For the past year, I've been visiting different LVCCLD branches. Before each visit, I take a look at the Google Map's satellite view of the branch. During the visit, I look at and take photos of both the exterior of the building and the interior of the library.
I'm interested in "wayfinding", or the path that people take when they walk up to and enter the library, and navigate through the library as they use library services. I do the same few things at each branch I visit. I'll look to see how easy it is to locate common services like returning a book, picking up a hold or checking out. I'll also try to locate particular collections like Large Print Non-Fiction or Science Fiction Paperbacks.
I'll have a lot to say about signage, and I'll also touch on crosswalks and bookdrops. Remember that signage isn't decoration -- it's solving a problem for a user of the library.
The short URL for this note is https://git.io/Jc9Lb
The license is CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Graeme Williams
Las Vegas, NV
carryonwilliams@gmail.com
github.com/lagbolt
Here's what Marcia Trotta, quoted here, said in 1993:
We need to face reality and realize that not everyone is comfortable within our traditional library boundaries. The buildings are imposing, the amounts of information are overwhelming, unfamiliar cultural manifestations are threatening.
And in 2020, referring to services to the Hispanic population of Rochester, NY, Angelica Perez-Delgado said:
People don’t have time to ask for help. They’re trying to survive day to day, so we need to be here. We need to make sure that resources are available, that we’re providing services in a way that [is] meaningful to them ...
Making wayfinding quick and easy is a way of making services more "available" and "meaningful" and less "imposing ... overwhelming ... threatening". After all, you can't use a service if you can't find it.
I'm going to show you photos from a few LVCCLD branches. I could do this in two ways: I could go branch by branch and show you all the photos from one branch before going onto the next, or I could group photos by type. I'm going to do the latter because I'm trying to convince you that LVCCLD has systematic problems with signage.
To avoid disrupting the branches I was visiting, and to avoid getting caught, I took all the photos with my cell phone and natural light. You'll have to forgive some photos where the images are not ideal. Remember that you're looking at what's in the photo rather than how good the photo is. Btw, you can see the images in full size by right-clicking on the image and selecting "Open image in new tab".
Finally, some of the aerial views have been rotated so that North is not up.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
If you have questions or comments, you can reach me at carryonwilliams@gmail.com.
I'm going to start outside the library, because people start outside the library. In fact, I'm going to start on the sidewalk, such as the nearest bus stop.
Here's an aerial view of the Windmill Branch:
There's not too much wrong here. You can see that there's a crosswalk across the entrance road, and once you're on the right (East) side of the entrance, there's are paths and crosswalks that will take you all the way to the front door.
Good!
On the other hand, here's the Sahara West branch:
Btw, you probably should open this image full size by right-clicking and opening in a new tab.
There are two entrance roads: one on the upper left (West) and one at the bottom (South), entering from West Sahara Avenue. Neither has a crosswalk.
If you're trying to enter the library from West Sahara Avenue, there's a sidewalk on the left, but it stops abruptly. And if you're coming from the right, you have to cross the entrance without a crosswalk. Imagine doing this in a wheelchair!
The other entrance also only has a sidewalk on one side, and it's far too steep for a wheelchair, or probably even a walker.
Once you're inside the library parking lot, there are no crosswalks at all, with the exception of one for cars with handicapped plates.
There's a small and silly problem with the Spring Valley Branch:
You can see the blue and white bus stop icon at the bottom of the image. There's no crosswalk from the bus stop to the front door of the library. That might be a problem if you're using a wheelchair or walker, or you're carrying groceries and a child.
Library buildings shouldn't be coy!
What is this building:
and this:
Architecture is all well and good, but some patrons will appreciate something identifying the library and the front entrance.
There are two general ADA guidelines that apply to bookdrops: you should be able to operate them with one hand, and the opening or handle should be within 48 inches of the ground.
Here are two bookdrops at the Sahara West branch with slightly different designs:
The one on the right can be operated with one hand -- the opening has a flap that you can push a book through -- but the opening is more than 48 inches above the roadway. The one on the left is within 48 inches of the roadway but can't be operated with one hand -- you need one hand to pull down on the handle and one to put the book in. Not good.
Also, it's not very pedestrian friendly to have to stand in the road to use a bookdrop, let along how it must feel using a walker or wheelchair.
None of the branches I visited had bookdrops that would satisfy these two guidelines (photos available on request). Also, at one branch, the bookdrop was labelled "BOOKS", which isn't very helpful if you want to return a DVD. Surely the correct label is "RETURNS".
And I find this sign infuriating:
It's infuriating because it leaves out the one piece of information that would be useful to someone returning materials: if you're looking at the sign, the bookdrop is behind you.
What is the first thing you see when you go through the library doors? Let's take a look!
Let me freely admit that this photo of the entrance to the West Charleston branch is a bit misleading because of the light coming from the other entrance:
Looking straight ahead into the library, the signage is a bit of a mess. BUT ... on the right you can clearly see signs for HOLDS and RETURNS. So someone who wasn't familiar with this branch could come in and complete these tasks -- returning materials or picking up a hold -- easily and efficiently.
On the other hand, not to let this branch off the hook completely, the checkout stations out of frame to the left are, I believe, unlabelled.
Here's the front entrance to the Rainbow branch:
It would be pointless to explain every single thing that's wrong here, since this can't possibly meet any professional librarian's expectations.
Let me point out two simple errors: there are return slots both to the right AND left (perhaps to be used under different circumstances?); and presumably story time happens every Wednesday at 10:30 AND 11:45, not 10:30 OR 11:45.
I have more examples! The point is that the front entrance is the first impression that people will have of your library. It's not just that it should reflect your values for organization and design, but it also helps to determine whether someone's reaction is "This looks easy and fun" or "This looks disorganized and hard to use".
My local branch is Sahara West, so I have a couple of examples from there.
Here's an endcap in the Holds area:
One problem is that there is no Circulation Desk. I presume there was a Circulation Desk when the sign was put up, but no longer. Also, who says "exiting the library"?
Here's a sign on the stairs:
There is nothing upstairs labelled "Youth Services", although I suppose that might be the internal name of a staff group. Also, if you find yourself attaching one paper sign to another, you probably should just start over.
Finding where in the library a particular "collection" is found can be hard because collections can have a complicated structure. Just considering large print books, a branch might separately shelve LP fiction, LP non-fiction, new LP fiction and new LP non-fiction. In addition, fiction is probably shelved by author's name but non-fiction by classification number.
Which is how we get this sign at the Centennial Branch:
Please excuse the glare in the photo. This sign is pretty good. You could, I suppose, argue about the layout, but it conveys the essential information clearly enough.
On the other hand, here's the West Charleston Branch Large Print section:
What the heck is going on here? The two signs are trying to explain several different things:
- one side of the first shelf has Young Adult books, which are arranged alphabetically by author
- the other side of the first shelf has Large Print Non-fiction books, which are arranged by classification number -- not alphabetically -- and further divided into new LP Non-fiction and the remaining LP Non-fiction
- LP Non-fiction continues onto the first side of the second shelf (I think!)
- LP Fiction starts on the second side of the second shelf (I think!). It's arranged alphabetically by author and contains 'A' and 'B'
Unlike some of the other situations, this feels like you need a graphic designer. You might be better off with four signs, not two, but that's something a professional could work out.
This:
There are no audio books on the shelf labelled "Audio Books". The Large Print section has expanded onto this shelf and pushed the audio books to the right.
The plain paper signs are correct. The first shelf contains Large Print Fiction, and the second shelf contains Large Print Non-Fiction and Audio Books.
The problem is that when the shelving was changed, no one moved the large blue "Audio Books" sign to the new location of the audio books.
I think that part of the reason is that the staff of a public library have been working there for years and know where everything is. Where do you put the sign for biographies? Well, you put it where the biographies are shelved. Now, how do you find the biographies? You find the sign ... ?
This kind of problem isn't unique to public libraries, of course. The Target web site helpfully tells you which aisle a product is on, but it doesn't tell you how to find the aisle. Presumably if Legos are on aisle A4, I'll know I've found aisle A4 when I see Legos?
The examples I've given aren't hard or expensive to fix; you just need to notice them.
I don't think you can solve this problem by trying harder, because I guess that signage has become invisible to the staff in each branch. Contrariwise, I believe LVCCLD has the expertise to make progress on wayfinding without waiting for a consultant.
What's needed is to see each branch through the eyes of a new patron -- someone who is unfamiliar with the branch. But surely the staff at one branch -- at least some of the staff -- will be unfamiliar with a second branch. And some of the staff at the second branch will be unfamiliar with a third branch, and so on.
This isn't a problem that can be addressed and then ignored. Practically, signage has to be reviewed every time shelving changes. Even a small change in shelving can cause a ripple effect in signage.
So this is a maintenance problem -- one you need to devote regular time and money to. It's a lot like the oil in your car's engine. You change the oil regularly (I hope!) even if there's no indication that something is wrong. But you'd also look at it if the oil light came on, or you found a puddle of oil on the garage floor.
It's not unreasonable to review each branch for wayfinding problems once or twice a year. As I mentioned in the beginning of this note, I look for basic services like returns and checking out, as well as parts of the collection like Science Fiction Paperbacks.
And if you see a smaller "explanatory" sign added to a larger sign, that's a sign (sorry) that there's a problem.
Something else you can look at are the kinds of questions that patrons ask at your help desk. If you're getting a lot of questions about where things are, well, that's your oil light turning on.
If you'd benefit from seeing how someone else has approached this problem, I recommend Edward Luca and Bhuva Narayan's Signage by Design, which includes a useful collection of before and after pictures.