Study of University Libraries’ Computer Workstation Utilization Shows Location and Area Ambience as Key Factors

Throughout the University Libraries, the computer workstations are always busy. Wherever you look, no matter what floor you are on, students are working individually or cooperatively in small and large groups on their scholarly pursuits and class projects that include creating documents and presentations, performing literature searches, checking assignment updates on Blackboard, viewing streaming video, engaging in videoconferencing, or performing a host of other educative activities. Students can also be seen staying in contact with friends and family via e-mail or instant messenger utilities and even participating in educational simulations and gaming.

This prompted me to wonder, “During an average session on one of the Libraries’ workstations, how much time do our students spend?”

In order to determine the answer to this question, James W. Hammons, Head of Library Technologies, analyzed data collected automatically by the Libraries from our 368 computer workstations. He selected the 54-day period of Monday, January 11 through Friday, March 5, 2010. In all, he analyzed 143,557 computer sessions for this period using statistical software such as SPSS and Excel.

Jim’s objective was to determine the median time that students spent at a workstation in Bracken Library and at the two branch libraries, the Architecture Library and the Science-Health Science Library. Additionally, by analyzing data by any given area within the University Libraries, he wanted to determine if students spent different amounts of time depending upon the location of where they chose to study.

The median was selected as the average measure since outliers at the extremes of the data do not influence it. That is, a very large value or small value cannot overly influence the median unlike it can the mean. Jim’s findings proved to be informative.

Analysis of the Median Time Spent at Workstations by Area
The accompanying bar graph and table (page 3) depict the breakdown by floor or area within the University Libraries. Overall, the median time spent by students using any of the Libraries’ 368 computer workstations was 22.1 minutes.

• Bracken’s Quiet Zone fourth floor (41 workstations available) — Students spent the longest median time here, 50.7 minutes.
• Bracken’s third floor (71 workstations) — Students working in small groups tend to be attracted to this area. The median time spent was 47.6 minutes.
• Bracken’s first floor east side (39 workstations) — In this relatively quiet area, the median time spent was 40.7 minutes.
• Bracken’s first floor west (105 workstations) — Often referred to as the Reference Learning Center because of its proximity to the Reference Desk, this area is the most visible to Bracken’s visitors and hosts most of the public printers. The median time was 18.8 minutes.
• Science-Health Science Library (11 workstations) — Median session time was 20.1 minutes.
• Architecture Library (14 workstations) — Median session time was 11.8 minutes.



Conclusion
These data show that ambience influenced by location is a prime factor in how students select computer workstations for use in the University Libraries. When students are working on activities that require
in-depth study, extended research, writing, and intricate computational analyses, among other tasks, they choose Bracken’s fourth floor Quiet Zone or some other generally quiet areas like first floor east, with its refined, artful decor. If they are working collaboratively, the third-floor cluster of workstations is a popular choice due to its projection as a collective study space.

The branch libraries and Bracken’s Reference area have proven to be highly functional places. Students stop in before or between classes to make final adjustments to assignments, printing papers or class notes, checking Blackboard or e-mail, posting remarks to Facebook, scanning drawings for projects, or reviewing course reserves, to name a few of the many endeavors that are being pursued.

For all of these activities, the University Libraries provide a setting to accommodate student’s needs by making it easy to access computer workstations and course-oriented software. The median time students spent at the workstations more than suggest that the workstations are an integral element for our student’s research, learning, and scholarly achievement.

We invite members of the academic community to visit the University Libraries often for their research and learning needs. ◙

Expanded GIS Services Available at the University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection

Students, faculty, and staff visiting the University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library, will find the space has been rearranged and transformed. Many important changes allow the facility to provide more access to GIS resources for the entire Ball State community, positioning the GRMC to meet campus needs for increased GIS-enabled research and instructional space.

The University Libraries have increased the amount of space devoted to the GIS research area. There is now nearly 1,200 square feet equipped with 28 high-end Lenovo ThinkCentre computers with dual 22” widescreen monitors. The units provide students and faculty with access to the type of software required for any GIS or mapping project, including the following:

• Adobe Design Premium CS3
• Autodesk AutoCAD 2009
• ERDAS Imagine 9.3 and
• ESRI ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1
• ESRI ArcPad 8.0
• Google Earth
• Google SketchUp
• Intergraph GeoMedia 6.1.6
• Rhino 4.0

Two LG 55” widescreen LED monitors and an ELMO projector are connected to an instructor station, facilitating the use of the equipment for workshops and classes. GRMC staff plan to offer workshops and tutorials and to facilitate instructional sessions in the space.

Ball State faculty and students who require GIS and other related geospatial software for instructional purposes can reserve the area. The space is also available for use by students and faculty for group and individual learning. A certified GIS staff member is available to answer questions and help users with their projects.

GIS-enabled computers are also available throughout Bracken Library since the software is deployed on more than 140 public workstations throughout the building. Visit the University Libraries’ Software Locator Web site to find these public access stations: www.bsu.edu/libraries/swsearch/swsearch.

The GRMC also provides users with access to a broad collection of over 145,000 print maps.

The GRMC provides members of the campus community with access to wide-format plotting and lamination services, both of which are offered at a modest cost.

For more information or to reserve the GIS Research Area for group projects, contact Angela Gibson, University Libraries’ GIS Specialist, ASGibson2@bsu.edu, 765-285-1097.

New Web Applications Improve Finding an Available Computer and Software in the University Libraries

At the beginning of fall semester 2009, the Ball State University Libraries unveiled two new Web applications that allow students and faculty to find resources in Bracken Library and in the two branch libraries that are located in separate buildings, the Architecture Library and the Science-Health Science Library.

The Computer Availability application allows students and faculty to find available computer workstations in the three facilities. The second utility, Software Locator, helps them to find workstations that are equipped with the particular software that they need. These new utilities are found at the bottom right on the Student Virtual Library Web page, www.bsu.edu/library/svl.

Libraries’ Student Assistant Danielle Stewart describes the Computer Availability Web page as “…something students can really use.” This online interactive map of Bracken Library updates every five seconds, displaying available or open computers on each floor. Robert L. Seaton, Web Development Analyst, offers a more technical overview of the Web page: “An agent runs on every Public Access Computer (PAC) that reports that computer’s status to a server. The Web page simply requests availability information for each computer by its location and displays them on a map.” The result is that students, faculty, and staff coming to Bracken or one of the two branch libraries can find a computer for use quickly and efficiently without having to hunt for an available workstation. To test the Computer Availability utility, view www.bsu.edu/libraries/cas.

With Software Locator, users can quickly find workstations in any of the three libraries that have the particular software they require and can see if those computers are available for use. According to Seaton, “A database is kept up-to-date with information about each Public Access Computer, including its software and its physical location. When a search is performed, the Web page checks the database to identify what computers by their location have a particular piece of software installed. This data is then reported for viewing on the Computer Availability Web page for a map.” To test the Software Locator, view www.bsu.edu/libraries/swsearch.

Information Services Librarian Eric B. Fisher says, “That Software Locator is amazing. I had a student in this weekend [at the Reference Desk]. He was looking for Microsoft Project. I used the locator to find what computers have it loaded and was able to send him right to one that he could use.”

When modifications to software on any computer occur, updating of the database immediately reflects the new software availability in the system, eliminating any lag inherent in publishing a new software list.

For more information, contact Sean Walton, Emerging Technologies Librarian, SPWalton2@bsu.edu, 765-285-1101.

University Libraries Upgrade to N-Wireless Connectivity

When using the University Libraries, students, faculty, staff, and other users of netbooks, notebooks, laptops, MacBooks, and other wireless hand-held devices will notice that they now have full access to n-level data network connectivity, technically known as 802.11n. This connectivity is accessible throughout the University Libraries, including the two branch libraries: Architecture Library and Science-Health Science Library.

The benefit to wireless-n device users is that the upgrade allows significantly faster network throughput. With n-wireless, for example, the theoretical capacity is 444 Mbps; whereas it was 54 Mbps with the g-wireless service. Each new access point supports 5.0 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 GHz band already in place. The 5 GHz band has substantial capacity and less radio interference. Because so many WiFi devices are b- or g-level compliant, a dual band wireless network is being configured. These features are important to Ball State students and faculty who increasingly are finding that the Internet is an indispensable tool for research and learning for accessing informational resources.

Students and faculty can also borrow laptops and MacBooks from the University Libraries for a period of up to 18 hours. This allows them to experience a laptop or substitutes one for their own that may be at home or in their residence hall room when visiting the Libraries. In addition, the Libraries provide access to almost 400 desktop computers that provide access to all of the common software used on campus to support project work and research.

Students and faculty using devices on the wireless network will also have access to the library laptop printing service through the Libraries’ homepage.

Updates to the University Libraries’ Public Computer Improve Desktop Computing

Personnel in the University Libraries’ Information Technology Services unit regularly update the configuration of all public workstations to provide students and faculty who use this equipment with the best and most recent versions of software and online resources available. During the recent Spring Break 2007, several small adjustments, when taken together, improved system performance in general.

Enhancements included important patches or updates to the following programs:
Adobe DreamWeaver 8 Adobe Reader 8
Adobe Reader 8 Pro Apple iTunes
Apple QuickTime Firefox browser
Google Earth Java Runtime Environmental
Microsoft Office 2003 Microsoft Windows XP
SPSS 14

In addition, Libraries’ desktop support personnel installed an updated University Libraries’ toolbar program for both Internet Explorer 7 and the Firefox browser, and the Internet Explorer 7 browser configuration was adjusted to address several issues that students had reported when using the University’s Blackboard Learning System.

In the Science-Health Sciences Library, A.D.A.M, the human anatomy program was added. Also added were two applications that are popularly used by students in the School of Nursing: Mosby’s Nursing Skills application and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ Clinical Simulations program.

For more information, contact Bradley D. Faust, Ball State University Libraries’ Assistant Dean for Library Information Technology Services, BFaust@bsu.edu, (765) 285-8032.

This newsletter article first appeared in The Library Insider 5(4): 12; April 2007.