University Libraries releases annual usage report

Grand Valley State University’s Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons has welcomed more than two million visitors since opening its doors in 2013, according to an annual University Libraries usage report.

Planned to be the intellectual heart of the Allendale Campus, the facility was completed and dedicated in 2013. In 2014, the library was awarded LEED® Platinum status, the highest of four possible levels of certification. 

Highlights from the report include:

• As of April 2015, the library has had 2,050,418 visitors;
• In the fall of 2014, approximately 44,000 more people visited the facility than in fall of 2013 for an 8 percent increase;
• 227 formal tours of the library, comprised of more than 2,000 visitors have been conducted since the facility opened in 2013;
• In 2014, 784 research consultations, 4,031 writing consultations, and 604 speech consultations were provided for students by peer consultants at the Knowledge Market;
• In 2014, visitors from all 50 states and 193 countries accessed content in ScholarWorks, Grand Valley’s open access repository of university scholarship. The repository contains 9,321 papers that have been downloaded more than 1.5 million times since 2011.

The library’s User Experience Team, comprised of staff and students, collected data for the report that showed student behaviors and needs change throughout the day, confirming that flexible spaces are ideal. The report showcased that individuals use the library more often during the day, while use is split more evenly between groups and individuals in the afternoons and evenings. In most collaboration spaces, conversation levels increase in the evenings.

The Mary Idema Pew Library has been praised for its innovative new technologies and academic spaces, such as the Knowledge Marketplace and Technology Showcase. With more than 154,000 square feet of space, the library boasts multiple customizable spaces for both quiet studying and collaborative work, more than 700,000 books, one million e-books, an abundance of natural lighting and outdoor work spaces.

For more information about the Mary Idema Pew Library, visit gvsu.edu/library.