Library Management Does Size Matter? In-library study of two Canadian public library branches Journal: Library Management Lib Manuscript ID LM-08-2019-0058 Manuscript Type: Research Paper public library, library use studies, library users, circulation analysis, inlibrary use, data analysis ry ra Keywords: t en em ag an M Page 1 of 29 Does Size Matter? User study of two branches 1. Introduction During its 2019 – 2023 strategic planning process, Richmond Public Libraries commissioned a user study of its Brighouse and Steveston branches. The management team was particularly interested in how residents used its Steveston facility, a community branch judged as a priority for renovation. Lib Richmond is a city of 200,000 people located on several islands at the mouth of the Fraser River on Canada’s west coast. A suburb of Vancouver, the city has the highest proportion ra of immigrants in Canada: 60% according to the 2016 Canada Census. Richmond Public Library ry system has a large central branch, three smaller community facilities, and Saturday library M service in a community centre. The article begins with short descriptions of the two public library branches studied. ag 2. Branch Profiles an The 49,352 square foot Brighouse branch is adjacent to the city’s main commercial centre and em transportation routes. It is part of a cultural-sports complex that includes an art gallery, museum, seniors’ centre, skating arena, swimming pool, and sports fields. Richmond’s central branch en provides a range of public reading areas, multipurpose and small study rooms. The children’s area is separated from public spaces to reduce ambient sound. Brighouse offers 3-D printers, t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management digitization stations, green and media walls, large English and Chinese collections, reference materials, and programming in both English and Chinese. The central facility has over a dozen times the floor area and five times the gate count of the Steveston branch. The Steveston branch is situated in the southwest corner of the island near a historic fishing village. The surrounding community park contains sports fields, an outdoor swimming Page 2 of 29 Library Management pool, and Japanese cultural facilities. The branch is a single room of 3,919 square feet in the community centre. Public access computers are located near the entrance and the children’s area is not separated from public spaces. The collection, computer stations, reference, and circulation desks occupy a central position in the branch. Steveston offers children’s programming in English. Insert Table 1 - Richmond Public Library 2017 Annual Branch Statistics Lib 3. Literature Review This section surveys the research methods used to explore user in-branch behaviours, their use in ra library studies, and the perceived user benefits from public library use. ry 3.1 Unobtrusive and participant observation Unobtrusive observation techniques include seating sweeps, wayfinding, and pedestrian choice. M Seating sweep studies record the behaviours and locations of patrons on floor plans (Leckie and an Hopkins, 2002; Given and Leckie, 2003; May, 2010; Bryant et al, 2009; Macrae et al., 2013). ag Wayfinding studies explore how people navigate through public (Mandel, 2010) and academic em libraries (Li and Klippel, 2012). Pedestrian choice studies shadow patrons as they walk throughout a facility (van Beynen et al, 2010). en Unobtrusive observation has its limitations. People who stay longer in a branch are more likely to be observed during a seating sweep (Høivik, 2008). Observing people’s behaviours t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 without asking the reasons behind those behaviours provides an incomplete picture. As a result, multiple data collection techniques are often used (Leckie and Hopkins, 2002; Koontz et al., 2005). Alternatively, participation observation techniques can be used to both record people’s behaviours and the reasons behind their behaviours. As in ethnographic studies, researchers interact with the people being observed (Prigoda et al., 2007). Page 3 of 29 Despite their usefulness in studying human behaviour, observational techniques are not widely used in library studies. Khoo et al. (2012, p. 83) remarked that “ethnography is a complex method.” Unobtrusive and participation observation studies are labour intensive and researchers often lack experience in these methodologies. 3.2 Interviews and surveys One-to-one interviews, focus groups, and surveys are commonly used in library studies. Lib Interviewers can probe patrons in depth (May, 2011) and explore issues unanticipated prior to the study. The downside of the technique is the time needed to interview, transcribe, and analyze ra data, resulting in smaller sample sizes. Consistency during data collection is an issue. ry Surveys enable larger sample sizes and extrapolation to the underlying populations. However, questionnaires are hard to design, provide less detail, and only explore issues M anticipated in advance. Surveys are subject to non-response error and unrepresentative sampling an (Bookstein, 1985). Respondents may misunderstand questions, lack memories of past events, or ag respond with what they think are socially acceptable answers. Surveys overestimate the em frequency of library visits as such studies are more likely to question frequent library users (Smith, 1999). The current study used an exit questionnaire for reasons of cost and the involvement of undergraduate student researchers. t 3.3 In-Library user studies en 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management Canadian studies have investigated in-library use of public libraries. One study explored the use of the central branches of the Vancouver and Toronto Public Libraries (Leckie and Hopkins, 2002; Given and Leckie, 2003). Across the border, use of new Seattle main branch was documented (Fisher et al., 2007). Library Management May and Black (2010) replicated the Vancouver methodology during their study of six Nova Scotia public library branches. Use of a Halifax branche was again documented by Macrae et al. (2013). Farther west, surveys measured in-library use of the Edmonton (Wortman, 2012) and Prince George Public Libraries (Shepherd et al., 2015). Studies have explored patron social behaviour within public libraries. Norwegians researched public libraries as social meeting places (Aabø et al., 2010; Audunson et al., 2011). Lib Hillenbrand (2005) undertook a social audit of an Australian community library. In addition to general user studies, research has investigated library use by immigrants (Audunson et al., 2011; ra Shepherd et al., 2018) and by a knitting group (Prigoda et al., 2007. ry The pattern of in-branch use reflects local demographics. Koontz et al. (2005) stressed the need to go beyond regular statistics to measure library use in majority-minority M neighbourhoods. The residents of majority-minority neighbourhoods use library branches in an ways that are poorly captured by library statistics. 3.4 Perceived benefit studies from library use em ag Another way of understanding public library use is to explore the benefits that users receive from visiting a library. American library impact studies (McClure and Bertot, 1998; Lance et al., en 2001) included such questions in their user surveys. The perceived benefits that people obtain from library use has been studied in Finland (Vakkari and Serola, 2012), the U.S.A. (Sin and t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 4 of 29 Vakkari, 2015), and other countries (Vakkari et al., 2016). 3.5 Use of public libraries as study space D’Elia (1980) identified two patterns of library use. Type 1 use is associated with visit frequency and the use of collections and services. Type 2 use is associated with visit duration and weakly associated with visit frequency and the use of services. Type 2 users are often younger, use Library Management Page 5 of 29 libraries for educational reasons, and often lack library cards. This study explores Type 2 behaviour as one of the reasons for the Steveston branch renovation was the perceived need for more study space. According to Leckie and Hopkins (2002), half of the people in the main branches were 18 to 34 years of age and one-quarter selected “student” as their occupation. Similarly, Shoham (2001) explored student use of Israeli public library reading rooms. Lib Post-secondary students often study in public libraries. Antell (2004) studied U.S. college student use of public libraries. Behr and LaDell-Thomas (2014) explored U.S. public library use ra by distance graduate students. ry 3.6 Characteristics of good public library spaces Cohen and Cohen (1979) stressed the need to consider human behaviour when designing library M spaces. The authors described how people interact with library furniture, seating, and public an spaces. ag As people interact with places and furniture in predictable ways, academic library em research into student study behaviour may be relevant to public libraries. Cha and Kim (2015) identified the criteria used by students when they select study places. Applegate (2009) and Xia en (2005) observed student preferences for study furniture. Seating sweeps (Linn, 2013; McKay and Buchanan, 2014) provided insight into student group sizes, the different types of groups, and t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 how they interacted with furniture. 4. Design, Methodology and Approach The exit questionnaire was based on a survey instrument used to study in-library use in Surrey Libraries by Canadian newcomers (Shepherd et al., 2018). The principal investigator worked Library Management with library staff to adapt the previous questionnaire to meet the information needs of Richmond Public Library’s strategic planning process. The population surveyed were library users, 15 years of age or older, who visited the Steveston or Brighouse branches on Thursday, February 8, or Saturday, February 10, 2018. Student researchers administered the paper questionnaires under the supervision of Dr. Petrillo as a class project. Lib During library hours of operation, on Thursday and Saturday, student researchers approached library users at branch exits. After each questionnaire, they were instructed to ra contact the next person exiting the building. Students could assist library users as necessary. No ry incentives were offered to participate in the survey. Over two days, 437 people completed the survey, approximately 2% to 14% of daily M branch gate count. Eighty percent of all Brighouse respondents completed their questionnaires on an Thursday, compared to 59% at the Steveston branch. Given the skewed response rates, the ag weighting for Thursday Brighouse responses was adjusted downwards to 59%. em To reduce memory recall errors, respondents were asked what they did during their current visit. According to Vakkari and Serola (2012), the longer the time delay between an en event occurring and the administration of a survey, the less reliable are people’s memories. Questionnaire responses were keyed into a spreadsheet and double checked for errors. t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 6 of 29 After the survey, library managers asked for reports on how patrons used the two branches, how people of different age groups used the library branches, and whether Chinese readers used branches in the same way as English readers. One of these reports led to this journal article. Page 7 of 29 Each branch was later visited to document the number and type of study rooms, public computer stations, public spaces, furniture, and seating. Furniture tally sheets were supplemented with library records and photographs of public spaces. Library staff supplied branch statistics for the year 2017 and for the dates of the study. Working with the technical librarians, branch circulation statistics were extracted for patrons with the nearest postal code, V7E, for the period January 1, 2018, to December 14, 2018. Lib The circulation statistics for postal code V7C users were used as a comparison. In Canada, the first three characters of the postal code are used by the postal service to define geographic areas. ra Postal codes were selected using postal code boundary maps. ry Library statistics were supplemented by data from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Urban Library Council. The 2016 Canada Census data were downloaded for the City of M Richmond and for postal codes V7E and V7C. The Canadian Urban Library Council’s 2017 an urban branch statistics report (Marriott, 2017) contained statistics for over 300 Canadian public library branches. 5.1 Frequency and duration of branch visits en em 5. Study Results ag While the users at each branch self-reported a similar frequency of library visits, patrons stayed longer in the Brighouse branch during their current visit. While 53% percent of Steveston t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management respondents left after 30 minutes or less, 43% of Brighouse users visited for one or more hours. Insert Table 2 – Please estimate how long you were in the library today 5.2 Group behaviour of library users One half of the respondents at each branch arrived with companions; however, the people who accompanied them were different. Among Steveston users, 27% visited with one companion and Library Management 22% with two or more people. Among Steveston users who arrived with other people, 86% came with family and 7% with friends. In contrast, Brighouse users visited with a wider range of companions: family (68%), friends (21%), or other students (7%). When users were asked how important it was to have a place to meet, talk, or work together with other people in the library, 71% of Steveston and 85% of Brighouse users selected either “very important” or “somewhat important”. Lib 5.3 User activities during their current branch visit Respondents were given a list of 20 library activities and asked to select all the activities they did ra during their current visit. Of these activities, users most frequently selected looking for library ry materials, returning or borrowing library materials for themselves, reading, using the Wi-Fi service, or relaxing in the branch. M Brighouse respondents engaged in more activities during their visit than Steveston users. an Higher percentages of Brighouse users reported a range of in-library activities such as studying, ag reading, relaxing, doing personal projects, and using Wi-Fi services than their community branch counterparts. em Insert Table 3 – At the Library today, I did the following (top 14 listed activities) 5.4 Circulation-related activities en The most common user activities, in both branches, were looking, borrowing, or t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 8 of 29 returning library materials. A higher proportion of Steveston users either borrowed or returned materials during their current visit. As 53% of Steveston respondents stayed in the branch for no more than 30 minutes, dropping off or picking up items from the collection was likely a primary reason for many of their visits. Library Management Page 9 of 29 Heavy use of the children’s collections occurred in both facilities. Slightly more than half of the materials lent came from children’s collections. In comparison, one-third of U.S. public library circulation came from the children’s collection (Joo and Cahill, 2017). Fifty-six percent of Steveston’s collection was classified as children’s materials, suggesting that the branch focuses on that age group. The annual circulation statistics for the two branches were comparable when annual Lib lending activity was divided by gate count. Users borrowed an average of 1.5 items per visit. When the circulation per square foot of floor space of the two branches were compared to the ra ratios for other Canadian library branches, Steveston scored in the top 2% and Brighouse in the top 15% (Marriott, 2017). ry M The borrowing behaviour for cardholders with the same postal code as the Steveston an branch, V7E, was analyzed. Over the first 11.5 months of 2018, people within this postal code ag borrowed 49% of their materials from Steveston, 41% from Brighouse, and 8% from the Ironwood branch. Brighouse is located 7.3 kilometers northeast of the Steveston branch and em Ironwood is situated a large shopping centre, 7.4 kilometers east of the branch. In contrast, a different pattern of branch circulation was noted among borrowers from en postal code V7C, north of the Steveston branch and west of the Brighouse branch. Among these t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 users, 68% of materials borrowed came from Brighouse, 24% from Steveston, and 7% from Ironwood. 5.5 Attendance in library programming Children’s programming was a major focus of the Steveston branch. Among the respondents, 16% of Brighouse and 14% of Steveston users attended a library program during Library Management their visit. Among Steveston respondents who attended branch programming, 83% participated in children’s programming compared to 46% of Brighouse attendees. According to 2017 branch statistics, 99% of Steveston and 64% of Brighouse attendees were enrolled in children’s programming. In comparison, 71% of people enrolled in U.S. public library programs attended children’s programming (Joo and Cahill, 2017). 5.6 Use of computer workstations Lib Steveston users matched their Brighouse counterparts in their use of computer workstations. Within both branches, one-quarter of respondents used library computers during their current ra visit. In comparison, May and Black (2010) reported that 32% of Nova Scotian library patrons ry were observed using public service computers. These percentages were higher than those estimated based on 2017 branch statistics. M When the number of computer sessions were divided by branch gate count, 9% of Brighouse and an 7% of Steveston patrons used public computers per visit. 5.7 Study behaviour em ag People who studied in Richmond library branches stayed longer than other users. Over one-third of people who studied in the branches remained for over two hours. People who studied were en more likely to arrive with a companion, either a friend or a family member. Sixty percent of this group reported doing personal work, 68% used the Wi-Fi service, and 24% met with friends. A t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 10 of 29 bimodal distribution was noted among those who studied: 41% were 15 to 24 years of age and 46% were 30 to 49 years of age. Brighouse users were three times more likely to study in the facility than were Steveston users. 5.8 User benefits received from library use Page 11 of 29 Another question explored the benefits that library users received from the library. Twelve benefit statements were prepared based on the literature. Users were asked to select all the statements that applied to them. Insert Table 4 –Benefits received from Richmond Public Library Use Similar proportions of patrons selected the same benefits at each branch. The most commonly selected benefits were “an affordable place to read”, “safe and welcoming place”, and Lib “feel connected to my community”. Higher percentages of Brighouse users selected the library as a “place to study”, “meet people and make friends”, “learn a new language”, “build confidence” ra and “contact distant friends and family”. A higher proportion of Steveston users selected, “feel ry connected to my community”, and “help my child do well in school”. These results are consistent with the literature. Reading of fiction and non-fiction and M self-education were top benefits of using a U.S. public library (Sin and Vakkari, 2015). They an identified three benefit clusters: everyday activities and interests, reading and self-education, and ag work and formal education. A library was also valued by its users as a safe, relaxing, and peaceful place (Hillenbrand, 2005). 5.9 User demographics en em User demographics were different at each branch. According to survey responses, a higher percentage of Steveston respondents were either 15 to 18- years, or over 50 years of age. When t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management 2016 Canada Census profiles were used to compare the age cohorts of Stevenson postal code residents to that of Richmond, modestly higher percentages of Steveston’s population were children, teenagers, or 65 years or older. Among Brighouse respondents, a higher proportion were 19 to 29 years of age, a figure consistent with Richmond’s census profile. A lower percentage of Steveston’s population were Page 12 of 29 Library Management in the 20- to 39-year-old age group. In most age groups, 40 to 64 years of age, both Steveston and Richmond had similar profiles. Over 97% of respondents at both branches stated that they normally read in English. Written Chinese was selected by 36% of Brighouse and 23% of Steveston respondents. According to the Census profiles, 32% of Steveston and 45% of City of Richmond residents reported one or more Chinese languages as their mother tongue. 6. Discussion Lib 6.1 Branch selection decisions by users ra As noted above, only half of the items lent to Steveston three-digit postal code users were ry borrowed from the nearest branch so household distance from the library branch was not the only factor influencing borrowing behaviour. As the questionnaire didn’t ask for the respondents’ M postal codes, the relationship between branch distance and other types of library use is undeterminable. ag an This observation is interesting as a household’s distance, actual or perceived, from the em nearest branch has long been associated with the likelihood of library use (D’Elia, 1980; Sin and Kim, 2008). However, Jae Park (2012) identified travel time as more significant than physical en distance. In a City of Regina study (Allen, 2019), the travel time of each neighbourhood to the nearest library branch was mapped, by time of day and type of transportation. t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 The proximity of each library branch to other amenities is another factor. A U.S. study concluded that 80% of users made multiple stops while travelling to a public library (Jae Park, 2012). Branch location may help explain to the heavy use of each faculty. Brighouse is near recreation facilities, a regional shopping mall, a commuter train station, and numerous bus Page 13 of 29 routes. Steveston is along the same street as several bus routes and a short walk from a historic retail and restaurant district. Each branch is less than 800 meters from a large secondary school. May and Black (2010) described each Nova Scotian public library as different in its internal layout, the communities it served, and in its user behaviours. While the physical locations of branches are fixed, the users of public library branches are mobile. Users likely juggle factors such as distance, library services, and nearby amenities when selecting a library Lib branch. 6.2 Duration of branch visits ra As outlined above, Brighouse users stayed longer in the central branch than Steveston ry users. The visit duration pattern for the Steveston facility is easier to explain. A significant percentage of user visits of under 30 minutes have been reported in other Canadian studies (May M and Black, 2010; Wortman, 2012; Shepherd et al., 2015). an Longer visits to the Brighouse branch is harder to explain. In some ways, the visitation ag pattern more resembles that of the central branch for large metropolitan library. For example, em Leckie and Hopkins (2002) reported that 57% of Vancouver central branch users stayed for over an hour. en According to the authors, patrons used the central branch as a “public workspace and not as a recreation space” (Leckie and Hopkins, 2002, p. 354). Users valued the breadth and depth of t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management its collections. In comparison, Brighouse lacks the depth of collections in Vancouver’s central branch and serves both a place of study and of recreation. Possible explanations for the duration of stays in the Brighouse branch are explored below. 6.3 Social behaviour at library branches Library Management It is unlikely that patron social behaviour explains the duration of visits to the Brighouse branch. According to the exit survey, the respondents from each branch were equally likely to arrive with one or more companions, though the type of companion differed. Public libraries are public places but are not particularly social places. Aabø and Audunson (2012) described libraries as public spaces where many of the individual users and groups are focused on private projects. Lib Canadian studies suggest that user social behaviour differ between branches. May and Black (2010) observed that 8% to 74% of Nova Scotian users were alone in the libraries. ra Wortman (2012) reported that 58% of Edmonton users were unaccompanied. ry In contrast, 75% of Vancouver (Leckie and Hopkins, 2002) and Seattle Public Library (Fisher et al., 2007) central branch users arrived alone. If people used Brighouse in the same way M as people use Vancouver’s central branch, solitary activities would be the norm. 6.4 Majority-Minority neighbourhoods ag an The 2016 Census profiles for two postal codes, V7E and VYC, were used to compare the em demographics of neighbourhoods surrounding the two branches. The residents of the V7C postal code reside in the northwest quadrant of Richmond’s main island, immediately to the west of the Brighouse branch. en Significant differences exist between the two areas. Among the residents of the t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 14 of 29 Steveston postal code, 43% had a European ethnic background, 63% mainly speak English at home, and over half were born in Canada. In contrast, two-thirds of postal code V7C residents are immigrants, three-quarters have an Asian ethnic ancestry, and 43% mainly speak English at home. Twenty percent of VYC residents immigrated in Canada between 2006 and 2016, and nearly 60% are of Chinese ancestry. Page 15 of 29 Consequently, the area to the west of Brighouse likely encompasses “majority-minority neighbourhoods” and pockets of recent immigrants. The public libraries that serve majorityminority neighbourhoods (Koontz et al., 2005) and recent immigrants (Shepherd et al., 2018) often exhibit different patterns of library use. 6.5 Differences in facilities, collections, and services Differences in branch facilities could explain the longer visits to the Brighouse branch. Lib The facility offers a range of public reading areas and multi-purpose rooms. Branch furniture includes study carrels, and rectangular and circular tables. Patrons can sit on stools, benches, ra curved modular seating, regular or padded chairs, lounge chairs, or sofas. This diversity fulfils ry the recommendations of Cohen and Cohen (1979) for a mixture of public spaces, furniture, and seating types in public libraries. M In contrast, Steveston has limited floor space relative to gate count. Tables and seating an arrangements are limited in number and variety. When patrons were asked what would ag encourage them to make more use of the branch, they commented on its limited seating and study space, sound issues, and hours of operation. em Steveston’s 2017 gate count per square foot of floor space placed it in the top 2% of en Canadian urban public library facilities (Marriott, 2017). Unsurprisingly, over half of Steveston visits were for 30 minutes or less. Macrae et al. (2013) commented on the impact of the Halifax t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management Spring Garden Memorial Library on user behaviour. User visits of under five minutes to the facility were attributed to crowding and limited seating. Conclusions and Recommendations The current study suggests that an exit survey, when combined with other data sources, can provide useful insight into in-library use of branch facilities. Library Management Both facilities have a high gate count partially due to their proximity to a range of community services, shopping, and public transit. Differences in the duration of user visits to the central and community branches can be explained by factors such as floor space, the diversity of public spaces and seating arrangements, branch services and collections, and neighbourhood demographics. Exit surveys provide a cost-effective way of performing in-library use surveys for Lib branches or public library systems when observational studies are not feasible. As in any exploratory study, methodological improvements are desirable. Online exit questionnaires ra administered with mobile devices would simplify data collection. Online questionnaires are ry scalable and can collect responses in multiple languages. Data collection on a weekday and a Saturday is not ideal if the objective is to extrapolate M to the underlying user population. Hours of branch operations could be divided into time periods an and time blocks could be selected randomly as was done by Shepherd et al. (2015). ag This study identified areas for future research. The analysis of circulation data by em residential postal code yielded interesting results. The exit questionnaire is easily modified to collect residential the residential postal code and the reasons behind the current branch visit. en Using postal code data to map branch boundaries was suggested by Koontz (1995). The reasons why patrons select specific branches is incompletely understood and worthy of further research. t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 16 of 29 More research into the personal benefits that people receive from library use should lead to a better understanding of library users and support the development of impact measures. 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(2011), “Public libraries: A meeting place for immigrant an women?”, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 220-227. ag Behr, M. and LaDell-Thomas, J. (2014), “What Do They Have that We Don't Have? Local em Libraries and Distance Students: Why Do Students Stray and Can We Get Them Back?”, Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, Vol. 8 No. 3-4, pp. 137-167. en Bookstein, A. (1985), “Questionnaire Research in a Library Setting”, Journal of Academic t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management Librarianship, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 24-28. Bryant, J., Matthews, G. and Walton, G. (2009), “Academic libraries and social and learning space: A case study of Loughborough University Library, UK”, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 7-18. Library Management Cha, S.H. and Kim, T.W. 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(2005), “A place for all: social capital at the Mount Barker Community Library, em South Australia”, Australasian public libraries and information services, Vol. 18 No. 2, p. 41-58. en Høivik, T. (2008), “Count the traffic”, paper presented at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutes (IFLA) Conference, 10 – 14 August, Quebec, Canada, t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 18 of 29 available at: http://mogadorebranch.akronlibrary.org/wpcontent/blogs.dir/19/files/2011/07/Count-the-traffic.pdf (accessed 13 December 2018). Joo, S. and Cahill, M. (2017), “The relationships between the expenditures and resources of public libraries and children’s and young adults’ use: An exploratory analysis of Institute of Museum and Library Services public library statistics data”, Journal of Librarianship Page 19 of 29 and Information Science, available at https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000617709057 (accessed 10 December 2018). Khoo, M., Rozaklis, L. and Hall, C. (2012), “A survey of the use of ethnographic methods in the study of libraries and library users”, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 82-91. Koontz, C. M. (1995), “Using geographic information systems for estimating and profiling Lib geographic library market areas”, in L. C. Smith & M. Gluck (Eds.), Geographic information systems and libraries: patrons, maps, and spatial information, University of ra Illinois Press, Champaign, IL., pp. 182-193 ry Koontz, C.M., Jue, D.K. and Lance, K.C. 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(2010), “Toward an understanding of library patron wayfinding: Observing patrons' entry routes in a public library”, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. ra 32 No. 2, pp.116-130. ry Marriott, J. “2017 Canadian Public Library Statistics, Branch-Level Data”, Canadian M Urban Libraries Council, available at: an http://www.culc.ca/cms_lib/2017%20CULC%20KPI%20Branch-Level%20Data.pdf (accessed March 19, 2019). ag May, F. and Black, F. (2010), “The Life of the Space: Evidence from Nova Scotia Public em Libraries”, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 5-34. May, F. (2011), “Methods for Studying the Use of Public Spaces in Libraries/Les méthodes en d'étude de l'utilisation des espaces publics dans les bibliothèques. Canadian Journal of t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 20 of 29 Information and Library Science, Vol. 35 No. 4, pp. 354-366. McClure, C.R. and Bertot, J.C. (1998), “Public Library Use in Pennsylvania: Identifying Uses, Benefits, and Impacts”, available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED419548.pdf (accessed 26 July 2019). McKay, D. and Buchanan, G. (2014), “On the other side from you: how library design facilitates and hinders group work”, paper presented at the 26th Australian Computer-Human Page 21 of 29 Interaction Conference on Designing Futures: The Future of Design, 2-5 December, Sydney, Australia, available at http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/5003/1/ozchispace2014cr2refsin-final.pdf (accessed February 27, 2019). Jae Park, S. (2012), “Measuring travel time and distance in library use”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 151-169. Prigoda, E. and McKenzie, P.J. (2007), “Purls of wisdom: A collectivist study of human Lib information behaviour in a public library knitting group”, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 63 No. 1, pp. 90-114. ra Shepherd, J., Vardy, K. and Wilson, A. (2015), “Quantifying patron time-use of a public ry library”, Library Management, Vol. 36 No. 6/7, pp.448-461. M Shepherd, J., Petrillo, L. and Wilson, A. (2018), “Settling in: how newcomers use a public library”, Library Management, Vol. 39 No. 8/9, pp.583-596. an Shoham, S. (2001), “Users and Uses of the Public Library Reading Rooms”, Public Library Quarterly, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 31-46. em ag Sin, S.C.J. and Kim, K.S. (2008), “Use and non-use of public libraries in the information age: A logistic regression analysis of household characteristics and library services en variables”, Library & information science research, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 207-215. Sin, S.C.J. and Vakkari, P. (2015), “Perceived outcomes of public libraries in the US”, Library & t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management Information Science Research, Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 209-29. Smith, I.M. (1999), “What do we know about public library use?”, Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 51, No. 9, pp. 302-314. Vakkari, P. and Serola, S. (2012), “Perceived outcomes of public libraries”, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 37-44. Library Management Vakkari, P., Aabø, S., Audunson, R., Huysmans, F., Kwon, N., Oomes, M. and Sin, S.C.J. (2016), “Patterns of perceived public library outcomes in five countries”, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 72 No. 2, pp. 342-361. van Beynen, K., Pettijohn, P. and Carrel, M. (2010), “Using Pedestrian Choice Research to Facilitate Resource Engagement in a Midsized Academic Library”, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 412-419. Lib Wortman, B. (2012), “What Are They Doing and What Do They Want: The Library Spaces Customer Survey at Edmonton Public Library”, Partnership: The Canadian Journal of ra Library and Information Practice and Research, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 1-22. ry Xia, J. (2005), “Visualizing occupancy of library study space with GIS maps”, New Library World, Vol. 106 No. 5/6, pp. 219-233. t en em ag an M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 22 of 29 Page 23 of 29 Table 1. Richmond Public Library 2017 Annual Branch Statistics Branch Statistics Brighouse Steveston Floor area 49,352 sq. ft. 3,919 sq. ft. Annual gate count 978,103 197,934 Annual physical circulation 1,527,267 303,627 % of collection circulated 80.95% 89.63% Number of programs 2,222 500 Program attendees 63,348 15,201 Inquiries to staff 88,192 16,246 Public computers 58 7 Public seating 522 32 Study rooms 8 0 ry ra Lib t en em ag an M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management Library Management Table 2 – Please estimate how long you were in the library today Duration of visit Brighouse Branch % of Responses 27 30 26 17 0 30 minutes or less 30 minutes to 1 hour 1 to 2 hours Over 2 hours No response Steveston Branch % of Responses 53 34 9 4 1 ry ra Lib t en em ag an M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 24 of 29 Page 25 of 29 Table 3. At the Library today, I did the following (top 14 listed activities) Type of Activity Looked for books, videos, etc. Returned or borrowed books, videos, etc. for myself Read Used Wi-Fi Relaxed Used a library computer Personal work Asked for help from library staff Studied Returned or borrowed books, videos, for someone else Attended a children’s library program Met friends Attended an adult library program or community event Other activities No response ry ra Lib Brighouse Branch % of Responses 48 44 42 36 33 25 25 24 20 17 10 8 8 7 5 t en em ag an M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management Steveston Branch % of Responses 59 46 35 20 27 24 12 18 6 21 14 6 1 9 4 Library Management Table 4. Benefits received from Richmond Public Library Use Public Library User Benefits Provided me with an affordable place to read books, magazines, etc. Provided me with a safe and welcoming place to relax Helped me feel connected to my community Provided a place to study or do school assignments Provided a place to meet people and make friends Helped me learn new skills Helped my child do well in school Helped me learn about Canada or other subjects Helped me search for jobs, housing, etc. Helped me learn a language Helped me build confidence and to give back to the community Helped me contact distant friends and family Other No response Brighouse % of Responses 87 Steveston % of Responses 86 78 56 45 42 31 27 27 21 20 16 76 63 35 32 25 33 25 17 9 8 14 8 2 9 11 2 ry ra Lib t en em ag an M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 26 of 29 Page 27 of 29 Hello, I am a Kwantlen Polytechnic University student researcher conducting a survey on behalf of Richmond Public Library’s public consultation. We want to hear from you to ensure the library reflects the changing needs of the community. With this survey, we are asking about how you use the library and what services are the most important to you. Your answers to this survey will be entered anonymously. The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback will be compiled to assist the 2019 – 2021 Strategic Plan which will be published on the library's website in the fall of 2018. TO BE COMPLETED BY THE STUDENT RESEARCHER 1. In which branch is the survey being completed? (Check a box) Lib Brighouse branch Steveston branch 2. Day of the survey (Check a box) Weekday ra Saturday 3. Time of the survey (Check a box) ry Morning (until noon) Afternoon (noon to 5 pm) Evening (after 5 pm) an M MY LIBRARY ACTIVITY (TO BE COMPLETED BY THE LIBRARY USER) 4. During today’s visit, I was in the library for (Check a box) Under 30 minutes 30 minutes to 1 hour 1 hour to 2 hours Over 2 hours Several times a year Rarely t Daily Weekly Monthly en 5. I visit Richmond Public Library (Check a box) em ag 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management 6. I came to the library today (Check a box) Alone With one person With two or more people The people who came with me to the library today are (Check  all that apply) Friends Family Students Co-workers Other 1 Library Management 7. How important is it for me to have a place in the library to meet, talk, or work together with other people? (Check a box) Very Important Somewhat important Not important 8. Today I met with a tutor in the library. (Check a box) Yes No 9. I was tutored in: (Check a box) Learning a language School homework or studying for an exam 10. At the library today, I did the following: (Check all boxes that apply) Asked for help from library staff Returned or borrowed library books, videos, etc. for myself Returned or borrowed library books, videos, etc. for someone else Looked for books, videos etc. Attended an adult library program or community event Attended a children’s library program Attended a teen library program Attended a Chinese library program Volunteered Read Relaxed Personal work Job search Studying Tutored a student Used a library computer Used Launchpad services (3D printer, digitization station, photo scanner) Used photocopiers/printers/scanner Used Wi-Fi Met friends Other: Please describe ______________________________________________ ry ra Lib 11. Overall, I would rate the services at Richmond Public Library as: Excellent Good Fair Poor t en em ag an M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Page 28 of 29 12. Richmond Public Library has … (Check () all the boxes that apply). Provided me with an affordable place to read books, magazines, etc. Provided me with a safe and welcoming place to relax Helped me feel connected to my community Provided a place to meet people and make friends Provided a place to study or do school assignments Helped me search for jobs, housing, etc. 2 Page 29 of 29 Helped my child do well in school Helped me learn new skills Helped me contact distant friends and family Helped me learn a language Helped me learn about Canada or other subjects Helped me build confidence and to give back to the community through volunteering Other ____________________________________________________ ABOUT YOU Lib 13. I normally READ in the following language (in alphabetical order, check all that apply) Cantonese English French Punjabi Spanish M Japanese Other Chinese language ry Hindi Mandarin ra Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) Other language _____________________________________ 16. My age is: (Check  only one box) ag 15 to 18 years an 19 to 24 years 50 to 54 years 25 to 29 years 55 to 59 years 35 to 39 years em 40 to 44 years 70 to 74 years 45 to 49 years 75 years or more 30 to 34 years 60 to 64 years 65 to 69 years t en 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Library Management 16. I would use the library more if: ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Thank you very much for completing this survey! 3