Developing a Service Robot for a Children's Library: A Design-Based Research Approach

Understanding book-locating behavior in libraries is important and leads to more effective services that support patrons throughout the book-locating process. This study adopted a design-based approach to incorporate robotic assistance in investigating the book-locating behaviors of child patrons, and developed a service robot for child patrons in library settings. We describe the iterative cycles and process to develop a robot to assist with locating resources in libraries. Stakeholders, including child patrons and librarians, were consulted about their needs, preferences, and performance in locating library resources with robotic assistance. Their needs were analyzed and incorporated into the design of the library robot to provide comprehensive support. The results of the study suggest that the library robot was effective as a mobile and humanoid service agent for providing motivation and knowledgeable guidance to help child patrons in the initially complicated sequence of locating resources.