The Utilisation of Library Spaces by Postgraduate Students at a University in a Developing Country

Siviwe Bangani, North West University South Africa
Mathew Moyo, North West University South Africa
Dina Mashiyane, North West University South Africa

Description

The purpose of this paper was to determine the use of library spaces by postgraduate students at a university library. The study was conducted in an effort to determine the return on investment, and in the case of non-usage, recommend ways of improving usage of the spaces which were developed at a huge cost. The study involved all postgraduate spaces in the North West University libraries. A survey research methodology was used in which both online and print questionnaires were employed to gather data. Postgraduate students at the three campuses of the university were targeted for the study. The major findings of the study were that postgraduate students frequently visited the libraries in order to make use of the quite study spaces which include the Research Commons and the study carrels. The study further found out that postgraduate students rarely visited the libraries for purpose of consulting librarians regarding their studies. Challenges expressed by the students include insufficient workstations and limited seating capacity. The benefit of the study is that it will help librarians and the university administrators to better understand the postgraduate students space needs as well as the challenges being encountered. As a recommendation, there is a need to periodically review library spaces with a view to repurpose some of the spaces whose usage may have declined due to users’ shift in demands.

 

The Utilisation of Library Spaces by Postgraduate Students at a University in a Developing Country

The purpose of this paper was to determine the use of library spaces by postgraduate students at a university library. The study was conducted in an effort to determine the return on investment, and in the case of non-usage, recommend ways of improving usage of the spaces which were developed at a huge cost. The study involved all postgraduate spaces in the North West University libraries. A survey research methodology was used in which both online and print questionnaires were employed to gather data. Postgraduate students at the three campuses of the university were targeted for the study. The major findings of the study were that postgraduate students frequently visited the libraries in order to make use of the quite study spaces which include the Research Commons and the study carrels. The study further found out that postgraduate students rarely visited the libraries for purpose of consulting librarians regarding their studies. Challenges expressed by the students include insufficient workstations and limited seating capacity. The benefit of the study is that it will help librarians and the university administrators to better understand the postgraduate students space needs as well as the challenges being encountered. As a recommendation, there is a need to periodically review library spaces with a view to repurpose some of the spaces whose usage may have declined due to users’ shift in demands.