What do a pink door, reading glasses, a website, and a Beetle Kill Pine ceiling have in common? Yes, readers will find them all in this collection of great design in libraries. But the reason they're featured is their important commonality: they were intentionally and thoughtfully placed in a library to meet people's needs or otherwise engage…

User experience (UX) is about arranging the elements of a product or service to optimize how people will interact with it. In this article, the author talks about the importance of user experience and discusses the design of user experiences in libraries. He first looks at what UX is. Then he describes three kinds of user experience design: (1)…

This article features the University of Liverpool's arts and humanities library, which applies a new search tool to improve the user experience. In nearly every way imaginable, the Sydney Jones Library and the Harold Cohen Library--the university's two libraries that serve science, engineering, and medical students--support the lives of their…

Over 2000 participants made the daylong programming at the "Library Journal"/"School Library Journal" Virtual Ebook Summit, September 29, a robust conversation and not just within the summit interface but also in tweets with the #ebooksummit hashtag (and beyond) and in libraries across the country where participants logged in to take part. The…

This article presents an interview with Patrick Sommers, president of reference/information publisher "Gale" (part of Cengage Learning). Sommers took the helm in October 2007, after running system vendor Sirsi beginning in 2001 and engineering both the 2005 merger with Dynix and the 2007 sale of the newly created SirsiDynix to Vista Equity…

Public library service is a critical service that must be preserved. Despite a current (FY08) budget cut of $5 million and the threat of reductions of nearly $20 million more in the next budget, the Queens Library has maintained massive and excellent programs of service and incredibly high levels of use by a public that lines up at every one of…

This article offers five ideas librarians should review every now and then to make sure the right services are being offered in the most effective manner to the people they serve. These five exercises or ideas may not be completely easy but neither are they difficult or expensive. However, they will guarantee an increased awareness of, and…

It bothers Michelle Jeske that many people still don't know all that their public libraries can do for them, even in Denver, where 80 percent of the population has a library card. Fortunately, as manager of web information services at the Denver Public Library (DPL), she can reach out to people who never come through the library doors. Jeske and…

When Leslie Polott arrived at the Hudson Library and Historical Society in 1996. She headed out into the community to find out what people wanted from their library. After rounds of surveys, focus groups, and town meetings, she knew: a library that was the center of their educational and cultural lives, that provided more opportunities for…

This article details the work of Jeffrey Gegner o the Hennepin County Library in Minnetonka, Minnesota. For Jeffrey Gegner, his day job as Adult Materials Selection Specialist for the Hennepin County Library is not that different from his evening job as a country and western nightclub DJ. Gegner is opposed to a literary snobbery he believes is…

The library community will be faced with the challenge of redefining services to accommodate the growing population of older adults. These services should take into consideration factors such as level of education, ethnicity, stage in life and mobility while incorporating technology and lifelong learning into creative programs. (JKP)

Describes ways to make library Web sites more accessible to children and teens with disabilities. Highlights include HTML code; the importance of contrast combinations for text and background; problems with using frames; alternatives to graphics; helpful Web sites; and the concept of universal design. (LRW)

Explains the revamping of library services in London's East End that will begin with the library buildings being sold and replaced with Idea Stores, positioned in high-density shopping areas. Discusses combining traditional library services with adult education, performance space, daycare, and retail style. (LRW)

Discusses usability testing for Web sites and explains how librarians can implement the methods needed to evaluate their library Web sites. Highlights include reviewing other library Web sites; defining the users; defining test objectives that are linked to user needs; administering the tests; and pertinent resources. (LRW)

Branches in shopping malls help build community by attracting new patrons to the library. They help libraries offer exciting new venues with a retail-like approach and raise awareness of the work libraries are doing. In some cases, though not at Glendale, the library is more cost-effective owing to the smaller space used to serve patrons. These…