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Space Data

What do you already have?​

Check with your facilities or space administration to see what information already exists.

Just before the pandemic, our university space administration had asked us to do a space inventory. We had collected data for this purpose in a spreadsheet, and this offered a great starting point. We built the spreadsheet out to include space characteristics that we wanted to include in the site, then reviewed our spaces and used this to collect our data.

I'd recommend you start small and add more later. In our case, we started with just study spots, and added in restrooms and service areas in a second phase.

We added characteristics that we thought would be of interest to students on the spreadsheet, then we visited each space again to verify seat counts and determine chacteristics. For this phase, I had significant participation from our Library facilities manager. This phase probably took about 20 hours of her time over a couple of weeks.

Characteristics​

The characteristics we chose to track are listed below. These have changed a bit since it's been in use, and we are contemplating simplification as most of the characteristics do not get used. I encourage you to look at other sites as well to determine what types of characteristics are appropriate to your space.

Limit Subjective Data. Subjective data can make your tool more confusing and difficult to use.

Early on, we had characteristics such as "Attractive Views" but we realized we didn't always agree on what this meant. Instead, we changed the characteristics to "Water View" and "Natural Lighting." If you must use subjective data, work with a partner or two to make it as clear as possible.

Seating​

This is simply the number of seats available in a space. For us, this can vary from 1 -2 in small group study rooms to over 100 in the larger open spaces.

Space Types​

It's important to use terms that resonate with your student in describing your space types. We did usability research to help refine the descriptive words we used. We also initially only had study spaces, but in phase 2 we added restrooms and services areas.

  • Reservable Study Room
  • Book Stacks
  • Cafe
  • Classroom
  • Computer Lab
  • Maker Space
  • Open Layout
  • Restroom
  • Service Area

Noise Level​

We originally had 4 levels, but changed to 3 in order to provide greater clarity. Also, we don't enforce noise levels, so we frame this as "Usual" noise levels.

  • Chatter
  • Low Hum
  • Quiet

Resources​

  • Desks / Carrels (See usability section for discussion of this wording)
  • Tables & Chairs
  • Couches / Arm chairs
  • Study Pods
  • Whiteboards
  • Computers Available
  • Printers
  • Large Monitors for Screen Sharing

Space Features​

  • Re-configurable Space
  • Restroom Nearby
  • Water Views
  • Windows - Natural Light