The use of ethnographic research methods in the area of information science and technology is a relatively new phenomenon that goes beyond mere bean counting. Because many of these methods are relatively inexpensive and easy to implement, J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina Charlotte decided to use a number of them to collect information about how students and faculty were using equipment, spaces, and services in the library. Analysis of the data has been used to make changes within the library that have had a dramatic impact on student use and academic achievement.
