One thought about this: if we used more user focused shelving systems, would it be easier for folks to find things they don’t want to ask for?
This is making the rounds on social media.
Inspiration: Nervous About Asking…
Written by Michael Stephens
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14 thoughts on “Inspiration: Nervous About Asking…”
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Super interesting. I wonder if someone who was nervous about asking would feel comfortable enough standing in front of this display to find what they need (as opposed to looking in the digital catalog) or if there are other ways to get this information to those people. It’s a good conversation to be having!
(And maybe even the sentiment this implies to patrons is worth it—you are welcome here, whatever you are looking for, and there is no shame…)
@lauraskor I am thinking some patrons might be pretty comfortable with maybe just standing there and reading it and maybe remembering that very specific area they wanted to visit but I could also see using the catalog would work as well perhaps but for browsing I find this to be pretty impressive. And I absolutely appreciate your follow-up comment on you are welcome and there is no shame. So good.
Hi @lauraskor ! For me, my social anxiety is less about being seen and more about having to potentially interact with others🫣 (even responding here is nerve-wracking😭). Having this information on the sides of shelving would immediately aid in my initial search, allowing me a better opportunity to find what I’m looking for before having to ask for help. I would prefer this over using the library’s computer (digital catalog) because it’s something I could quickly glance at and move on from. Using the computer means taking up space and time that someone else might want. Having someone waiting for me to finish would make me really nervous, and the nervousness would make me take longer using the computer, which, of course, would make me even more nervous 😅. If there were someone else standing in front of this, and I was having a really anxious day, I could easily take a picture of it to reference while searching. Having this shelving display means I’d only need to ask for help if I couldn’t find what I needed on my own. The time initially spent searching on my own would also give me time to get adjusted and more comfortable being in a public space, which would lessen my anxiety and make me more likely to talk to the librarian.
That makes a lot of sense, @celestialcelery! Thank you for your insightful response. It hadn’t even occurred to me to just take a picture of the list. 😂 I actually really like the way the list looks and think this could work for all subjects, not just these sensitive ones (although I suppose it would be tricky to fit all subjects on the endcaps….). At my library, we’ve been trying to figure out a way to list subjects on endcaps in a compact way. None of the solutions are this pretty!
This is very powerful and gives those nervous about asking at the reference desk the knowledge to find their answers. Quite impressive.
This is a nice thought, it really does take the awkwardness of talking to someone. Also generally I feel like having more transparecy and detail on topics locations for books in general like this makes it easier to find materials controversial topics or not.
I like the idea, but I do think one would have to consider where something like this is located. Is it in a prominent location? Does it have some privacy? Some may be emboldened by being able to find certain topics on their own with the help of this signage, however, it may be a case where they wouldn’t want to be out in the open trying to figure it out either. For larger libraries this is awesome. In smaller libraries, I would think it may be harder to recreate with the same type of success. My library, for instance, has 12 rows of shelves in a semi-circle with reference against a wall. Not much privacy to be had if they were wanting to research what they felt was a delicate topic.
I could also see the addition of arrows to be a visual for those that if you are looking for this topic, go this way, and so on and so on.
@beccaslick good point about a small library. I don’t know how you could get around that. I guess maybe if there weren’t many people in the library, someone may feel comfortable enough to go to the section they’re interested in, grab a couple of books, and check them out before other people come into the small space.
I have seen posts like this. I THINK our teen room has a sign like this in the back of the room to offer privacy when looking at it.
I wonder if it would be better to have it on a bookmark, near a display containing other bookmarks as well, so a patron can grab it and look at it in their own space, without making it obvious that they are taking that particular bookmark.
@jenfredrick this is a good idea, and if it was somewhere where there were all sorts of choices for bookmarks that would make it even easier for someone to take the one they need.
It’s cool that libraries are providing these resources in a way that doesn’t require human-to-human interaction! As many others have pointed out, however, I do agree that privacy could still be an issue, and I wonder if putting it in more discreet places might also help, like next to a directory/map (which is normal to stand in front of) or in the restroom (which is built for privacy).
@anitayjc I love your idea of posting something similar in the in the restroom. I’ve seen examples of this in businesses that have like single use restrooms — one that I see a lot in Traverse City is one of those signs where you can pull the phone number off and for this one it is focused on offering help to someone who may feel unsafe in their relationship or circumstance.
To everyone – – I so appreciate the conversation around this posting. It’s probably one of the most commented on things I’ve shared, and it says to me that you all are thinking very seriously about how we make sure we can get information to the people who need it.