Some Libraries still have got it wrong….
I went into my local library over the weekend and I was disappointed that they had got it wrong.
They had the self service check out where you could scan your book and swipe your card, but they still had it wrong.
They had a nice performance area with several levels of seats, but there was no one there.
They had a wide selection of fiction works, media to take out and magazines. They had an extensive array of reference materials and even some computers, but they still had it wrong.
They had staff who were experience and knowledgable. They had a long and wide service desk and this was part of the problem.
I walked into the library, rummaged around, found a book and left all with out ever talking to the librarians. This was where it went wrong.
The librarians with all of their accumulated wisdom, extensive experience, passion for books and understanding of system, stayed behind there thick, wide desk. They were the end point of the process if I had to withdraw a book or item that required a charge or required some degree of intervention. Other than that I was on my own.
Why is it that the experts with the passion for books are the last point of call? why are they the end of the process? Why are they only relevant if I need help or if I need to pay?
Surely in the modern library, the librarians are the starting point of the journey.
Wouldn’t it be great if they can out from behind their fortified issues desk and became relevant to me as I tried to find the object of my curiosity rather than as the cashier? I struggle too in the days of self check out, where you can demagnetize the book yourself, issue it at a compact workstation where you can perform the cataloging functions as to why they need a huge desk that keeps them separate from the customers?
Why are libraries, even ones built in the last few years, still designed with the librarians as the end point. Where the apparent role of the librarian is to protect the book stock or to issue the book.
Walk into your own library. Does a librarian come and greet you and ask how they can help? Do they share the accumulated wisdom and scholarship they have? Do they exude the passion and love they have for reading? Or do you have my experience and never encounter a librarian at all?
And what will happen soon when eBooks are much much more common.
15 Comments Already
April 13, 2012 at 9:27 am Permalink
I appreciate your observations as a user of this library Andrew. I work in a school library with a fishbowl staff work area and am ever conscious of the glass barrier. My fellow teacher librarian and I work out amongst the students as much as possible and regularly become involved in conversations that would otherwise not occur. It may be a passing comment or a lengthy discussion, the point you make is that the library staff are there and available for the interaction – or not, as the case may be.
The barriers created by large circulation desks are being considered by many library designers, as are numerous other elements, however, that redesign is less effective than it could be if library personnel are not visible and accessible. As we redesign our work practices and take advantage of the portability provided by technology, there are a multitude of opportunities for the staff of all libraries to be a physical presence within the public space for consultation, conversation and simple welcoming. Thank you for providing this perspective.
April 14, 2012 at 10:55 am Permalink
Hi Camilla
Thanks for the comment. Librarians are passionate people with huge skills and enthusiasm for the most part. However, they are often not seen or heard, and its such a waste. They are in the case of many libraries the end of the process, rather than being the start, middle and culmination. You don’t need a librarian to issue a book, you need a librarian to guide, prompt, direct and select, but not to issue.
I agree with you that library design is only as good as the staff. Libraries, like education have to change. The paradigm has to shift. Libraries can no longer be about books alone when we see the drastic increases in ebooks and online magazines – if you look up on itunes for magazines for the iPad there are over 4000. Libraries must be place where all the medias come together, be they electronic or paper based. Librarians to must shift to become more pro active, to be more engaging and to be the brilliant resource they can be.
I suspect that this is what we would call in climbing the crux of the climb – this is the hardest most trying part. If you get past this point the climb may still be hard and challenging but the hardest part – making that paradigm shift – is done.
May 12, 2012 at 4:10 am Permalink
Hi Andrew,
I totally agree that for library users to get the most out of a library we need more interaction with the librarians. Don’t know if you’ve seen it but here’s a really interesting post by Seth Godin on the future of the library:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/05/the-future-of-the-library.html
Cheers
Seb
May 17, 2012 at 10:16 am Permalink
I am a librarian at a small campus that is part of a for-profit university. My library is at the far end of the campus. It is a small, cramped space and my office is just off of the library area. Students don’t want to cross the threshold of my office and I hate it. I would rather be out in the middle of everything but alas, when they were planning out the campus layout they designed it so that the librarian would be off in the corner!
I go out and mingle as much as possible, but the geography of the place is so unfriendly that I have ended up being an under utilized resource on campus
May 18, 2012 at 1:38 am Permalink
Excellent observation. This is exactly why we advocate the use of technology to “free up” the human librarians to do what they are best at – interacting with visitors, sharing their knowledge and wisdom and changing the perception of libraries. Without the use of technology, the shear volume of “processing work” that they must do will forever keep them behind the circ-desk.
Oleg Boyarsky
http://www.LATcorp.com
May 19, 2012 at 6:11 am Permalink
You know why people ask cashiers where to find things in stores like Home Depot? Because they are in a predictable location.
When we abandon our ‘fortified desks,’ where will you find us?
You enter the library and a librarian asks you if you need help finding something. No, you say, because you don’t yet realize that you will need help.
You spend a little time browsing, searching the catalog, and realize that a librarian could probably help you find what you need faster.
You look around. Hmm. You go back to the front door, because that is where you saw a librarian before.
Unfortunately, someone has just walked in and answered that yes, they do need help with their research. Librarian is walking away with them to see if there is a public computer somewhere where they can develop search strategies.
You walk around looking for someone else who might look like a librarian. (Maybe they are wearing ‘May I help you vests?)
You see one at the end of an aisle and hurry down, but she rounds the corner and is gone.
You wander back to where the first one was helping another customer. You wait a respectable distance away. Finally, it looks like they are done! The patron thanks the librarian and they start walking off in different directions. Here’s your chance! You walk over, but someone beats you to it! Where did he come from?! Now they are walking off to a totally different part of the building!
How frustrating!
You go home and write up a blog post about how libraries have got it wrong.
May 20, 2012 at 2:29 am Permalink
An interesting experiment, but I think more than anything it shows the flexibility of the library to allow you your own independence (if you choose that, for convenience or privacy or any reason) or to enjoy the assitence of a passionate librarian. I really don’t see how a desk is equivalent to the person behind it being an endpoint, or irrelevant. All you’ve illustrated is that if you want to, the system has made it POSSIBLE to use the library independently – and some people may like that for certain things. But by no means are librarians excluding themselves from the process because they happen to be at a desk. (I’m not a librarian, by the way – but rationally, I don’t agree). When you walk into any office or large building for housing public records, or company building or whatever, there is a person BEHIND A DESK who is there if you need assistance or want direction – and yes – they may even greet you! Walk into any guidance councilor’s office or police station – uh oh, a desk! Do you dare? Please. It’s a work space, a functional space, and public professionals are there and happy to help anytime. Call to mind telemarketers and door-to-door salespeople eager to illuminate their company’s duct-cleaning greatness; it’s intrusive and bothersome. I’m not saying that librarians shouldn’t ever rove or ask if anyone needs help, but rather that it’s nice to have a service available in a main, recognizable location (a store, a hotline, a desk) so that it’s accessible without having anything pushed on you, even politely and with all of the best intentions.
I find it aggravating when I walk into a shop and someone is on my tail, wanting to know what my price range is, if I need a size or colour or colonoscopy – just browsing, thanks! And moreso the reverse is true; you walk into a place looking for something very specific but alas, all the staff are roving and there is NOBODY behind the you-know-what to assist you. The desk is a beacon, a lighthouse; it says “Here I am! If you need me, if you want to tap into all the magnificent things I have to share, I’d love to dive right in – but no pressure, everyone deserves their own space and privacy – enjoy your visit to the library!”
May 20, 2012 at 4:08 am Permalink
Instead of desk time, chat in the stack time should be required. How can I do my job well without conversation with our patrons? Getting up, coming out from behind the desk and people meeting is mandatory for excellence!
May 22, 2012 at 3:34 pm Permalink
As a library user, no, I would not like to be greeted by a librarian as I walk in the door, just as I do not like being approached when browsing in shops. If I need help, I’ll go to a central place or ask a member of staff who is easily recognisable as such. Until then, leave me alone.
May 24, 2012 at 8:06 am Permalink
I am pleased to tell you that here is Sycamore, Illinois, we are all about the people. One of my disappointments in this library has always been that when you enter, there is no one there to greet you. After lots of planning and grant writing, we are in the process of moving our circulation desk to the first floor right inside the lobby. Every person who enters will be greeted by a person. Even without this circulation desk at the entrance, when you arrived in the children’s or adult services departments, you are greeted by staff. I believe that the library is about communication and helping people, all staff are helpful and friendly. As library director, I am not often on the front lines, but it is rare that I walk into the public areas without meeting and talking to community members and the staff. We don’t currently have self-check out machines because the library layout doesn’t really allow for it, but I find that the friendly hello as a patron checks in or out is one of our best qualities. So if you are ever in town, stop by for a visit. You will be greeted and helped by friendly staff. Here is a link to our construction photos on Flickr. We are in phase 1 of a 4 phase project. The new front line circulation desk will be revealed at the end of phase 2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sycamorelibrary/
May 24, 2012 at 9:01 am Permalink
I am sorry you’ve had an experience that didn’t meet your requirements. Did you think to engage a staff member at the library before you left asking why no one approached you? Believe it or not, library staff are quite busy. There is more to do than reshelf books and receive fines. How would they know you wished to speak to someone if you didn’t ask? The first, and hardest, part of the library process is to overcome that psychological hurdle in our “do-it-yourself” world and learn how to ask for help, or to just say “hello”. As far as the library I work in, the first thing you see when you walk in is a “librarian” sitting at a desk. He or she is facing you as you walk in. And yes, we do sit behind a desk. It is a low level desk upon which sits a computer, a telephone, some sticky notes and a pen or two. All designed to help us help the patron. As the door opens, I will look up to see the patron arriving. If you look at me, I will greet you; if you walk right past and do not look at me, I will say nothing. The library is a relaxed place to visit. I respect the privacy most people wish while in the library.
June 5, 2012 at 12:33 am Permalink
I find this article somewhat insulting. Librarians are not cashiers and do not check out books. Normally the person checking out your book is a clerk not a librarian. Believe it or not, every staff member in a library is not a librarian!There are clerks, technicians, shelvers etc. Librarians are professionals with extensive skills and I think having them wondering around the stacks is not a good use of time especially with the constraints on staff resources. It is much easier to provide the kind of personal assistive someone may need if they come to the desk and spend some 1:1 time with a librarian. You sound like you are looking for the type of service found in a Walmart or a Chapters? I hope the “may I help you vest” was a joke!
July 18, 2012 at 5:08 am Permalink
The original post irritated me. Speaking as someone who works in a library I can tell you that we are short staffed. Every single employee that you don’t see wandering around the library chatting with patrons is busy doing other work that provides the benefits that patrons count on. How do you think that those books got call numbers, subjects, and catalog records that patrons access? How do you think that the call number labels got placed on the books and how did those books get shelved? They didn’t just jump on the shelves by themselves. And how do you think that the computers that patrons use to access information got set up and maintained? Yes, things do go wrong with library computers and at times need I.T. librarians to fix the problem. Libraries are understaffed and with so much work to keep them running it would be a waste of time to hire people to wander around saying hello and chatting. Libraries have reference desks that are staffed. If you need help go to the desk. Librarians are very happy to help patrons in any way that they can. In fact they WANT to help. But to spend money that could be used elsewhere to hire more needed “behind the scenes” staff or money that could be used to buy more books for the collection just in order to hire someone to say hello to people who either already know what they are looking for or who just want to browse is not good financial management.
July 18, 2012 at 5:38 am Permalink
I was a professional librarian for 40 years. It was my dream career, and I worked in academic libraries. Reaching out to patrons was key to our service to the public. A previous blogger was correct. Not everyone who works in a library is a librarian (not everyone who works in a hospital is a doctor). There are paraprofessionals of all types in libraries. An information desk near the front of the library would be an ideal solution. A well-trained paraprofessional could greet all incoming patrons and direct them to the librarian if needed. But it could be a slippery slope. As a cost-saving measure many schools and municipalities have replaced professional librarians with paraprofessionals. This can cause paraprofessionals to feel overwhelmed and shortchange library patrons.
July 18, 2012 at 6:26 am Permalink
I am a solo librarian in a church library, but I used to work at a public library and I do ask everyone who comes in if they need help. I select and recommend books for my patrons and I circulate about 200 books & audios a month. The personal interaction keeps my circulation up which justifies my salary!
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