The Educational Aspect of School Libraries’ Design and the Students' Territorial Behavior

Abstract

In a study combining qualitative (observation and interviews) and quantitative (questionnaires) methods, the researchers examined the territorial behavior of students and the implications of the internal arrangement of the library space for the students. The territorial behavior observed in the libraries could be seen in where the students decided to sit and how they used library furniture (including chairs, armchairs, computers and the librarian station). Most of the students preferred sitting in a central area in the library. However, for the most part, students chose to sit in places that enabled them to maintain territorial control. While many students sat in groups for both social and study purposes, some of them (particularly the older students) had a need to protect against intrusion into their personal space. This was achieved by sitting at the tables with their backs to the entrance, by body language and, at times, even by using personal belongings to demarcate personal territory. Library planners and librarians must be aware of these “conflicting” needs in order to adapt the design to the behaviors typical of the groups that use the library.