Library as Changing Place: Viewpoints from University Undergraduates

This piece aims to demonstrate what undergraduate students consider when they think of the academic library and their personal and academic needs. It also begins to speculate about the library of the future on a growing campus.

The piece considers the views of some US university students.

The growing emphasis on usability studies and libraries trying to respond to user needs by becoming a more user‐centered organization forces an organization to listen carefully to its users. Libraries remain valued places of community and of learning and teaching. People continue to come to libraries because they offer security, comfort and quiet; are free and commercial‐free; provide a place to be with other people in a learning/cultural environment; offer opportunities to learn, search, inquire and recreate; and afford opportunities for choice and serendipity.

Offers some insights into the views of students about the role of the library.