Beyond the Data: A Multi-Dimensional Framework for Rethinking Library Users Through Archetypes and Behavioral Design

Abstract

Traditional library metrics tell us what users do, but rarely why. Usage data and satisfaction indicators, while valuable, often miss the richer picture: learning styles, emotional drivers, and motivations that shape how people engage with knowledge in library spaces.

This poster presents a user research initiative developed at the Alfonso Borrero Cabal, S.J. Library of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. In response, the Library designed an original methodology that shifts the analytical lens from service use to meaningful experience. A central element is the incorporation of Meaningful Learning Experiences (MLEs) as a mechanism to activate deeper engagement and knowledge appropriation.

To operationalize this approach, we developed a multidimensional archetype framework structured around three pillars: personality, informed by Jungian archetypes; learning models, based on Kolb and Felder–Silverman; and behavioural interaction with the Library. Together, these dimensions allow libraries to move beyond the generic concept of the “user” and design for people with diverse cognitive styles, behaviours, and motivations.

The findings point to a broader challenge: users arrive with curiosity and a desire to learn, yet library services are not always designed to activate these dispositions. This poster invites the library community to view user research not only as a diagnostic tool, but also as a foundation for designing experiences that respond to human complexity.