How Many Public Computers in the Library?

Computer workstations have been an integral part of libraries of all types since the 1980s, but the optimal number of workstations that should be deployed in a space has not been directly studied in the last 20 years. During that time, laptop computer and other mobile device ownership has continued to increase, and there is some reason to think that behaviors and preferences first seen during the recent coronavirus 2019 pandemic have further shifted how students use public desktop computers in libraries. McGill University Libraries reduced the size of its computer fleet in the aftermath of the pandemic by looking at the maximum concurrent usage of different clusters of computers across campus, a metric that indicates how busy a space can get with users. This article explains how this metric is calculated and how other libraries can use it to make an evidence-based decision about the optimal size of a computer fleet.