Article by Hobbs, Klare Focuses on Designing Students’ Space

Kendall Hobbs, Olin reference librarian, and Diane Klare, head of reference, are the co-authors of an article titled “User Driven Design: Using Ethnographic Techniques to Plan Student Study Space,” published in Technical Services Quarterly 27(4), pages 347-363, in 2010.

In the article, Hobbs and Klare explain how librarians and information technologists at Wesleyan were provided with an opportunity to design a new study space for students during a library renovation. They teamed up to learn ethnographic techniques and apply them by incorporating student input into the new space, rather than making decisions based on traditional methods.

Using this approach produced enlightening information about students’ differing behaviors and use of campus space that the team used extensively in planning the new design.