“Spending too much energy on why we can’t change instead of changing what we can.”
From yesterday’s retreat come the typed up flipchart notes from the L2 Barriers exercise and our brainstorming. Thanks to katia for typing them up! And thanks to the incredible Marshall Shore of Maricopa County Library for inviting me down and opening up the event to other library systems! How open..and participatory! 🙂
Barriers in the Library
Negative signage (e.g. No cell phones)
People have to come IN to the library to use it
“Noise Police”
Only one public phone (or worse, NO public phones in the library)
Filtering the internet
Blocking MySpace.com
Reference Desk
No food/drink
A “homeless persons” library (other folks don’t feel comfortable)
Library jargon
No express computers
Limited technology (e.g. computers can only support 3 ½” floppy discs) (!!!!MS)
Limited hours
Gaming opposed by youth service management
Certain games banned
Not enough signage
Not enough user-friendly online services
Being understaffed is a barrier to customer service
Caste System
Our computers are not up to speed with the technology our users want to use them for/with (e.g. flash drives) and IT won’t install the software to run them.
OPAC- I can’t find what I want; too hard to use ( If a staff member has a hard time using it, how must the public feel?)
Shelving books according to Dewey Decimal System
Staff lack of customer service or training competencies
Name tags? Who are the librarians?
We don’t put our web address on the outside of buildings to publicize our online services.
Spending too much energy on why we can’t change instead of changing what we can.
Chairs at disabled persons stations
Long walkways/obstacles with no respite for elderly patrons
One desk concept retro fit into building not suited to it.
What would you like to see at your library?
Punish the behavior, not the mechanism
“Lock-in” type slumber parties for teens
How can you use Blogs?
Construction updates
User feedback
Internal staff updates
Form of book discussion
Staff specialties/ updates
Meet our new…
Makes the library human
Provide local information and history
How can you use Wikis?
Calendaring
Fugitive facts
Internal use (e.g. policy rewrites, reference resources)
Community outreach
FAQs
Tutorials
Publicity
How can you use Social Networks?
Reach people you normally wouldn’t
Develop a sense of community
Use Virtual outreach to educate and foster real life diversity
Educate
Conduct online classes and programs