As we slide slowly into summer, it’s time to share the Affiliation statistics we collected in April.
We always appreciate your help as we gather information on who is using which parts of the Hirsh Health Science library when! Keep reading to find out how you contributed to our statistics, and we’ll see you again for the next round in October.
Overall:
Our count in April saw fewer folks in the library than our count in October, but over the seven days of collection, we asked 1451 of you about your Tufts affiliation. Overall, the proportion of students from the various Boston Campus programs stayed consistent with what it was like in October, with Dental students (490) showing up in slightly higher numbers than Medical (371).
While fewer Medical and Dental students used the library this spring, the number of MBS students is consistent with what it was last fall (342). Hats off to you MBS! We were also happy to see more PA students (121) using the library than they had in the fall, as well as many more Tufts students from the other schools at the university (27). We hope you enjoyed your time with us.
Day of the week:
In a surprising change from the previous affiliation survey, Monday was no longer the most popular day here at Hirsh. Instead, Tufts community members were most often here on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this spring, with Wednesday topping out at 319 patrons overall. As is typically the case, Saturday and Sunday were the quietest days here at the library.
Floor:
The seventh floor was, by a mile, our most popular floor, accounting for just over half of our affiliation statistics collected, more than the other three floors combined! We knew that it was the most in-demand floor, and it is validating to see the data reflect what we have observed day-to-day.
Time of Day:
The library showed the most use at our 3:00 PM survey, with a total of 535 patrons using the library at that time across the seven days.
Total Floor Usage by Time of Day:
While it’s difficult to say exactly how the library is being used, looking at how many folks are using a floor at a particular time is interesting. For example, the 4th floor is busiest at 11 am and 3 pm, which seem to this desk worker to be prime eating times. Additionally, not only is the 7th floor the most popular considering total visitors, it’s also the most popular floor at any given time of day. My guess is the 7th floor’s popularity comes from having the most study space; we know the study rooms are a hot commodity! The full breakdown is below. Maybe you have some insights of your own? We'd love to hear them!
On behalf of everyone at the Hirsh Health Sciences Library, thank you for your assistance! Getting an understanding of where and when the library is used helps us serve you best… as do you reaching out to provide feedback. The Library Service Desk is open 7 days a week and you can email us at hhsl@tufts.edu. Otherwise, we’ll be back at it again in the fall. Until then...
Warmly,
Rachel
