Human-centered design involves rethinking spaces and practices at a fundamental level so that patron needs and passions are at the heart of decisions and designs (Peet, 2016). Likely, decision makers should be working with patrons actively while working through these designs or redesigns. Like many schools, our school promotes student-centered design at every level, so human-centered design fits right in. Though human-centered design seems intuitive and natural, our library (and I would guess many other libraries) was staff-oriented. Having fiction organized by author’s last name makes it easier to shelve the books, but is it easier to browse? Many such structures and practices make our work more efficient, but the question should be: do they make a patron’s experience better?
For each issue that requires a re-design or new project that needs to be planned, library staff members will likely need several hours per week for several weeks to invest in the planning stages (Peet, 2016). The process of re-thinking the organization’s practices from a new perspective is time-intensive for staff, but it seems that the results are well worth the trouble. My own library has been relatively traditional in the past; as we have begun rethinking our practices and services to reflect students’ needs and passions, as well as offering more opportunities for engagement, I have definitely seen quite a payoff in the form of more visitors and more joyous activity in our spaces. We still have a long way to go, and I look forward to seeing what our students are doing in five years.
Self-service options are one example of user-centered changes that have appeared in libraries across the country. We have a self-service option at my school library that has become a popular option in the last year. We do not offer anything like the “open library” situations mentioned in Jan Holmquist’s article, though I’m certainly intrigued by the idea (2016). In fact, if too many library staff members are out sick, we tend to run into an issue and have to close or ask someone from a different department to step in just to keep the space open for student use. After a quick Google search, I didn’t see any info about similar approaches in school libraries, though I would be very curious to know if other schools have attempted open library approaches. I can imagine that our administration would be concerned about student safety and behavior issues, as would I. But I would be curious to know whether other school libraries have experimented with radical trust in this way and what their experiences were.
“ Carnegie libraries exemplify what sociologist Ray Oldenburg calls a “third place”—neither work nor home, a universally accessible space where citizens are free to congregate and fraternize without feeling like loiterers.” (Agresta, 2014)
I love the concept of the “third space” described in Michael Agresta’s article, “What Will Become of the Library?” (2014). He essentially describes it as a place where you’re not a visitor, a place where you belong. In my school library, we have been developing more of a third space environment for our students, although I didn’t realize that’s what it was called. We’re open for three hours after the school day is over, and many kids hang out in our space during part or all of that time. We’ve easily tripled the number of students who hang out after school, and the kids seem highly engaged with us as a space. Some of our kids come to do homework, but many kids come to have fun and be with friends; those kids actually end up learning about manners, managing free time effectively, and being good community members. Though it can be work intensive for us, I’ve seen the kids develop their social skills and explore all kinds of activities that we put out.
“If the people want emerging technologies more than they want books, libraries have to respond to that, even if it means closing up shop and moving entirely online.” (Agresta, 2014)
As a teacher librarian, I need to think about the needs and passions of my students, in the same way that public librarians need to consider the needs and wants of their communities. I think there can be fears that books are going away, which probably speaks to a general fear about literacy or the state of the world. I hear people express concerns about kids only wanting technology and not appreciating analog experiences. I think our kids will have opportunities to use technologies we can’t even fathom, and we should prepare them for those opportunities. I also think the kids love analog experiences, including books!
“During the development of the DTL tool kit, CPL’s investigation into attracting teens resulted in a pop-up “Expression Lab” that incorporated both digital and analog media, from music-mixing stations to a manual typewriter and paints. During the pilot phase, the team was surprised to discover that digital media didn’t capture the teenagers’ attention as they’d imagined they would. Instead, the kids were fascinated by the typewriter and wanted to paint murals.” (Peet, 2016).
Libraries, especially school libraries, can be centers of immersive learning, which can include books and other resources. Books serve my kiddos well on their journeys to becoming literate adults, which is part of our mission as a school, and I know my readers do love to read physical books. Personally, I am not worried about books “going away,” at least not for now. And I’m definitely not worried about storytelling and information “going away”; people love them and use them too much. Access and formats will likely change, but I can’t imagine a world in which people don’t seek out good stories. I do wonder what kinds of story experiences or reading experiences might be around in, say, 100 or 500 years. Has anyone read about libraries of the future in science fiction novels? I would love to read about them, if anyone can suggest titles in the comments!
“Connections, relationships, and services—using technology but not driven by it—are the big themes that libraries are turning up as they look to their futures, and human-centered design may help uncover some answers.” (Peet, 2016)
Resources
Agresta, M. (2014, April 22). What Will Become of the Library? https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/04/the-future-of-the-library-how-theyll-evolve-for-the-digital-age.html
Holmquist, J. (2016, April 6). Open libraries: Self-service libraries – The Danish way. https://janholmquist.net/2016/04/06/open-libraries-self-service-libraries-the-danish-way/
Peet, L. (2016, September 13). The Future of futures: Designing the future. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/the-future-of-futures-designing-the-future
@emyer The Agresta quote about libraries going entire online struck me just now as I read your post. I don’t agree with that thought but maybe I am thinking too much about libraries as meeting and gathering spaces. What’s your thought own that one? Should it still be on the list?
Initially, it struck me as a terrible idea, to be frank! Most of that article seemed to be promoting libraries as places, so that quote really stuck out to me. But I think Agresta’s main point could have been that we need to keep user needs at the heart of decision making, however much we do or don’t like the possible outcomes (not that our physical places do not matter). It feels like a reminder not to be tied to any service because of personal feelings, but to keep our users always in mind. Ultimately, libraries as spaces serve many users needs, especially at my library. I loved reading Agresta’s thoughts about libraries as third places, which is something I haven’t read about before. I actually loved that article!
@emyer Thanks for your thoughts!