News & Views, July 2009 (mp3 file; 4.29 MB; 4:34 min.)
Wayfinding in the Library; Volunteerism and Libaries

As I was looking for examples of Pecha Kucha presentations for an upcoming class I ran across a video pecha kucha about emotionally intelligent signs. (The video is less than 5 minutes long, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch it--the link is on the blog.) I like what it has to say about creating signs that demonstrate an understanding of people and how they think and act. Think about reactions to the wording on signs. What would YOU like to see on a sign?

And that led me to think, again, about signage in libraries. I think we often craft signs that are OUR response to an issue or situation, as a sort of emotional reaction--OUR emotions about it all. That doesn't necessarily make for a sign that is emotionally intelligent from the user's point of view. Think about the signs in your front window, or on your front door. Take a little poll. How many times does "no" appear on the signs? Is there a welcome-we're-glad-you're-here sign? (It is THEIR library, after all!) Take a tour of the library and look at all your signs. Imagine a library in which 'No" doesn't appear on any signs. Maybe that's not possible, but can you eliminate as many "nos" in the signs as possible? Sure, you need to have some guidelines for acceptable behaviors, but can you phrase them in something other than a sign that is a list of "no"?

Every library I talk to tells me that usage is much higher these days. That means your regular patrons are coming in more often but it also means that you're seeing some people that you haven't seen very often, or at all. It might be useful to have someone who doesn't regularly use the library to take a tour, and try to accomplish some common tasks: find a book in the catalog, locate it on the shelf, know where to return a book, where should she ask a reference question, where's the bathroom?

Are the signs attractive? They're easy to create and print on computer, so there's no need for hand-lettered signs.

Friendly, helpful signage goes a long way toward making the library a place that feels welcoming and comfortable. You have just a few seconds to make a good first impression. What impression does your front door make on your users, old and new?

Links from Today's Podcast:
Emotionally Intelligent Signs, Daniel Pink
SWILSA Holidays and Events webpage
Serve.gov
United We Serve (ALA)