Finding their way: How public library users wayfind

•Library users' wayfinding behavior is generally inconsistent over time.•Wayfinders tend to use straighter and more direct segments, but many do not.•Wayfinding behavior depends on whether users are alone or with other people.•Users articulate use of Passini's wayfinding styles more than his strategies.•Struggling to wayfind does not translate into user recommendations for change.

A multi-method case study research design, guided by Passini's conceptual framework of wayfinding, was employed to investigate library user wayfinding behavior within the entry area of a medium-sized public library facility. The case study research design included document review of the library's wayfinding information system; unobtrusive observation of library user wayfinding behavior; intensive interviews with library users to discuss their views on wayfinding in the library; and an expert review with library staff and a library wayfinding and signage expert to validate research findings. Overall, the study found library users' wayfinding behavior to be generally inconsistent over time, but that there are users who stick to predominant segments (those segments used heavily to connect two particular nodes, or stops). Those segments tend to be the straightest or most direct segments connecting two given nodes. Also, users appear to employ Passini's wayfinding styles more often than his wayfinding strategies, but additional research is needed that delves more deeply into these cognitive processes.