Mapping a new library world: using Alma Analytics to inform space planning

Abstract

The Snell Library at Northeastern University is currently in the process of repurposing stack areas used for print collections into flexible spaces for campus collaboration, creation, and learning. But while typical data-driven approaches to collection maintenance rely principally on circulation counts and other metrics of usage, few approaches integrate that data with information about the physical space those collections take up. By combining circulation and in-house print collection use data from Alma Analytics with library floor plans, we have developed heat maps and charts that directly illustrate stack locations and square footage of LC classifications experiencing growth, stability, and decline in use. In this presentation we will share how we created these maps and data visualizations and how they could be used to help librarians target likely sections of the collection to review, in order to weed and shift with efficiency and confidence, and minimize the inconvenience to print users as we renovate library space to meet changing campus needs. A similar approach could be used to assess other uses of library space, and to explore the library’s impact on users in ways that extend beyond the collections.