Academic libraries as informal learning spaces in architectural educational environment

In recent decades, the academic library has been facing many challenges to meet the needs of contemporary students. This paper presents case study research which investigates the educational library spaces at the Faculty of Engineering (FOE), Ain Shams University (ASU), with respect to its suitability to fulfil the Architecture department students’ contemporary learning needs. To capture the importance of the academic library as an informal learning space (ILS), the research methodology draws on relevant literature analysis, observation, and a survey conducted among students to explore whether students prefer using the FOE library over other informal learning spaces (ILSs), as well as the factors that influence their choice. The findings, when applied to a wider variety of academic libraries in Egypt, should provide a better understanding of how library space attributes influence students' space choice and satisfaction, then aid architects in designing and developing academic libraries in Egypt's universities.