Keywords

library technology, computer, computer lab

Abstract

Why did you do this activity, project, or research?

In 2014, across the BYU campus, the use of student-accessible public computer labs was declining. At this time, the library was not experiencing this decline; rather, public computer use in the library was increasing. Ten years later, we re-administered a similar survey in the same manner to determine what, if any, changes occurred.

How did you do this?

Initially (2014), we used a pop-up survey to help determine similarities and differences. When students logged on to a library computer, an invitation to participate in the survey popped up with the option to participate, not participate, or be asked again another time.

What did you discover?

These results enabled us to see the current status of open-computer use in the library and compare findings with those from 10 years ago. Initial analysis indicates some reasons for using library computers have not changed, whereas the use of other technologies has declined (e.g., personal laptops) or increased (e.g., smartphones). The full analysis will be completed by the conference date.

How have/will findings be applied?

The library’s IT Department and library leadership use the data to change where and how many computer labs will be located within the library. While this is a case study with results applicable only to our library, we hope that the procedures, trends, patterns, and findings may be applicable and useful to other libraries.

Original Publication Citation

Zaugg, H. (June 2025). Student Use of Public Access Computers in the Library: a 10-year Comparison Study. Paper presentation at the LibBMC 2025 conference, Liverpool, Great Britain.