# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bitmoji is your own personal emoji. Create an expressive cartoon avatar, choose from a growing library of moods and stickers - featuring YOU! Put them into any text message, chat or status update.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The easiest way to create professional designs for free!
Choose from our ever changing library of free mockups, designs, videos and logos.

Drag and drop your designs to our mockups to create beautiful product shots!

Everything you need to brand your Twitch stream or YouTube channel is right here so you can start streaming today!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Make Mockups, Logos, Videos and Designs in Seconds

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited downloads on all our 120K templates! You can make a logo, video, mockup, flyer, business card and social media image in seconds right from your browser.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
2016 PR Xchange Award Winner

Eating in the library. Some libraries have an anything goes approach to it, while others try to manage it in different ways. At Georgia State University Library, the staff were noticing that the food-anywhere approach was not really working for them. As Kaydee Wilson explains, "a lack of a clear and consistent food and drink policy prompted many students to eat hot meals at the Library, typically while studying with friends or working at computer stations. This lead to several issues... including stained and unsightly furniture at computer stations and seating areas, pungent and distracting food odors, as well as crumbs and left-behind garbage".

In response, GSU Library took another look at their food policy and made some key changes, including banning food at the computer workstations. Since this policy involved taking away existing privileges, there was concern internally that there might be backlash from students. Wilson decided to use humour and design in the marketing to minimize a possible negative reaction, "...we chose to advertise the new policy using colorful signage with eye-catching graphics and messaging. The large, single-colored food images appeared unusual and out of place in comparison to our traditional signage, thus mirroring the messaging: that meals in the library are distracting and are best eaten elsewhere. "

These posters won in the category of Print Advocacy Materials, $10,000,000 - $15,000,000, at the 2016 PR Xchange Awards. View the full listing of award winners (PDF).

Creator: Katherine (Kaydee) Wilson
Institution: Georgia State University Library

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
In Brief: GSU Library Food Policy Signage * Ad/Lib

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
2016 PR Xchange Award WinnerThese bold, eye-catching posters were used to advertise changes to food policy in the library while minimizing backlash. "The large, single-colored food images appeared unusual and out of place in comparison to our traditional signage, thus mirroring the messaging: that meals in the library are distracting and are best eaten elsewhere."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Criticism is necessary when a library aims to evaluate and improve the experience it is providing its members. Before you can start making improvements, you have to know what needs to be improved. This, of course, is no excuse to be negative, mean, accusatory, or defeatist. Criticism can and should be done positively and with good intention. After all, more flies get caught with honey, right?

So, while criticism is important, it is also important to assess strengths. And it can be useful and inspirational to consider how specific touchpoints contribute to (or detract from) the user experience.

For example, many libraries have serious problems with their signage systems, so let's take a look at two examples of great signs in libraries.

Accentuate the positive

I'd like to start with an absolutely fantastic redesign. In preparation for a recent visit to work with the folks at the Iowa City Public Library (ICPL), I searched online and found an example of a sign that the library was using in the children's department. In stark block letters on orange paper, it read "PARENTS Please use only ONE toy at a time for play in the library. Always return items to the correct bag."

My plan was to use this sign as the basis for a conversation about the principles of graphic design, library branding, and the messages that library signs communicate. But, instead, upon my arrival at ICPL, I was met with a pleasant surprise. Approaching the library that cold Iowa morning, I peered into the children's department and noticed a sign on a table. The original sign had already been replaced, and the library had done an excellent job with the redesign and messaging for kids and parents: "Help the librarian! If you clean up toys, come to the Children's Desk for a special prize!"

The new sign does a lot of things right, but perhaps the most important thing is the change in attitude. The old sign was demanding, confrontational, curt, impersonal, and a bit desperate in tone.

The new message flips this completely; it is friendly, and it encourages collaboration between the library and its members. Instead of proactively reprimanding library users, it creates an opportunity for library members and their kids to be helpful. It provides an opportunity for connection. This is a much better tactic than attempting to regulate behavior by issuing orders.

The good things about this redesign don't stop with the improvement in attitude. The sign is now pleasant to look at, with centered white lettering on a black background, using an easy-to-read comic font, a simple train graphic, and ICPL branding. Overall, it presents a much more professional appearance. The old sign detracted from the look of the room it was in; the redesign enhances the space.

Eliminate the negative

Next up is a sign that I noticed at the central location of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. In simple, bold red lettering on a white background, it states, "Please enjoy your food and drink on the First Floor only." I like it for a number of reasons: it is plain but attractive, and it is highly legible. It is an attempt to regulate behavior, but it does so through emphasizing what can be done-eating and drinking in designated areas-rather than what shouldn't be done.

True, this particular sign is a relatively minor touchpoint among a plethora of things that impact the user experience. Yet every detail counts, and all of the individual bits add up quickly. That the library has considered the impact that this one sign has on people's perceptions of the library is a good indication that it is also considering the impact of more significant touchpoints, such as programming and services. Think about some ways that your library can enter into a virtuous cycle of sweating the details, both small and large.

While it might take some time to get up to speed with the basics of graphic design, improving signage is something of which every library is capable. Conduct an audit of your signage by creating a spreadsheet that tracks where signs are located, as well as assessing signs' visual appeal and attitude. Chances are, you'll find some notices to remove and some to improve. Remember, the signs in your library should embody the same positive, helpful attitude that many librarians work to demonstrate during face-to-face interactions. A solid sign of the times.

Aaron Schmidt ( librarian@gmail.com) is a principal at the library user experience consultancy Influx (influx.us). He is a 2005 LJ Mover & Shaker. He writes at walkingpaper.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Criticism is necessary when a library aims to evaluate and improve the experience it is providing its members. Before you can start making improvements, you have to know what needs to be improved. This, of course, is no excuse to be negative, mean, accusatory, or defeatist.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You've seen it before: the imperative sign dictating "Do Not Reshelve Books."

You've probably spotted it in your own library. Perhaps you've even made a sign of your own, frustrated by books put back incorrectly, or because you need to collect browsing statistics.

Have you ever seen a sign that explains what you should do with your browsed books?

Erin Bradford, a librarian from the State Library of North Carolina explains the usual "Do Not Reshelve" sign from the perspective of an expert user: "I thought, 'What's the harm? I know where they go and I know I'm putting them in the right spot, and I'm trying to help decrease their work by shelving them.'"

Library visitors don't understand the reason for the negative command, so they don't comply with it.

Using positive language helps encourage the library user behavior we do want to see. Instead of saying, "Don't reshelve books", encourage the alternative: and explain why: "Leave books on cart for counting and shelving."

Negative language results in library signs that users ignore, or worse, gather a bad impression of the library. Peter Alsberg, Director of the Örebro County Library, Sweden, curated a group of signs he calls passive-aggressive library unmarketing.

Check out the negative library language signs below for examples of what not to do. Afterward, check out The Desk Set on bad library signage, and consider conducting a signage audit in your library.

Five Negative Library Signs

5: Do Not Worry About This Here Video Camera
by trombonekenny on flickr.
The "No offense, but I'm about to say something offensive" of library signs.

4: Do Not Write on Other People

This university library has seen some dark days.

3: Do Not Move This. EVER.
by Sarah Altendorf
A library employee found these boxes 13 years later. How long will they remain?

2: Do Not Transform the Library into Concept Art
via twitter user katiersmith17
Do not yell "Roll Tide," but other phrases are OK.

Happily, this sign was actually conceptual art about negative signs. Whew.

1: Do Not Eat Our Materials
Original source unknown
We can only hope this sign was created solely for one individual problem user.

Now that you've seen these negative library signs, please do not create a sign starting with "Please Do Not" ever again.
Edited 12/29/14 to include Erin Bradford, author of the SLNC post.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Don't Do Signage Like This: 5 Negative Library Signs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You've seen it before: the imperative sign dictating "Do Not Reshelve Books." You've probably spotted it in your own library. Perhaps you've even made a sign of your own, frustrated by books put back incorrectly, or because you need to collect browsing statistics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find and save ideas about Library signage on Pinterest.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Nancy Howe and Wendy Wilsher on

At California's Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD), we have discovered that 48 percent of patrons prefer finding information themselves rather than asking staff members for help. This led us to examine our user experience of signage, particularly for computer use. We wanted to place signage in the exact place where patrons need help and ensure it was meaningful in guiding them in their independent use of the library.

Ours is a busy library system located in the heart of Silicon Valley, serving 415,000 people in nine cities and the unincorporated county via eight community libraries. We record an annual circulation of around ten million items and 17.5 million customer service transactions per year (at touch points across multiple channels).

We are committed to looking at our flow of the library as if we were the customers rather than taking our floor layout and signage for granted. Sometimes it helps to bring in the expertise and "fresh eyes" of new users or a consultant. Opportunities to improve the service experience, and at the same time the use of our resources, are right under our noses. The following is a case in point.

Too much information

An independent study of SCCLD's public computer technology, prepared in 2007 by Lori Bowen Ayre of the Galecia Group, identified specific deficiencies with regard to choices, layout, and signage. Computer stations employed different software and no one unified set of services. The study concluded that there was a dizzying array of options for customers, who usually have straightforward requests.

The study also found that the libraries had a great deal of visual clutter associated with the computers. Signs and labels were small. User information was often obscured from view or missed owing to competing placards. The visuals were trying to tell so much that the information was lost.

There is a significant cost for this confusion to the library's budget, not just to users' time. SCCLD has 507 computers for public use, with more than 600,000 user sessions annually. Inefficiencies in the customer experience with using public access computers were frequently noted by customers and staff. In our internal study of reference transactions, we estimated that over 215,000 computer- related questions were asked each year, which equated to an annual hidden cost exceeding $500,000 in staff time.

A significant number of questions were attributed to turmoil surrounding instructions on how to work with the computer services. Although we did not know the precise cost, we surmised from staff and customer feedback that it was significant.

Calling in the experts

As we delved further into understanding the public access computer signage deficits, staff realized there was more to improving the user experience than simply installing new signs. We knew we needed outside help but did not know where to turn. We began by conferring with architects and staff at libraries that had what we considered to be effective signage. We put together a scope of work and solicited proposals.

We selected a consultant with international experience in designing signage systems for public buildings and spaces such as train stations and academic campuses, as well as international standards for information systems for public beaches and coastlines. In a case of serendipity, librarian Gayathri Kanth, who served on the SCCLD review and design team, had visited one of those train stations as a solo traveler in Europe. She recalled the positive feeling of order and ease from the experience. This was what we wanted to create at our libraries.

Simplified and flexible

Working with the consultant, we developed a clear, concise, accurate, and attractive wayfinding and signage system for the public access computers. The family of signs guide customers from each library's point of entry to the computer sign-up stations. Signs inform customers of the services available and any problems with the system that day. They allow for quick identification of assigned and available machines and related services and provide simple instructions at the customer's fingertips. Icons enhance the written information.

Computer splash screens were developed to highlight what is available on a particular computer station. When we started the project, each terminal seemed to offer different services. We streamlined these offerings and now have a clearer range of services available across a limited number of computer categories, e.g., full service, catalog, express, teen, and children's. This lets us promote previously invisible online services such as tutoring sessions.

Every design decision came back to the question of what was best for the customer. The signs have a clean, professional look and convey a sense of efficiency, which inspires user confidence. The signage system was implemented across the district in 2011-12 to help customers feel comfortable and familiar with computers when visiting any library in the district.

The project also prompted the library to review and update terminology, some of which had been superseded in practice but not in posted notices.

Our custom signage system was designed so it could be updated at minimal cost and effort. Acrylic sign holders display printed sheets of information that can be replaced readily and inexpensively. Through two subsequent upgrades in hardware, the signage has proven to be easy to update across the hundreds of computers in the district.

Achieving independence

Customers now need less staff assistance to complete routine computer tasks, achieving the library's goal of providing a friendly and efficient independent service experience. Notes Kanth, "We have noticed the decrease in simple computer questions and the increase in self-sufficiency of routine tasks such as signing up for a wait list." Users now feel more confident in completing their tasks and have a happier time in the library. Meanwhile, customers also benefit from value-added staff assistance, while librarians are freed from answering routine questions to help more quickly where they are truly needed.

Meanwhile, the library plans to apply the kind of analysis used in this case to other situations. Now isn't that a valuable sign of the times?

Nancy Howe is County Librarian and Executive Director, Santa Clara County Library District, CA. Wendy Wilsher is a wayfinding consultant

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creating Clear and Simple Signage | Design4Impact

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At California's Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD), we have discovered that 48 percent of patrons prefer finding information themselves rather than asking staff members for help. This led us to examine our user experience of signage, particularly for computer use.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Interesting comments over on the LIBREF-L discussion list about what constitutes library 'jargon.' The librarian originating the discussion wanted to know a more "user friendly" term for periodicals, as the staff spends time defining it to users.

So what do you call it? Whether it be for library instruction, or signage, I try to avoid anything that may be too jargon-y. I prefer a simple "journals & magazines" label, or a separate "newspapers" label.

One of the respondents to the question made an important point: for academic libraries, it is necessary to separate journals from magazines and newspapers, as many professors will want students to use scholarly literature. Most students coming into college are already familiar with the terms magazine and newspaper-and they'll become all too familiar with the term journal soon enough!

However, the respondent felt that "periodicals" was the most appropriate label. It's a "catch all" term: Periodicals cover journals, magazines, AND newspapers. The respondent also made the point that students learn jargon in their discipline, so "one more won't kill them." Now that I tend to disagree with. An academic library can often be the most intimidating building on a college campus: difficulty navigating, unfamiliar organization of materials, overwhelming, unhelpful/unfriendly staff (a perception). Using user-friendly terms helps mitigate this.

Roy Tennant, on his Library Journal blog, posted a list of words librarians shouldn't say or use. The one that caught my eye was OPAC. Now I know our profession loves acronyms. But OPAC just has to go. It means nothing to our users. But what about terms that librarians hold dear to their hearts: databases? indexes? full-text? circulation?

A brief look at library websites shows many use the term databases. Some even use the term indexes (please ban this term, too, Roy!) I use the term database in library instruction, but always with an explanation that it's the place to go for articles. More user-friendly library websites use simpler language such as "Find Articles," or even "Find Books" for the library catalog. It's not "dumbing down"-it's about making access easier.

The term full-text is another one that bugs me. I know the term is often driven by the database vendors, but we need to speak up! Just changing full-text to "click for article" or something similar would help. Countless times at the Reference Desk (or is it Information Desk?) users come up wanting to know how to get the article when the full-text link is right there!

As for circulation, I'd put that in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" category. Most users have a sense of what this term is. But I'm not opposed to a simplified "check out" sign, either.

So, what library terms do you see as library "jargon" and what would you suggest instead?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Interesting comments over on the LIBREF-L discussion list about what constitutes library 'jargon.' The librarian originating the discussion wanted to know a more "user friendly" term for periodicals, as the staff spends time defining it to users. So what do you call it?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For those of us in academic libraries, it's that time of year again: Finals Week (or impending Finals Doom, depending on who you ask). All of our laptops are checked out, extension cords line the walkways, and students begin appearing more and more disheveled as the week progresses. Our patrons are less interested in research help (all those papers were due last week!) and more interested in the amount of coffee needed to power through an all-night study session.

One thing that often changes during this time of year are our hours of operation. Extended hours during finals week, fewer open hours immediately afterward-all of these changes require eye-catching, easy-to-scan signage. Here are a few great signage submissions advertising library hours.

Edita Sicken, Instruction and Access Services Librarian at Manchester University's Funderburg Library, used Canva to create the her library's changing hours signage.

Here's what Edita had to say about her hours signage:

I used Canva for all of these and none of them utilize any of their pay-per-use graphics. Some of the images used were our own, most of them are under creative commons licenses. I'm well-versed in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Publisher but Canva is really handy to use because of all the templates, filters, fonts, and graphic elements that are readily available. Plus there's a mobile version available so if I'm out at a conference with my iPad and realize I forgot to get a promo image out, I can throw one together really quick!

Sometimes our library's operating schedule can get a bit complicated, which means our signage often suffers from too much information all at once.

Jonas Lamb, Public Services Librarian at the University of Alaska-Southeast's Egan Library, recently revamped his library's hours signage using Photoshop. Here's the old version, which, as Jonas mentions, "often got over complicated with intersession and holiday exceptions."

You can see that the new versions follow a nice template with variations in color for different times of year. It's a great way to highlight changes in hours while still maintaining a steady look and feel.

Here's Jonas' talking about this new signage:

I'd reached my wit's end with library signage designed using Word, Publisher, PPT, etc and finally taught myself enough Photoshop to put something visually simple to refresh our existing signage. Around the same time we began using 4×6 acrylic table top-6 sided sign holders and an 80" digital display so I had an opportunity to re-use elements of the new design into a variety of sizes and layouts, subtracting text elements where appropriate.

What are your solutions to advertising modified hours of operation? Do you have other signage you'd like to share? Or better yet, signage you want to change but aren't sure how it can be improved? Let us know!

PDF and JPEG versions of Edita's Canva signs are available on the Librarian Design Share Google Drive, as are Jonas' original Photoshop files. As always, resuse designs responsibly!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For those of us in academic libraries, it's that time of year again: Finals Week (or impending Finals Doom, depending on who you ask). All of our laptops are checked out, extension cords line the walkways, and students begin appearing more and more disheveled as the week progresses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Infographic Maker Trusted By 11 Million Users - Piktochart

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With Piktochart AI, you can create stunning infographics, reports, presentations, and more in seconds. No design experience needed. Start for free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
easel.ly | create and share visual ideas using infographics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Easel.ly is a simple web tool that empowers anyone to create and share powerful visuals (infographics, posters)... no design experience needed! We provide the canvas, you provide the creativity.