Wayfinding in Action
Patrons get to what they want fast at these four libraries
By Beth Dempsey -- Library Journal, 5/15/2006
Today, good library design is about serving a public who is increasingly greedy with its time and demands control over its own destiny. Library interiors must support intuitive navigation…a wayfinding system that delivers patrons with minimal effort and intervention to the materials they want.
We took a look at four libraries—either new or remodeled—and found that wayfinding happens at every level of design, from signage and beyond. Each provides lessons in breaking down the barriers that keep patrons from fully understanding and using the resources of their library.
Let the patron be the guide
The Toledo Public Library’s stunning remodel of the Maumee Branch children’s area demonstrates the foundation of good navigation systems: start with the customer. Library administrators consulted with kids before beginning the project and with their guidance patterned the area after a local children’s park.
In addition to providing a beautiful and kid-friendly theme, the park is an ideal navigational model. Consider the critical nature of wayfinding in parks: guiding tourists to destinations and preventing them from getting lost. Though less sophisticated than a national park, the Toledo branch project adopted fence post signs to identify the contents of aisles, leveraging a system children could translate from their park experience. Unusual sources of inspiration help define a unique community niche.
DESIGNING IN CLARITY The children’s area of the Toledo Public Library’s main branch before (top right) was cozy but confusing, a jumble of signs, posters, documents, and multiple desks, each replete with taped-on announcements and placards. This equals sensory overload The children’s area now (bottom right) is clutter-free and easy to understand. Navigational signs are consistent and posted park-style on the ends of aisles, creating a predictable pattern to follow. Even better, they are at eye level for little patrons, harkening to Toledo’s starting point for research: its users. Desks and walls are clear of notices and paper, so that patrons aren’t distracted by multiple messages |
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We love self-service
ingapore’s National Library Board is widely regarded for its innovative approach to library development and design. Self-service is fully integrated, and patrons find naviation seamless throughout the branches. Patrick Losinski, director of Ohio’s Columbus Public Library, recently returned from a study tour of Singapore libraries sponsored by the Urban Libraries Council and was struck by the clutter-free nature of that country’s wildly entrepreneurial libraries. “They successfully keep branches in tip-top shape. They’re not overcrowded with books. They use great graphics and signage, with no 'on site modifications’ by well-intentioned staff. They have a better 'bookstore feel’ than most U.S. libraries,” he says.
The neat, spare environment of Singapore’s libraries removes obstacles to understanding the system. Because patrons aren’t visually overloaded, they can spot and use the libraries’ navigation signs. And because sign design and placement follow a consistent pattern, it’s simple for users to intuit the system throughout the entire library. The disciplined approach to design encourages independent use of the library.
| SIMPLE SIGNAGE Singapore’s National Library Board (right) is widely regarded as the leader in self-service and patron independence. In this niche branch—designed specifically to serve the needs of 18- to 35-year-olds—navigation is simplified with a consistent pattern of shelving and signage. Every shelf is labeled so that patrons can quickly find what they want. Views are unobstructed by full walls, and signs are hung from the ceilings, so that, despite the vast collection, patrons can find what they’re looking for from any point in the library. |  |
San Jose Public Library, CA, similarly remodeled its branches to support both self-service and self-navigation. Chief among its goals was to banish confusion. Book cart fleets are behind closed doors, along with any other suggestion of a complicated library system. They’ve been replaced with expanses of face-out books, plus some simple signs that identify collections and point out paths to other areas. In any given branch, patrons can glance around and quickly spot materials, checkout areas, and coffee machines. San Jose uses the same navigational patterns in each branch for consistency.
One of Singapore’s more daring (and successful) experiments has been with niche branches that serve specific market segments. Such a focus allows the branches to simplify the breadth of the collections and has inspired emulation. “We often try to cram as many services as possible into a branch regardless of its size,” says Columbus’s Losinski. “When planning new libraries, targeted services are a viable option.”
A similar approach was employed by the Brookdale Branch of Minnesota’s Hennepin County Public Library (“Power Users,” LJ 12/05). Library administration trimmed the collection to serve a handful of the community’s high-interest areas and organized navigation around those topics.
Omaha is all about the one stop
When the Omaha Public Library remodeled its Washington Branch, it set a goal of improving service and retaining its lean staffing. In the end, the library moved to a model of single-point service, making the best use of its limited staff and reducing patron confusion. “We wanted to eliminate pushing patrons to different places and instead serve them from one point,” says Director Rivkah Sass. “Libraries have operated for too long in a mode that stresses convenience for us.”
The Washington Branch’s single service desk anchors the center of the building and is visible from every point in the library. In the branch’s previous design, a wall separated the library interiors from its main doors. In the remodel, the wall was removed, allowing the service desk to be seen from the exterior as well as from all points within the building. Other visual cues zone the service area. Flooring is tiled, while collection areas are carpeted.
THE ONE DESK SOLUTION Two service desks (top right) are visible in this photo of Omaha Public Library’s Washington Branch before its remodel. Neither is labeled, leaving patrons to guess at what could be accomplished at either one. The wall behind the long desk was removed to eliminate obstacles to viewing service options The remodel (bottom right) prompted the library to adopt a one-desk model, collapsing multiple service outlets into one. This service delivery model allows for more efficient staffing and keeps patrons from having to visit various desks to get their needs met. The desk is located at the center of the library, visible from any point. It respects what shopping guru Paco Underhill calls the entrance “transition zone”—where patrons are moving briskly, having built momentum from their walk from the parking lot. The desk is far enough away from the door not to interrupt that flow but is visible for patrons who want direction once they’re inside. Note the clutter-free doors—no posters or signs for upcoming events. Underhill stresses that placing signs on doors is wasted energy since patrons don’t spend enough time there to read them. Also, note the change in carpeting from one area to another—a clear cue (without visual clutter) to where the service area ends and the children’s collection begins. |
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After |
It’s not about remodeling
While new construction is often a peg on which new wayfinding systems are hung, lessons from each of these libraries can be put to work anytime to make wayfinding simpler for patrons. Remember: it’s all about the customer. Let patrons’ needs and interests guide collections, services, and wayfinding. Use their language, not library terminology. Organize for their convenience, not the staff’s.
Abolish clutter in all forms—especially paper. Work with signs to identify collections or point the way to areas and services and ban their use for everything else. Keep notices and announcements confined to a bulletin board. Establish a pattern. Keep signs consistent in appearance and placement.
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| MERCHANDISE WITHOUT CACOPHONY San Jose Public’s Seventrees Branch (before, above left) was a stunning example of “visual cacophony,” a prime navigation barrier. Patrons were bombarded by messages as announcements, navigation signs, posters, and handouts covered flat spaces. After its remodel (above right), Seventrees gets its patrons in front of the materials they want faster by using its wall space for face-out books rather than notices from the library |
| Author Information |
| Beth Dempsey (beth@bethdempsey.com) is principal of Dempsey Communications Group, a firm specializing in strategic communications for knowledge organizations |
