Suma Space Assessment

What is it?

Suma is an open-source tablet and web-based assessment toolkit for collecting and analyzing         observational data about the usage of physical spaces and        services, originally developed at North Carolina State        University Libraries. The tool        streamlines existing data collecting activities, enables fast, hassle-free mobile data collection, provides sophisticated data analysis and visualization capabilities for non technical users, and promotes  observational data analysis as an integral part of service and space design and day-to-day planning.

What are the benefits?

• Improved decision-making vis-à-vis service and space design
• Error reduction and improved        data collection        compliance
• More extensive data collection and analysis        possibilities at        a reasonable cost in time
• Cross-departmental availability of data previously encapsulated by        departmental silos

What are the local responsibilities?

• Provide the desktop or tablet used to collect data
• Conduct the space assessment (some schools have a student worker do rounds in the library a few times a day)

How do I participate?

1. Contact the Development Coordinator Lauren Magnuson to get started at: lauren@lpmagnuson.com