The Library as Sacred Place

1. The Library as Sacred Place Applying the psychology of religion to the academic library as a sanctified space and implications for measurement and evaluation

2. The Core Analogy The core analogy: the academic library is to the �University� as the church is to �God� Both the academic library and a church serve as tangible conduits to abstract goals More relevant than corporate analogy

3. The Conceptual Framework: Critical Assumptions and Rationale Current models of efficacy do not fully explore the aspect of library as place or focus too heavily on use of materials and facilities Proposed framework offers new methods of evaluation and novel ways to examine the continued importance of the traditional library Customer satisfaction measures do not present a full picture

4. Why Look to the Psychology of Religion? Higher level religious/spiritual goals and missions are inherently abstract in nature, e.g. closeness to God, truth, salvation, nirvana Missions and goals for institutions of higher education are similarly abstract Survey of college mottoes reveals key terms such as: truth, knowledge, wisdom, cultivation, light Survey of college mission statements reveals similar sentiments in more verbose phrasings

5. Psychology of Religion Substantial research has been done to develop psychological batteries and methodologies for assessing impacts and efficacy The church as place has been well studied and these findings can point us in a new direction in studying library as place The field embraces affective measures that are more complex than customer satisfaction surveys

6. Unexplained Library Data As Antell and Engel discovered, the very existence of the library as a structure �focuses� students or proves �conducive to scholarship� even among populations who make little or no use of the physical materials (2006) This type of data has been fairly frequent as a secondary finding when examining the library as place. It warrants further study.

7. Sanctification of Objects �Sanctification in an outward sense is a formal characteristic of particular objects, persons, and places. To sanctify is to set apart from the ordinary or mundane and to dedicate to a particular purpose or use.� (Pargament, 1999) This has a profound impact on the affective benefits of such objects. People derive benefit simply by being in the presence of such objects, regardless of use.

8. What is �Sacred� about the Academic Library? The academic library is a dedicated space. Universality of certain objects such as card catalogs, stacks, circulation desks, book drops, study carrels Ritualistic aspects to library use

9. Familiarity and Security Church as �support convoy�: �Although the people who make up the convoy change, the individual can count on the assistance of a group of like-minded individuals who share a set of values and a worldview.� (Kahn and Antonucci, 1980, Pargament, 1999) Can the library also be viewed through this lens?

10. Personal Strivings Personal strivings represent the recurring, enduring goals that individuals seek in their everyday behavior, and are defined as "what a person is typically or characteristically trying to do� (Emmons, 1986) These strivings typically include things such as education, graduating, getting a promotion, making money, etc. and are not limited to religious strivings in any way.

11. Sanctified Strivings People show greater benefit and more significant investment (in terms of time, money, and emotion) from �higher level� strivings and those strivings they �sanctify� (Cheung and Tehrani, 1998, Pargament, 2003, Mahoney, Pargament, Murray-Swank, 2003, Tarakeshwar, 2003) Examples of sanctified strivings in research were typically related to religion, morality, bettering oneself, and knowledge

12. A Possible Intersection Antell and Engel's study of the library as place highlights the sense of �sanctuary� in the library and the importance of the library as a �symbol� of �academic tradition.� This concept of library as place is analogous to studies showing the importance of church as place in terms of focusing or heightening the spirituality of congregants while they are in the physical structure. Can we show a clear correlation between the library and the achievement of university goals and missions?

13. Applications and Ramifications Design questions to assess whether the library as place has a positive affective impact on campus communities that fosters achievement of university goals Examine the iconographic impact of physical materials in the library Do we lose something if we make a dramatic shift away from the traditional library to information commons?

14. Measurement and Evaluation Develop assessments by modifying existing psych questionnaires regarding sanctification and strivings Analyze affect of students in a very traditional academic library versus students in a very modern information commons Vignette style affective batteries examining feelings

15. Why Does It Matter? The academic library as a huge structure serving as a repository of hard-copy �knowledge� is facing a clear threat to its continued necessity and usefulness in the shape, form, and scale of the past (Carlson, 2001, ) We need to �sell� the library to the university, this allows us to provide a clear statement of how the physical library aids the goals and missions of the university Higher level strivings equate with greater investment of time, energy, money etc. Prove our worth as conduits to achieve these strivings and perhaps budgets will improve.