User Centered Changes

User Centered Improvements

The main part of the building was retained, but modified to include additional space for community programs and to expand the circulation area of the library. I know that there is some discussion of the purposes of libraries, and whether they should function as community centers, and in this case, the choice was obviously made to take the community center approach. I think this actually results in support of the library function itself and can be seen by the Friends of the Library club having the space to open a used book store. Donated books are collected by the Friends club, sorted and priced and the store is manned by volunteers. Proceeds from the sale of the books go to the library.

In addition, the office area of the library was expanded and new cubicle spaces included. Prior to the renovation, the circulation area was rather small and crowded and the limited space meant that there were limits on how many library employees could assist users with checking out, fines and requests. The new circulation area is brightly lit, spacious and can accommodate more staff. This helps patrons get through the check out process faster and more efficiently.

Prior to the renovation, the librarians on the front lines of assisting the users with finding the information needed sat at cramped tiny desks (reminiscent of teachers’ desk in a classroom) at a couple of places in the library. The librarians whose primary job was to help with adults were seated in two desks in the adult section. Another librarian sat in the children’s section. Between the librarians, however, were long, tall shelves with ready reference material. These long shelves obstructed the librarian’s view of the part of the library they didn’t work in. Equally important, the library patrons couldn’t see all the librarians. One of the biggest developments toward a user-centered facility is the change toward a centrally located, circular information desk. It is spacious and well-lit and the librarians can see most of the library and they are visible to the patrons. The center is marked an information center is both English and Spanish and it is located next to the computer area. When there are two librarians on duty, each librarian faces in a different direction – one toward the main bank of computers and adult material and one toward the children’s materials and children’s computers.

The lighting in the facility is a great improvement. Prior to the renovation, the library was dark and full of shadows. With the renovation, there is much more lighting, although not harsh and the improvement is so great that I thought that the library had added walls of windows. The library staff told me that wasn’t true – the only change to the windows was that they are sectional rather than one large plate glass. The library just appears to be so much brighter due to the additional, natural feeling of the lighting.

An improvement that adds to the lighting is the color in the library. Prior to the renovation, the library appeared to be painted a shade somewhere between white, gray and green. Now it is painted in yellows, pinks, and blues and has a festive feel to it. The goal of the lighting and the colors, as well as the arrangement of the bookshelves was to make the library look like a bookstore.

The children’s area, which previously was simply one side of the library, looks like a children’s area. There are low benches or steps for children to sit on and read books, small tables for activities and lots of cushions. It is an open area and, although the chaos is controlled, it is not a particularly quiet area.

The design toward a user centered facility extended to the outdoor part of the library property as well. A playground was added to the property, the parking lot was expanded and the spaces redrawn to add more parking spaces. One of the best features, especially given the number of elderly patrons who use the facility, is a book return drop in the parking lot. It looks like a mail box and patrons can simply drive up and drop their books in the return box without actually getting out of their cars.

With all of these improvements, I wondered what the librarians and staff liked best about the renovation. I figured the answers would be split among many things – lighting, color, roomier, centralized information center. Instead there was a consensus that the best part of the physical renovation was that the roof no longer leaked when it rained.

The arrangement of shelves in the library has been improved in a couple of ways. First, and most importantly for us short people, the shelves are not as high as they used to be. This makes it so much easier to retrieve the book you want without dragging a chair or another tall user over to help. Because the space has been expanded, there are more shelves which make up for the reduction in shelves that were too high. The shelves also are arranged at angles and around the library, much like a bookstore. Although I am not sure why this makes a difference, it is more appealing visually than it used to be.

An important improvement is that many of the shelves are labeled by subject matter as well as DDC numbers. As I recall, in the past, the shelves were labeled simply by DDC. Not all subject matters are labeled, however, and the STEM area is one of those that is not labeled. That may be in large part because it is a relatively small area covering a wide variety of subjects.

Prior to the renovation, the library had approximately 10 computers. Patrons had to stand to use them. With the renovation, there are 18 computers with internet access for use by patrons 13 and over and four for children 12 and under. In addition, there are three computers with library catalogue access only. The computers are all clustered around the information desk manned by the librarians, so that if someone needs help on the computer, the librarians don’t have to leave the general information area.

The addition of more computers is especially important because of the limited STEM collection in this facility. The Dallas Public Library provides online access to over 100 databases, including many STEM databases. Patrons only need to have a library card to access them. Access to the databases is prominently displayed on the right hand side of the Dallas Public Library webpage at www.dallaslibrary.org. A good feature of that website is the “database of the month” which highlights a specific database with a tutorial for its use. The placement of the computers near the librarians allows the patrons to seek help when using these online services. Certainly not all of the librarians are familiar with all of the databases, but different librarians have developed more expertise in this area. Given the demographic of the users of the library, it is probably not essential that the librarians have the sophisticated expertise with the databases that a librarian might need in an academic, science or medical library. In addition, the Dallas library’s website also includes access to DASH which provides online access to homework help.

There is also wireless internet access in the library making it possible for patrons to bring their laptops to the library and gain access to those databases that aren’t available through the library’s extensive online database.

The program schedule for the library is very full and includes several book clubs that meet at the library, a grandparents’ support group, after school movies, two pre-school reading programs and an adopt a shelf program. Additional one-time programs have included Hispanic Heritage Art Program, Latin American Ethnic Music, History of Quilts and Freedom Chains. The library serves a large Hispanic population and availability of programs with a Latin flavor as well as the use of dual language signs helps to serve these users.