The Library Impact Data Project was a six-month project funded by Jisc and managed by the University of Huddersfield to investigate this hypothesis: “There is a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment.” E-resources usage, library borrowing statistics, and library gate entries were measured against final degree award for 33,074 undergraduate students across eight U.K. universities. The research successfully demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between library resource use and level of degree result; however, any conclusions drawn are not indicators that library usage and student attainment have a causal relationship.

PurposeSeeks to find a method to analyse the impact of learning space on learning behaviour and, in particular, learning support, using the context of a university library.Design/methodology/approach A method was created based partially on pre/post occupancy evaluation methods used in other institutions, and partially on methods utilised by the Library on other occasions, gathering qualitative and quantitative data from staff observations, desk enquiries and student use. The method was tested at the University of Huddersfield Library and Computing Centre following extensive refurbishment. FindingsThe method overall was deemed successful, but was problematic due to lack of student engagement. Research limitations/implicationsResearch was conducted at one university only, so can be considered either a starting point for further research, or as a toolkit for other universities to utilize. Practical implicationsEnsuring full understanding and engagement of students via academics would increase potential of the method for understanding learning behaviours and utilisation of the library. Originality/valueAssessed what impact library usage and potentially newly observed learning behaviours made on library staff.

Research in academic libraries has recently seen an increase in the use of ethnographic-based methods to collect data. Primarily used to learn about library users and their interaction with spaces and resources, the methods are proving particularly useful to academic libraries. The data ethnographic methods retrieve is rich, context specific, and often difficult to collect via other methods. This review provides an overview of research demonstrating how ethnography can be applied to learn about a variety of issues in academic libraries, ranging from space use to a way of teaching new students about library resources and facilities.

The current economic climate is placing pressure on UK Universities to maximise use of their resources and ensure value for money. In parallel, there is a continuing focus on the student experience and a desire that all students should achieve their full potential whilst studying at University.Internal investigation at the University of Huddersfield suggests a strong correlation between library usage and degree results, and also significant under-usage of expensive library resources at both school and course level. Data from over 700 courses using three indicators of library usage; access to e-resources; book loans and access to the library were matched against the student record system and anonymised.Initial findings highlighted that the correlation between library usage and grade had not yet been significance tested. In January 2011, the University of Huddersfield, together with partners at the Universities of Bradford; De Montfort; Exeter; Lincoln; Liverpool John Moores; Salford and Teesside were awarded JISC funding to prove the hypothesis that there is a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment.