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CUNY Assessment Fair- Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Library Signage

CUNY Assessment Fair- Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Library Signage

markaaronpolger
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CUNY Assessment Fair- Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Library Signage

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  1. Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Library Signage Library Assessment FairFri April 20, 2018 Mark Aaron Polger First Year Outreach Librarian College of Staten Island, CUNYMarkAaron.Polger@csi.cuny.edu

  2. Outline Signage audit (2012) Assessing Permanent Signage (2012) Assessing Signage Design (2013) Maintenance (2013- present) Assessing Library Policy Signage (2017)

  3. Signage Audit (2012) Count of signs (419 signs across 3 floors) Three types of signs produced: temporary in house institutional Three content categories: Promotional Policy Directional

  4. Initial AssessmentRemoved 145 signs (35%) Identified problems: Punitive language ALL CAPS (yelling) Lack of branding Outdated and incorrect Handwritten signs Random placement

  5. Assessment (2012, 2013, 2017)(IRB approved) Signage Questionnaires 2012 Awareness of Permanent Signage (N=238) 2013 Library Staff Survey on Design (N=75) 2013 Student Survey - Design (N=310) 2017 Student Survey – Policy Signs (N=87) Interviews 2017 Student Interviews – Policy Signs (N=15)

  6. Summer 2017: Assessment on Policy Signage • Short questionnaire (N=87) • Assessing awareness of policy signs • 4 questions • Likert scale • Open ended questions • cell phone use • food consumption • Semi-structured Interviews (N=15) • 45 minutes • Tape recorded and transcribed using Dragon • Asked five open-ended questions about feelings about policy signage • Food in the library • Cell phone use • Noise

  7. Themes Culled from the InterviewsFood: “we need to eat…”. “Having no food is unreasonable…”Cell Phones: Students should speak on their phones in designated areas of the libraryNoise: Some floors should be silent, some loud.Size: large, bright colours, and funnyMessage: “sometimes it’s okay to be mean”

  8. Assessment Data Drives Decisions • Signage Replacement (2012 - present) • Removed signs from walls and furniture • Created Signage template • Created Signage policy • Strategic placement • Identify “bump points” • Created signage locator map • Large scale signs • Bulletin boards • Easels • Plastic (low glare) holders

  9. Informal Assessment: Observe Your Users Identify Bump Points (also known as touch points) ….where people routinely stop or slow down as they decide which way to go next (Barclay and Scott, 2012) Barclay, D. A., & Scott, E. D. (2012). Directions to library wayfinding. American Libraries, 43(3/4), 36–38.

  10. Conclusion Quantitative assessment data: - Helped us redesign signs - Gives insight for user friendly signs - Create large signs - Added real images, not clip art - Use fewer words (students admit they don’t read signs) - Avoid ALL CAPS Qualitative assessment data: - Richer data - More details - Addresses broader themes - Big picture thinking

  11. Further Reading Barclay, D. A., & Scott, E. D. (2012). Directions to library wayfinding. American Libraries, 43(3/4), 36–38. Bosman, E., & Rusinek, C. (1997). Creating the user-friendly library by evaluating patron perception of signage. Reference Services Review, 25(1), 71-82. Gilbert Beck, S. (1996). Wayfinding in libraries. Library hi tech, 14(1), 27-36. Mandel, L. H. (2010). Toward an understanding of library patron wayfinding: Observing patrons' entry routes in a public library. Library & Information Science Research, 32(2), 116-130. Tatarka, A., Larsen, D., Olson, T., & Kress, N. (2006). Wayfinding in the library: usability testing of physical spaces. In Proceedings of the Library Assessment Conference: Building Effective, Sustainable and Practical Assessment, September 25-27. Polger, M. A., & Stempler, A. F. (2014). Out with the old, in with the new: Best practices for replacing library signage. Public Services Quarterly, 10(2), 67-95. Serfass, M. (2012). The signs they are a-changin'. AALL Spectrum, 16(6), 5-6. Stempler, A. F., & Polger, M. A. (2013). Do you see the signs? Evaluating language, branding, and design in a library signage audit. Public Services Quarterly, 9(2), 121-135.

  12. Thank you! Mark Aaron Polger MarkAaron.Polger@csi.cuny.edu http://www.slideshare.net/markaaronpolger

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