Core Library Facilities and Interiors Interest Group

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last person joined: 28 days ago 

✉ Send an email to ALA-CoreLibraryFacilitiesAndInteriors@ConnectedCommunity.org to start a discussion or share a file.

About this Group

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Purpose: Studies, evaluates, and recommends in matters relating to library furniture, equipment, and building planning for all types of libraries.

Related Groups

This interest group is part of Core's Buildings and Operations Section.

Portraits of three Core members with caption Become a Member: Find Your Home: Core.

 

  • 1.  Wayfinding

    Posted Jan 22, 2021 09:23 PM
      My apologies if I sound a little lost, but is this the right IG for a discussion about wayfinding?

    I'm interested in a handful of related issues (in existing buildings):

    * How do you evaluate how good your signage is?

    Library staff are in a building every day, and so know where everything is.  How do you empty your mind so you can see your layout / signage through the eyes of someone who is entering the library for the first time?

    * How do you determine level of detail?

    If, for example, you have short stories or biographies shelved separately, how do you determine which signs need these sections to be specifically called out?

    * How do you keep terminology up to date?

    If you change the name of the checkout desk to, say, customer service, what are the odds that you'll find every place on signs -- or the website -- where the old term needs to be changed to the new term?

    Graeme Williams
    Las Vegas, NV



  • 2.  RE: Wayfinding

    Posted Jan 27, 2021 08:03 PM
    Mr Williams,
    Color, type size, and placement key to good signage. Also, easy to go overboard and have too much. Yellow is very good color for the lettering that goes onto the sign. Blue is a relaxing color. 

    Re parts of the collection to sign? Let your circ data make that decision meaning sign the more popular. 

    Also, placement, meaning height, is important. Since most adults will range between 5'4" & 6' a sign should be in that range. If you use say 5'8" then the midpoint of the sign should be at that height. 

    Dick Waters
    (401) 556-2398