Place attachment research proposal

Place Attachment at University Libraries; A Literature Review and Research Proposal

By: Dominic Kindelin


Introduction

The study of place attachment, an emotional bond between person and place, is not a new idea for researchers. Since 1991, dedicated research has been conducted on the theory, most explicitly by Schroeder who explored the link people establish with a specific environment and the resulting place attachment which develops as a result. The study of place attachment is at the forefront of quality interior design of spaces. Without place attachment formed to an interior, design of spaces is soulless and without a vital human connection component. Place attachment fosters a sense of belonging to a place and the people who inhabit it.

Past studies on the subject have sought to measure place attachment in residential and commercial spaces, but none have sought to understand the links between increasing diversity on university campuses, library design and programs, and how students interact with university libraries to form place attachment. While components of this proposed study have been researched individually, this study proposes to understand the link between increasing diversity of university campuses, usage of university libraries, and place attachment.

The goal of this study is to develop a plan for university libraries to increase student engagement, leading to place attachment and all the benefits that accompany that increase: mental health improvements, and a sense of belonging for traditionally underrepresented diversity groups, namely: people of color (POC), LGBT+ students, and first generation university students.


Literature Review
The Study of Place Attachment; Person, Place, Process.

There are numerous studies which seek to explain the phenomenon of place attachment.The American Psychology Association defines place attachment as “feelings of connection or affiliation with a geographic location that provides security and comfort and contributes to identity” (apa.org, 2023). The study of place attachment has evolved substantially in the last 50 years (Lewicka, 2011). Historically, theory development on the subject and ways that researchers may be able to interpret data gathered in the research process have been difficult. This difficulty arose from researchers focusing on how primarily the Person, rather than the two other components of place attachment: Place and Process. This focus on the research of only the Person, explains Lewicka, did not allow for other factors to play a role in the research and contributed to gaps in the understanding of place and process and how those factors impact place attachment. 

One claim proposed by Lewicka (2011) is that diversity is not a positive influence on place attachment, with lower levels of place attachment being measured in more racially and ethnic diverse neighborhoods. Lewicka claims that a focus on only increasing the diversity of a space is not enough to solely increase place attachment, rather, she summarizes that all three components of place attachment, Person, Place, and Process must all be researched concurrently to develop place attachment theory. 

The second component of place attachment, the Place itself, was studied in a research article by Patricia Stokowski. Stokowski explores the theory of place attachment in the context of the politics of place. The research is primarily focused on leisure travel and how people form bonds with places and how those bonds can change and evolve with time, political shifts, and even how bonds are socially constructed and manipulated (Stokowski, 2002). While this study is not focused on academia or the university library system, it does provide insight into the way that the idea of place is constantly evolving and factors which help it change and grow. This study, which includes the first two components of place attachment, person and palace, now provides a more complete study of the theory of place attachment rather than the singular study of person as discussed by Lewicka (2011). The report also delves deeper into a more serious aspect of place and belonging; that of how sense of place can be a tool of manipulative power to change socially accepted profiles of what it means to be accepted in a place.Place attachment is shaped and formed by socially accepted norms. (Stokowski, 2002).Stokowski explains that, once realized, this power can be harnessed as a force for improvements in place attachment in places and programs. 

The culmination of utilizing all three components of place attachment; Person, Place, and Processes, can be found in a study developed by David Spooner who researched what processes can be used to measure place attachment among university students on campus (2019). University campuses are unique places of learning, often acting simultaneously as an educational space, a place of work, and a home for students. Various factors help students to evolve emotional bonds with spaces on campus, including deciding on a major, joining student organizations, or attending a university sanctioned event; these factors can be manipulated to drive maximum student place attachment (Spooner, 2019). Place attachment has immediate benefits for students like mental health benefits, a sense of belonging, and even continues after the student leaves university, manifesting in connection to alumni groups. Spooner also identified a sharp rise in the sense of belonging for students in their sophomore year of university, and credits the rise as due to students declaring a college major. These three components of Person, Place, and Processes must all be studied in conjunction if any meaningful research solutions are expected to be found in the study of place attachment, whether on university campuses or elsewhere. 


Challenges and Trends; Factors Influencing Place Attachment in an University Library Setting

Challenges facing learning institutions are widespread and not exclusive to their library systems but a review by Andrew Cox helps to explain new changes affecting libraries. This review primarily analyzes the changes libraries are experiencing in the pre and post-covid era and ways that demographic changes are shaping academic libraries’ response to changes in the way students and staff utilize the space. Libraries were already experiencing a demographic shift pre-covid and the pandemic only helped to highlight where changes in the system were needed or where existing practices were working. 

One major shift in library trends exacerbated by the pandemic was the shift around changing pedagogies of the spaces. Cox explains that learning attitudes are shifting to include “constructionism, social constructionism, and connectivism” (Cox, 2022). This illustrates the shift away from libraries of the past with their stark and distant spaces where information was dictated to users and rather to a new way of utilizing the space where interaction and socialization is paramount to student learning and engagement with the space. 

This report also helps to highlight demographic shifts which, while already impacting engagement at libraries pre-pandemic, is increasingly affecting library development (Cox, 2022). Enrollment is increasing while the student population is concurrently becoming more diverse with an increase in first generation students, low income students, and mental health needs at the forefront of design change in libraries (Cox, 2022). Mental health as a university priority is often a campus-wide effort, but libraries offer a unique interaction point in which university staff can interact, monitor, and grow mental health initiatives with students. Student involvement in the design and implementation of spaces is hugely important to help students engage and form place attachment in an academic library space (Cox, 2022).


Supporting Place Attachment in University Libraries

There are several links between the built environment and place attachment. There are multiple past studies which attempt to provide insight into the connection between mental health, student engagement on college campuses, and the importance of libraries in the process. As Cox points out, libraries’ unique position on campus as a source of learning and a student resource allow them to reach and engage with students and provide social connection points to increase the mental health of students (Cox, 2022). Libraries are rethinking their spaces to make them more social and engaging for users. An increased focus on getting students’ attention away from solitary devices and to promote socialization is the goal of new library design (Bladek, 2021). Mental health of students is the primary driver of these changes in the system and libraries offer a contact point between staff and students. The redesign of libraries will help drive student engagement and place attachment will be formed by students in the space (Bladek, 2021).

The connection between inclusion and safety are closely linked to students feeling belonging to a place. C. Strange explains in his book, Designing for Learning; creating campus environments for students’ success, that educational institutions can develop programs or environments which help promote health, safety, and happiness amongst students. Like Cox and Bladek, Strange’s text lists interior design factors to ensure universal design and greater place attachment for all users, regardless of ability or experience levels. Design factors can help create welcoming environments for greater student success  (Strange, 2015). These factors can be as simple but essential as ADA compliant spaces which allow greater equity of use for users of the space. 

These simple changes to the built environment lead to other positive outcomes besides positive place attachment. The most notable of these benefits of place attachment is improved mental health for users (Bladek, 2021). Another component of positive mental health that can be applied to the built environment is introducing natural elements into the design of a space.

One driver of place attachment in the context of this research proposal  is nature and natural effects on mental health with students reporting positive impacts on their mental health under the influence of nature (Milligan, C., & Bingley, A. 2007). While not an explicit study of place attachment, this study measured the impacts of physical environment on mental health of young people in the UK.  This study primarily studied the mental health impacts of greenspace and woodlands in young people under the age of 25 living in the UK and how often they interacted with nature. Perhaps unsurprisingly, positive correlation was measured between time spent within nature or a natural setting and increases in mental health reported by the subjects (Milligan, C., & Bingley, A. 2007). This connection between natural elements and improvements in mental health has a direct impact on the design of university libraries and material choices. Design of spaces can benefit from natural light, greenery in the form of plants and biophilic design elements which can offer both students and staff mental health improvements. 


Current Study 

The current study will investigate the impact of outside factors on engagement of students in academic learning environments, primarily the COVID pandemic and the ways in which students changed their interaction habits while on campus, and the resulting loss of mental health.This research project’s goal is to understand the link between factors that affect place attachment and how those factors impact the relationship bond and institutional interaction that students form within an academic setting, primarily university library systems. Increases in student diversity on university campuses indicate that students may not be interacting with learning services as often or in the same manner as previous generations, and this research seeks to provide insight into how to increase student engagement through the use of place attachment. Data will be collected through observation and through student and staff interviews.


Study Methodology 
Design 

The methodology to be used in this study is primarily qualitative, to offer the best insight into the research questions being asked. Asking the research population qualitative questions grows a plethora of idea generation, and accommodates the complexity and nuances of issues of diversity and belongingness to develop policies for place attachment in library settings. A blend of interviews, observation, and surveys will ensure the data gathered offers insight into the question being asked and secures intervention measures for design implementation. Research methods used for this study will include surveys and interviews with both library staff and students attending the institution, and observation of the library environment.


Sample and Procedures

The study population will include students attending Illinois State University (ISU) and staff who work at the Milner Library. A sample of 200 subjects will consist of 175 students and 25 staff members for the survey and interview portion of the study. While 200 subjects in the sample is just 1% of the total student population at ISU, the rationale implemented is to draw a sample of active library users and not every person who attends the university. The study is centered around a university library setting so selecting a sample group of current users of university libraries is crucial to ensuring the sample is appropriate to the research being conducted. An even sample of freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate students will be selected for the study. The last component of the study is observational learning. This will consist of sampling all users of the Milner library to understand usage and interaction patterns of students and staff in an unobtrusive way. The sample will be selected through users who are moving through the library system already. This selection of current users is critical in measuring factors which drive place attachment amongst existing users of the library. Once factors affecting place attachments are known, they can be used at a later date to increase usage and place attachment among non-users of the library system. Distinctions will be noted on year of study at university and subjects will be gathered through usage of their redbird card use in the library which captures their year of study and usage patterns at Milner. Staff samples will be gathered through direct interactions with staff leadership to select employees to study. The study will seek to understand if usage or patterns of place attachment change throughout a subject’s time at university so this study will have to be conducted over the course of an academic school year to measure if student or staff perceptions change during the time between sessions. Part one of the study will seek to measure the level of current place attachment of students in Milner. Part two of the study will be conducted after a year has passed to measure how attachment to Milner has evolved for both students and how staff is experiencing the evolution. During both stages, students will also be asked to self-identify on diversity questions to measure how place attachment affects students of diverse backgrounds. Consent will be obtained from all participants of the survey and interview sections of the study. The observational section of this study will also need a review of the informed consent forms already agreed to by students. Usage of public spaces in a university library will be observed but no identifying information will be gathered or saved. No ethical conflicts are expected to arise from this study. Data collected will be organized by student year in school and analyzed with no identifying factors noted. Any identifying information, like student emails, used for the study will be kept confidential on secure, encrypted servers which are located in the continental United States of America.


Measurement

Survey questions for this proposed study were heavily influenced by a precedent study seeking to understand the impact of social construction on place attachment (Milligan, 1998).

Survey/interview guide questions asked of students will be:

  • 1. Year at university
  • 2. Student status
  • a. Both or one parent attended university, first generation student, international
  • student…
  • 3. Library usage
  • a. How often do you visit Milner?
  • b. How long do you spend each visit?
  • c. Time of visit?
  • d. Do you interact with staff when you visit?
  • e. Do you visit alone or as part of a group?
  • f. What floor do you primarily visit?
  • g. Do you interact with library programs or services? (librarians, study sessions,
  • outreach services, research services, cafe).
  • 4. Place attachment
  • a. What level of place attachment do you currently have with Milner?

Survey/interview guide questions asked of staff will be:

  • 1. Years employed by Milner
  • 2. Title
  • a. Hours worked a week in Milner
  • b. Interaction level with students
  • b1. Primarily face-to-face or in a supporting role?
  • b2. Is the working environment conducive to interaction or independent of student interaction?
  • b3. Are you involved in student outreach programs or other library events/services?
  • 3. Place attachment
  • a. How connected do you feel to Milner? Are there spaces which you feel promote
  • greater interaction between staff and students? Less interaction?
  • b. How do you connect with students of many diverse backgrounds? Are there spaces or programs the library offers which connection with students is easier?
  • c. Do you feel place attachment to Milner? Other spaces on campus?

These questions listed will be used to help guide the interviews for student and staff surveys. Observational data will be gathered to measure usage patterns of the library and foot traffic to areas and events. Measured observational data will be gathered using non-descriptive data and will present usage data to offer insight into how spaces are physically used. Data will be compiled and responses to interviews will be recorded and transcribed in preparation for analysis. Responses will be kept strictly confidential and will be secured with data encryption on secure servers. Data regarding levels of place attachment will be measured on a numerical scale for easy data manipulation. 

There is opportunity for further study of this subject as this research proposal acknowledges the scope of this study is quite small. It is being conducted at a single, public university, located in the Midwest United States and over a span of a single year. The research subjects also are quite limited in scope of lived experience and diverse background. This study analyzes responses and data from 35 students of each level of university and 25 staff. ISU averages still only about a 30% BIPOC rate of enrollment among students and even less among staff, according to publicly reported data. Further studies about how diversity status and place attachment is needed for comparison and analysis, especially in the context of place attachment at university libraries and amongst a more diverse cohort of students.


Expectations 

The expectations for this study is to better understand what library features affect place attachment, either positively or negatively. These components can either be the physical built environment or social outreach programs which drive place attachment through interaction. Features which are expected to shift place attachment are interaction levels among staff and students, and how that interaction can help drive place attachment benefits like mental health gains and an increased sense of belonging for students. These increases in interaction can be impacted by changes in the built environment which can be expected to aid and promote greater staff and student relationships.These resulting library improvements, through both advancements in the built environment and increased staff and student interaction can help define the expectations for the outcome of this study as an increase in place attachment for university students in an academic library setting. 


References

Bladek, M. (2021). Student well-being matters: Academic library support for the whole student. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(3), 102349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102349

Cox, A. (2022). Factors Shaping Future Use and Design of Academic Library Space. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2022.2039244

Lewicka, M. (2011.). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years? Journal of Environmental Psychology. 31(3), 207-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001

Milligan, C., & Bingley, A. (2007). Restorative places or scary spaces? The impact of woodland on the mental well-being of young adults. Health & Place, 13(4), 799–811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.01.005

Milligan, M. J. (1998). Interactional Past And Potential: The Social Construction Of Place Attachment. Symbolic Interaction, 21(1), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.1998.21.1.1

Schroeder, H. W. (1991). Preference and meaning of arboretum landscapes: Combining quantitative and qualitative data. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), 231–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80185-9 

Spooner, D. (2019). Place Attachment on University Campuses: At What Point Do Undergraduates Connect to Their Academic Institutions? Planning for Higher Education, 47(2), 27–38.

Strange, C. C. (2015). Designing for learning: Creating campus environments for student success. In Designing for learning: Creating campus environments for student success (Second edition.). Jossey-Bass.

Stokowski, P. A. (2002). Languages of Place and Discourses of Power: Constructing New Senses of Place. Journal of Leisure Research, 34(4), 368–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2002.11949977

Place attachment. 2023. In APA.org. Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://dictionary.apa.org/place-attachment


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