fireplace video, etc. According to Jones, “that’s practically the definition of a neurodiverse space where you can modulate the environment around you.”
The libraries of today often differ greatly from the book temples of the past. “We used to construct these magnificent libraries with entrance halls and rooms that truly made you gasp,” Jones said. He refers to the modernist approach as having introduced a concept of “clean utility” to library design. However, it seems that Gen Z is not fond of such a practical style. According to Jones, faculty members often value “the efficiency of a modern-looking library,” while students sometimes express a desire for something larger. “It was exactly the opposite of what you would think—that the students would really respond to that modernist kind of direct utility and that it would be us older people who would be nostalgic for the grandeur.”
He questioned a pupil about the reason. “Is it just because it’s beautiful, or does it match your vision of the ideal library from Hogwarts?” He was taken aback by the response, which went, “No, it’s about the institution validating my commitment to education — like they’re building you a monumental space to acknowledge your commitment to higher education, we’re not just going to build you a space to work in.”
But when it comes to the materials that occupy library facilities, students choose adaptable solutions that were unavailable to previous generations. According to Figenholtz, “Students are looking for those types of spaces that they can pop in, pop out” and still be able to take part in an online session if necessary without needing to choose a different location. According to her, some libraries are experimenting with furniture options like virtual learning pods, which provide some seclusion and quiet.
Assessing Library Usage
Library managers need to know how many people are utilizing certain locations and for how long in order to determine how best to satisfy users’ demands. There are other methods of collecting utilization statistics, however gate counts are an erroneous and progressively antiquated metric. Since its founding, Occuspace has grown to serve around 70 academic institutions in the United States and Canada, according to Nic Halverson. A machine learning expert buddy of his and devised a method that avoided the use of cameras (which were too intrusive) or gate counts (which were not sufficiently location-specific). “Our solution was to analyze Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals, which involves looking for every electronic device in a space, including phones, computers, watches, headphones, printers, and thermostats,” said Halverson.
Halverson’s experiences as an electrical engineering student at the University of California, San Diego a few years ago served as the inspiration for occupancy. “I detested having to navigate the library’s eight floors in search of a study spot,” he said. “And I swear I said, ‘Geez, I wish I knew how busy every floor was before I came,'” at one point. Students may utilize the Waitz app, developed by Occuspace, to determine the level of activity in each campus dining hall, gym, and library floor at any given moment.
Occuspace uses plug-in devices in each location to gather data. Complying with libraries’ pledge to safeguard users’ privacy, the service doesn’t gather identifiers or personal data, nor does it monitor user behaviour. But it does display the number of persons present in a certain area at a particular moment.
That is useful for kids looking for a spot to hide out. Administrators of libraries may also make good use of it to assess how effectively a room is functioning for patrons and determine what modifications, such as adding additional or different furniture, might be necessary. Customers of Occuspace have access to a dashboard where they can monitor use trends and make choices based on that information.
Based on Halverson’s observations, the evidence corroborates the widely held belief that group settings are well-liked by students. He said, “It’s always these big, loud, collaborative areas where everybody can talk and hang out together that fill up first in the library.”
The strategy consultancy Brightspot has examined patterns of space utilization in 140 library spaces using anonymised Occuspace data from 38 institutions in the United States and Canada. In December 2023, they released a report on their results in Trendline. According to the investigation, the availability of print collections did not influence library use; rather, the existence of tutoring and writing centres as well as other “student success” partners did.
The report stated that the way libraries are collaborating with other departments within a college or university to offer programming and services that meet students and faculty where they are—in the library—is the biggest change reshaping library spaces and services since the shift from stacks to study space. “These collaborations leverage complementary services and shared missions, especially to support student achievement.”
At the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, Timothy Bottorff serves as the chief librarian. In addition, he serves as vice chair of the ACRL committee on changing landscapes and new roles. He has personal experience with how various student groups look for certain features. While pre-professional students in, for instance, a management degree “need more collaborative spaces, places to work together, and they need the technology,” he said, humanities majors would emphasize quiet study rooms at a big institution offering both general and specialized programs. “The library becomes this place to come and utilize technology that you need to do your work,” according to those pupils.
Additionally, he has seen how kids use libraries to supplement their own devices. Bottorff said, “We have small tech devices and things for checkout that are very popular. Devices, laptops, cords, cables, cameras, webcams, you name it.” “Things like podcast studios and visualization labs, where students can utilize technology that they wouldn’t have available to them at home,” are being considered for addition to the main campus library.
According to Bottorff, the overarching objective is “trying to make spaces as accessible as possible for all patrons, including those with disabilities, or differing preferences.” “That can include adding lactation and meditation rooms, or things as basic as sit-stand desks that can be height-adjusted for wheelchairs.”
And there’s the everlasting allure of any library: content accessibility. These days, a lot of that stuff is available digitally. However, despite spending a lot of time on digital devices, Gen Zers still prefer paper, according to an ALA poll of patrons of public libraries. That also applies to academic libraries.
“When given the choice, students still genuinely favour print,” said Bottorff. Although the pricing and accessibility of digital resources may increase, students may not always know how to utilize them and their interfaces may not always be the most user-friendly. (According to the ALA poll, just 37% of participants accessed the digital resources available at their public library.)
Although UCF’s vast electronic library is heavily used, print checkouts—particularly for course reserves—are also rather active, according to Bottorff. If people are acquainted with the print format, it’s rather simple to utilize, he said. If readily available flexible spaces, outlets, friends, and coffee aren’t enough to get Gen Zers to visit the university library, then nothing will.
Credit: Allschoolabs, EdSurge
