Could, should, must ? Contradictory environment-behaviour-settings in libraries
Dr Eva-Christina Edinger
Environment-behaviour-settings describe environmental situations based on the assumption that the urban environment leads us to behave in a certain way.In libraryinterior design, endeavours are made to take advantage of them. However, it is disconcerting if, despite meticulous planning, the various spaces are not used in the manner intended – sometimes because it is not always clear to the users how they are supposed to behave and thus howthe spacewas really supposed to be used.
The conflicting environment-behaviour-settings are presented based on data from a seven-year field study in various European university libraries.
Dr Eva-Christina Edinger holds a doctorate in spatial and architectural sociology from the University of Constance. Her dissertation examined comparative case studies on libraries in Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Great Britain. She has been a speaker and lecturer in promoting scientific staff at the University of Zurich and a lecturer at the University of Constance and HTWG Constance in sociology, psychology and architecture for around ten years.
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