Results of a User Survey to Determine Needs for a Health Sciences Library Renovation

Abstract

The Health Sciences Library (HSL) at the University of Calgary serves the faculties of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Nursing, and is the library for the staff, physicians, and patients of the Foothills Hospital. In August 2008, HSL was approached by the Faculty of Medicine requesting a significant portion of library space to accommodate an increase in undergraduate medical student enrollment.

Despite initial concerns that the reduction of library space would be detrimental to all clients, the proposed changes actually benefited both parties involved. The Faculty of Medicine needed a lecture theatre, two 50-seat classrooms, and six small group rooms; whereas the library required a renovation to better accommodate the technological demands of current students and to provide a new learning-conducive environment for future generations of students, faculty, healthcare providers, and patients.

To ensure that the HSL renovation met the needs of our clients, a brief opinion survey of five open-ended questions was designed and administered via electronic mail to all staff, students, and faculty served by HSL. In all, 170 survey responses were received. While comments made supported key themes discovered from the literature, they also provided HSL with a new perspective, resulting in design changes to better meet clients' needs.

Keywords:

• renovation
• library
• facility
• space
• space planning