Joe J. Marquez - Library Service Design: A LITA Guide to Holistic Assessment, Insight, and Improvement

Library Service Design

1. Digitizing Flat Media: Principles and Practices

2. The Librarians Introduction to Programming Languages

3. Library Service Design: A LITA Guide to Holistic Assessment, Insight, and Improvement

A LITA Guide to Holistic Assessment,
Insight, and Improvement

Joe J. Marquez and Annie Downey

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN 978-1-4422-6383-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4422-6384-0 (pbk : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4422-6385-7 (ebook)

TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

For Korey, Beni, and Theo

For Maggie Anne, Livvie, and Sophie

Figure 1.1. The library as a tightly coupled system.

Figure 2.1. A student using a library table as a service to complete a homework assignment.

Figure 2.2. Life does not come with a progress bar. Providing a feedback mechanism where possible will help the patron know how long they have to wait.

Figure 2.3. Two young library patrons using a table to suit their needs.

Figure 3.1. A research team librarian works with a member of the UWG to help visualize research behavior.

Figure 4.1. An ecology map.

Figure 4.2. Persona of the undergraduate student.

Figure 4.3. Customer journey map divided by region.

Figure 4.4. Customer journey map detailing the users journey to check out a book.

Figure 4.5. Customer journey map highlighting pinch and decision points.

Figure 4.6. User journal entry.

Figure 4.7. User journal entry with synthesis comments.

Figure 4.8. A scenario depicts a scene from the library.

Figure 4.9. Wardrobe box before prototyping.

Figure 4.10. Wardrobe box being used as a prototype for the reference desk.

Figure 4.11. The space before using a low-tech hologram.

Figure 4.12. The space when viewed using a low-tech hologram, demonstrating the presence of a new service point.

Figure 4.13. The graffiti wall being used to solicit feedback on a homepage redesign.

Figure 4.14. Blueprint of the steps required for a user to check out a book.

Figure 5.1. A user sitting at a table using a laptop with the laptop plugged in.

Figure 5.2. A user sitting at a table using a laptop with the power cord draped through stacks to reach an outlet.

Figure 5.3. A user adapting a flat surface to make a standing desk.

Figure 5.4. A user adapting a slanted surface to make a standing desk.

Figure 5.5. Predicting the future is hard. Here we see a former media desk shuttered due to an unforeseen change in how patrons consume media.

Library Service Design: A LITA Guide to Holistic Assessment, Insight, and Improvement covers all things service design in libraries. The purpose is to introduce and educate readers about the service design methodology and tools. The genesis of this book was our Library User Experience (LUX) team being asked to look at redesigning our library website. This quickly grew to include looking at our physical touchpoints and eventually to understanding how space was being used throughout the library. At that point, we needed a design methodology that could see beyond a single touchpoint. We discovered service design through the process of looking for a method to evaluate the library holistically. After seeing how well it worked in our environment and how useful service design was for assessing and refining library services, we decided it was too good not to share.

Until now, libraries have not had a reliable and holistic method for assessing services and resources. Attend any conference and you will see a hodgepodge of methods and how they have worked for specific environments. In recent years, we have seen the introduction of usability studies, anthropological methods, and a focus on qualitative methods for better understanding our users. Words like ethnography and user experience have entered the librarians lexicon. There are now entire tracks at conferences dedicated to the usability of library websites and catalog interfaces. But the users experience is more than just a single interaction with an interface. If you believe this, as we do, Library Service Design is for you.

This is not a cookbook of recipes. It does not prescribe how to conduct a service design research project. The good thing is that there is no one way. The bad thing is that there is no one way. We have organized the content into sections that can be read from cover to cover, or as needed. Piece things together. Mix and match. Combine tools and processes with other methodologies. Do your best and what works for your library and team.

This book was written by librarians for librarians and library staff to rethink how we currently view library services. At the time of this writing, service design and methods related to design thinking are not unfamiliar in the private sector, but are only now getting much needed press time among librarians and in library literature and media. Librarianship, at its heart, is about service delivery. What better way to rethink our services than through an evidence-based design methodology.