Marylaine Block on Library Signs
Much has been made of the friendliness and appropriateness of library signs in recent months. Somewhat unexplainedly, it’s become a current hot topic in our profession. Michael Stephens got the ball rolling with dozens of signs he posted on his Tame the Web blog, and Michael Sauers (what’s up with the MS thing?) has a Flickr Pool for library signs. Marylaine Block wrote about library signage in her most recent edition of Ex Libris: "User Intelligible." She gives some good tips on how to get good signage: asking users what they wish they had known when they started using the library, seeing where, physically, users stop to look for help, keeping a list of the seemingly-dumb questions you get. Good suggestions!
Now, if we can all only convince our governing bodies that it is worth the thousands of dollars to create all the signs we need. And no, I don’t think it’s okay to have photocopied pieces of paper stapled to the walls for signage. Looking professional is also a key element to good signage, and for some ungodly reason, signs are very expensive. Much like setting up a wireless hotspot at a conference. No one really understands why it costs 10 times more than it does, but nevertheless it does.
September 18th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Reading this post and Marylaine’s article got me to thinking about how some issues and patterns of behavior are pretty much eternal. Aside from some obvious changes in technology, much of what y’all are talking about existed in 1980. For example, here’s an article written when I was only a pup: < http://www.jkup.net/graphics.html >
What’s more, although signs are now made through different (still expensive) processes, the basic principles of design have not changed a bit. All the more reason to pay attention to this! Thanks for posting about it.
September 19th, 2006 at 9:57 am
John, I love the following passage from your article:
The user needs to know what behavior is forbidden, permitted, or required in a particular area or situation. With careful planning, a library can often reduce the number of regulatory signs while at the same time clarifying their messages. The use of symbols, color, size, or placement to distinguish regulatory signs from other signs should be considered. Several regulatory messages are commonly required:
* Signs regarding smoking, food/beverages, noise, and security procedures.
* Signs showing fire exit routes, emergency procedures, meeting room capacities, or other information required by building codes.
* Copyright notices posted at copy machines.
What’s amazing to me is how many MORE regulatory signs libraries post. I think that’s where most people’s concerns lie right now–that we’ve taken it to an extreme. For example, this sign from Seattle PL that was plastered literally everywhere in the Library: http://flickr.com/photos/librarianinblack/246133224/ How many more rules can we post?