Observing Users: The Evolving Library

ALISON TISZA | OBSERVING USERS | FALL 2012

THE EVOLVING LIBRARYALISON TISZA | OBSERVING USERS | FALL 2012

2ALISON TISZA | OBSERVING USERS | FALL 2012

From the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire in 1872 rose the first Chicago Public Library.


To this day, the first thing that comes to mind when people think “library” is “books.”


However, only part of the library experience is about browsing and checking out books.


Some libraries, like the University of Chicago’s Mansueto, abstract books from the experience.


So what actually goes on at a Chicago Public Library?


It’s a place to discover and learn...


A place to focus...


And a place to be social.


Archana S. - Once a library power user, now a non user.


BEING SOCIAL, SEPARATELY“I’d go to the library because Mark was going, but as soon as we got there we would go our separate ways.”

The library is an activity that can be a completely separate, yet shared experience that is based on individual preferences. Because of the diverse offerings of the library, people can go together, such as parents and children or friends, and engage in separate activities, and regroup at the end.

“Quiet but social vibe...”

Other people at the library, all engaged in their own activities, produces a sense of shared purpose and can act as a motivator.


SOCIAL DISTRACTIONS“It makes the time go by a little more pleasantly. So I don’t feel like I’m just studying and that’s all I’m doing and I have no life.”

Distractions are also an important part of the library experience - from other people to artwork displayed on the walls to the books themselves. The environment must achieve a balance between promoting collaboration / sociality and solitary work.

“But then what I really want is like a cafe, right? With a library attached to it.”

A cafe offers comforts, in the way of being more open to different levels of sociality and the availability of food and drink. The library could improve itself by being more flexible in terms of allowing for different levels of socialization without infringing on any particular group’s desires.


SOCIAL AND SAFE“It’s too public maybe - like weird people in the library.”

Being social exposes you to others. In the case of sociality at the public library, one also wants to feel safe. The library must be arranged in such a way that patrons feel comfortable


Brendan S. - Once a library casual user, now a non user.


A PLACE FOR COLLABORATING“In the suburbs the library meeting rooms were good places to hold events.”

In an area where there are fewer offerings in the immediate area, the public library is an excellent resource. It provides an adequate space for groups to gather when few other options are available.

“There is no shortage of meeting spaces [in the city].”

While suburban library meeting rooms were excellent places to hold events, in the city the library is not the first place to come to mind. Other venues are far more conducive and offer more in the ways of facilities and food, etc. When other options are readily available, the library falls short.


ESTABLISHING SOCIAL CITIZENSHIP“When you move some place new, the first thing that you do is get a library card.”

The library card is a way for one to establish himself in a new community. Getting a library card is a declaration that one is part of the community and able to partake in its resources.

“It is called the public library for a reason - because there are people that need it and don’t have any other way to get it. ”

While Brendan doesn’t use the public library himself, he feels that it is an important fixture in the community. It is one way that the community as a whole can help provide for the less fortunate members. The physical structure itself is a reminder that we are part of a community.


The library offers events for all ages. It promotes itself as a social center to “gather with old friends and make new ones.”


What does this mean for the Chicago Public Library?


STRONG LIBRARIES BUILD STRONG COMMUNITIES

“We know that if a person has no information, he is living in isolation.”

A project co-funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that brought internet access to Latvia’s public libraries and demonstrated that strong libraries build strong communities. The United States Courts also believe that a main focus of the library is knowledge management.

“They’re important for creating understanding across different cultures and pulling elements of the community into the space.”

In 2011 New York Public Library saw record high numbers, with 18 million visitors and 24 million items circulated.


LIBRARIES AND DIGITAL YOUTH

“More than one-half of all teens have created media content, and roughly one third of teens who use the Internet have shared content they produced. In many cases, these teens are actively involved in what we are calling participatory cultures.”

Libraries, by providing a space, help young people develop the skills they need to become full participants in society.


THE LIBRARY MUST EVOLVE

Research suggests that a successful 21st century library creates an inviting space by:

• Fostering social learning through modular set ups and media:scapes• Optimizing the performance of informal spaces• Planning for adjacencies• Providing for individual comfort, concentration, and security


Think of itself as and model itself after collaborative workspaces, like State Farm’s Next Door.


WE ALL NEED A SPACE TO

“Hang out, mess around, and geek out.”


PROBLEMI am interested in the Chicago Public Library because I want to understand its fundamental purpose, role in the community, and what benefits it can continue to offer if physical books are removed from the equation.


GOALS• Understand the purpose of a library and the role it plays in the community

• Understand how user needs have transformed the library space


METHODS• Observation of the physical space• Observation of library patrons• Interviews• Review floor plans and offerings of libraries (cafe, collaborative spaces, individual study spaces, etc)• Review research that has already been done on library physical spaces.


PEOPLE• Casual patron - visits the library infrequently• Power patron - visits the library on a regular basis • Non library user


THEMES• Flexible Noise Spectrum• Convenient Comfort• Activity Diversity


FLEXIBLE NOISE SPECTRUM

The volume requirements of a group using the library vary by size and activity.

OBSERVATIONS

• Children’s section is open and adjacent to the adult section

• Parents hushing children collaborating on homework

• Mentoring sessions and study groups speaking in whispers

• Staff speaking loudly

• Community meeting rooms have closed doors

IMPLICATIONS

• Discourages solitary work and reading

• Restricts children and the learning process

• Restricts collaborative activity

• Staff appear inconsiderate and unhelpful

• Finding a space to work / meet where noise is permitted is a formal and perhaps prohibitive process


CONVENIENT COMFORT

Spatial and connectedness requirements vary by activity.

OBSERVATIONS

• Only one “comfortable chair” in an awkward, center of the room position

• Free WiFi and ample plugs, but most tables are taken up by library computers

• Tables are small and place people close together

• Children’s section furniture is appropriately sized

IMPLICATIONS

• Readers are discouraged from browsing and staying to read

• Sends mixed messages to patrons about bringing their own computer to the library

• Discourages sharing of tables with strangers

• Restricts the use of the space when needed for other “adult sized” activities


ACTIVITY DIVERSITY

All patrons want to feel welcome and safe while using the library.

OBSERVATIONS

• The furniture in the library is not “comfortable” and is all in plain view - no chairs in the stacks• Chicago Public Library cards have no expiration date • LIbrary staff is loud and not friendly

• People loitering outside

IMPLICATIONS

• Discourages homeless from using the library as shelter• Does not restrict the use of the library to current tax paying citizens• Does not promote a sense of wanting to be at and engage with the library• Gives a sense of unpredictability and danger


SOLONeeds a quiet space with a convenient and comfortable set up.

• Studier • Public space worker• Reader• Researcher

FRAMEWORK

SOCIAL

FOCU

SED

DISCO

VERY

Needs a flexible space to be able to move around and also have a comfortable set up. Less sensitive to ambient noise.

• Kid’s “Discovery Packs” • Featured book selections• Book browser• Web surfer

Needs a large, flexible/modular space to be able to accommodate different activities. Also needs to be separate or with doors to allow for noise.

• Kids events - storytime, game night, book club, art classes, etc• Adult events - classes, book club, author readings• Meetups - knitting clubs, etc

Needs a convenient and comfortable set up that promotes collaboration. The space must also be accommodating of low levels of noise from people interacting.

• Mentor sessions• Private / small group events


PHOTOGRAPHS

Page 1 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/froboy/3964585867/lightbox/

Page 2 - http://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/drawing-chicago-chicagos-first-library-lasalle-and-adams-1875-ten-thousand-books-were-sent-from-england-after-the-great-fire-of-1871.jpg

Page 3 - http://astro.temple.edu/~tuc32825/library_stacks.jpg

Page 4 - http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zVhQ_TkPxpE/TePhM399ZCI/AAAAAAAAAEw/0fGJaJIv_Kw/s1600/085.JPG

Page 5 - http://www.readnaturally.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/stack-of-books1.jpg

Page 17 - http://triblocal.com/west-chicago/files/cache/2012/05/Needle-Felting-001.jpg/460_345_resize.jpg http://triblocal.com/west-chicago/files/cache/2011/06/LEGO-Mania-2009-2.jpg/460_345_resize.jpg

SECONDARY SOURCES

Page 5 - UofC’s futuristic new Mansueto Library is definitely one for the books (http://www.wbez.org/blog/lee-bey/2011-05-20/uofcs-futuristic-new-mansueto-library-definitely-one-books-86794)

Page 19 - Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Libraries (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/libraries/Pages/default.aspx) Shareable - More Than Books: Libraries Strengthen Communities in Uncertain Times (http://www.shareable.net/blog/Libraries-Strengthen-Communities-in-Uncertain-Times) United States Courts - The Evolving Library (http://www.uscourts.gov/News/TheThirdBranch/10-05-24/The_Evolving_Library.aspx)

Page 20, 23 - Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project (http://www.macfound.org/press/publications/living-and-learning-with-new-media-summary-of-findings-from-the-digital-youth-project/) White Paper: Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century (http://www.macfound.org/press/publications/white-paper-confronting-the-challenges-of-participatory-culture-media-education-for-the-21st-century-by-henry-jenkins/)

Page 21 - American Libraries - The Evolving Library: Supporting New Teaching, Learning Styles (http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/04112011/evolving-library-redesign-supports-new-teaching-learning-styles) Steelcase 360 Research - Making Noise in the Library (http://360.steelcase.com/articles/making-noise-in-the-library/)

Page 22 - State Farm Next Door (https://www.nextdoorchi.com/)

Documents

Observing Users: The Evolving Library