Wayfinding in Libraries

 

Libraries represent one of the oldest, most traditional building types and consequently one of the most well-ingrained wayfinding systems in use today. Everyone has visited a library, looked for a book, used a card catalog, talked to a librarian, used a study carrel, or placed a book on reserve. In other words, everyone knows the drill, how things operate, and to some degree how the place is organized. Ironically, it is for these very reasons that the modern library presents so many challenges to good wayfinding.

 

 

Welcome to the Information Age

Libraries have always been regarded as a "center for learning" or at least a "repository for information". From the smallest branch library to the largest university library, this idea of scholarship, custodial trust of materials, and repository have been constant. We all recognize that kind of library. But in recent times, the role of the library has expanded to one of educator, facilitator, community platform, and on-ramp to the "information superhighway". The idea that the information in the library may not always "reside" here as much as "link" to this place gives rise to a whole series of organizational and operational paradigms which are new, unusual, and exciting. Libraries now stress "access" over "storage" in a way that has only begun to be understood globally.

 

How Things Are Organized

In order to successfully navigate a modern library, one must understand not only what is available within the walls, but also what links to the outside world are possible, via real-time connections to the internet, direct connection to other computers in the library system, or the more traditional daily newspaper. The user must also understand the new form information has taken in the modern library; special media, such as CD-roms, have replaced hard-copy and microfilm in many cases. We used to find old newspapers in a series of shelves organized by name and date; now we use a computer to read a CD-rom containing thousands of pages of many newspapers. The old card catalog has been replaced with the computerized catalog, and that computer itself might contain a list of resources (books listed by title or author) or the actual information itself. This shift in storage methods is a constant source of confusion for the oldest library users and a source of efficiency and speed for the newer users and the librarians. Here is a brief partial list of the various parts and functions of a modern library, seen from the standpoint of the public:

 

 

1. Community Spaces

Meeting Rooms

Story Rooms

Special Exhibit Spaces

Auditoria, Stages, Lecture Spaces

2. Public Services

Restrooms, Lounges, Telephones

Parking, Special Access Ramps, Elevators

Study Carrels

Copiers

Vending Machines, ATM

3. Staffed Library Functions

Check-out Desk

Book Return

Reference Desk

Head Librarian

Technology Specialist

Library Pages & Runners

Volunteers, Docents

4. Typical Subdivisions of Information by Category or Media

Fiction (Adult, Juvenile, Young Reader, New Reader, Picture books)

Non-fiction (Adult, Juvenile, Young Reader)

Video (Entertainment, Educational)

Sound Recordings (Books on audio tape, Music)

Newspapers, & Magazines

Pamphlets, Tracts

Vertical File (clippings)

Maps & Atlases

Special Topics (Environment, Super fund, Taxation, Government)

Microfilm Readers

Microfiche Readers

 

 

A Hierarchy for Access

In order to provide clear and accurate wayfinding information in such a maze, the client and the designer must dialog thoroughly about was accesses are available to information, what media is available, what it is called, and where it is located. It is not possible to simply put up a few signs directing to the main parts of the collection; questions from the public are ultimately direction-oriented; WHERE to send them is almost always based on WHAT they are looking for, since the collection must be stored in diverse ways and places. ( A classic problem is often created when old issues of something are stored in one place and new issues are stored in another; suddenly that break-date is the key to wayfinding!) Good access means labeling all the parts of the library in a logical and consistent way, setting a hierarchy of large to small, being careful not to let the refined details overtake the umbrella topics in the visual presentation. A sign denoting "Magazines", for example, would likely be larger and more prominent than a sign listing the individual titles of the magazines. Above all, the designer must understand what the library has and how it plans to offer access. Rare books, stacks, reserve collections, hold titles, and some reference books all represent examples of access which must be controlled. This operational detail has a direct effect on how people interact with the books and therefore what they must be told in order to use them.

 

Have You Met Mr. Dewey?

Systems of organization are a key part of wayfinding in the library. The Dewey Decimal System should be explained in some form near the entrance to any area organized in this way. Similarly, the Library of Congress System must be explained if used. The fact that the Biography section uses author numbers may be obvious to librarians, but must also be explained to the patrons. Making the public self-sufficient is a step toward a more efficient use of staff.

 

Where Am I?

Directory maps showing the location of parts of the collection are very useful to orient patrons and allow them to search without assistance. Simple diagrams are best, showing only enough detail to allow patrons to navigate to the correct shelf unit or area. Inexpensive digital prints can be made and updated as changes are needed.

 

Make the Books Match the Computer

Be sure that all names for parts of the collection which are listed in the computer catalog match the ones commonly used on the signs; if the catalog calls it "Young Adult" and the signs call it "Juvenile", confusion will result.

 

Changes are Inevitable

Several types of signs used in libraries are best designed with their entire message contents on a removable paper insert, so the staff can keep them updated. Signs with clear windows and paper inserts are very useful for collections which are in constant motion from back of the house to front, such as novels, popular fiction, and easy reader paperbacks. Instructions on copiers, microfilm readers, computer terminals, and reference desks can be a helpful part of communicating with the patron about how the library works. Setting up a database of information which is changeable can make the updates easier. The graphic design challenge then becomes ones of designing formats for the various types of inserts so that all librarians can help the system conform to one design standard.

 

Typical Sign Types

Here is a brief list of typical sign types use in most libraries:

Main Identity Sign, @ Street

Hours of Operation, @ Street

Hours of Operation, @ Door

Bulletin Board Headers

Restroom Signs, Wall, Door, Projecting

Typical Room Signs

Major Collection Division Names, @ Walls & Pendant (Fiction, Biography, etc.)

Section Names, @ Shelf Ends (permanent or insert)

Shelf End Sign, Dewey Start & End (paper insert)

Shelf End Sign, Dewey List (paper insert)

Equipment Operational Signs, @ Equipment (paper insert)

Public Notices & Warnings, @ Wall & Tables (paper inserts)

Occupancy Signs

 

 

I hope you found this short paper useful. For more information, please feel free to contact me at kbd@olympus.net. Thanks!

(This article was reprinted with my permission in the PNLA Quarterly, Vol. 66, No. 4, Summer 2002.)