Lost in the labyrinth: Wayfinding behavior in a public library-predictable? Maybe not

Abstract

Wayfinding is how humans orient and navigate in space, and it requires wayfinders to seek and process spatial information, such as architectural cues, signs, and maps. This topic has been researched in many areas, but rarely public libraries, facilities that wayfinders enter with both general and spatial information needs (i.e., the need to use spatial information to locate an item that will provide information to satisfy the underlying information need). This poster presents one component of a multi-method case study with the purpose to explore user wayfinding behavior in a medium-sized public library. The poster focuses on how users navigate from the library entrance, which routes are most popular, and areas that experience the highest traffic. Preliminary findings regarding node-to-node (stop- to-stop) connections show that in many cases, multiple people connect the same two nodes via different segments; often, one of these is a predominant connecting segment employed by the majority of cases observed making this connection. These findings indicate that there may be two groups of wayfinders: people who navigate the most direct route and those who navigate another path. This suggests that theories attempting to predict wayfinding behavior need to consider that not all wayfinding behavior may be predictable to the same degree.