Beyond Seating Sweeps: Assessing Student Furniture Preference Through a Mixed-Methods Approach

During the strategic planning process, an academic library serving an R2 university heard from students the importance of improving its space to be more “comfortable.” Rather than relying on self-reported student data about what type of furniture they thought they wanted, the academic library invested in a furniture pilot project that introduced nine new types of different furniture into one space. This mixed-methods study used a survey to solicit student preference about the new furniture combined with a light-weight observational method of 70 seating sweeps spread out over two semesters to record how students used the furniture. This study found that collecting multiple data points, including anecdotal information and analyzing data from low use times, provided more context about student furniture preference. With a small investment in library personnel time, library leaders can use this study’s methodology to better ascertain their institution’s furniture needs.