Tag Archives: usability

AC 17 Preconference: “We Are All User Experience Librarians: Creating Change from the Trenches”

RUSA’s Emerging Technologies Section (ETS) is hosting “We Are All User Experience Librarians: Creating Change from the Trenches” preconference at ALA’s Annual Conference in Chicago in June. This ticketed event will focus on user testing and experience using discussion, presentations, and interactive exercises. Our presenters will offer strategies and tools from throughout the life cycle of a user experience design project, and will provide an entertaining look at pitfalls to avoid and lessons learned. Unlike other sessions about UX design, the proposed workshop will focus on providing attendees with skills and techniques they can apply at their home institutions with little expense or pre-planning.

Speakers include: Pete Coco, Web Services Librarian, Boston Public Library; Deirdre Costello, User Experience Researcher, EBSCO Information Services; Heidi Steiner Burkhardt, User Experience Specialist, University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor; Carrie Moran, User Engagement Librarian, University of Central Florida. More information can be found here.

Ticket prices:

Category Advance Onsite
Member $139 $149
Other Member $129 $139
NonMember $129 $139
RUSA Discount $119 $129

Accessibility and Universal Design

“The ACRL Instruction Section, Instructional Technologies Committee, has published their latest Tips and Trends article, “Accessibility and Universal Design,” written by Bonnie L. Fong, Elizabeth M. Johns, and Becka Rich. Tips and Trends introduces and discusses new, emerging or even familiar technologies that can be used in library instruction.“Accessibility and Universal Design” is freely available at bit.ly/tipsandtrendsw17.”

From the article:

“Overview and Definition:

OXO Good Grips kitchen utensils. Large button light switches. Curb cuts. Mobile-friendly web

design. All of these originated in the movement towards accessibility and universal design (UD), and making life easier for more people.

 

Accessibility and UD are two separate, but related, concepts meant to consider the needs of different types of people and users. Accessibility puts an emphasis on supporting users with disabilities, whereas UD is broader, taking into account differences such as users’ gender, age, native language, and learning preference, to create a physical or virtual item that can be used by as many people as possible (DO-IT, University of Washington 2015).

 

When used together, accessibility and UD result in inclusive, barrier-free products that also meet legal compliance efforts. Libraries can adopt accessibility and UD guidelines to make services, teaching, and spaces more user-friendly”

(Read the whole thing for more good ideas!)

Peeps in the Library Peep Research: A Study of Small, Fluffy Creatures and Library Usage

Peeps-Yellow-Pink
This is a website article from several years ago, but I laugh every time I read it! Thinking about your individual library users is always important; this site makes it funny!  Enjoy an excerpt of the site here, and then click on the link to see the whole thing.

Can you set up something adorable or funny or eye-catching, to show people how to use your library services? Talk to us at CMLE, and we can help!

Peep Research: A Study of Small, Fluffy Creatures and Library Usage

by Susan Avery and Jennifer Masciadrelli (Office of Fluffy Research, Staley Library, Millikin University)

Peeple’s Choice Winner! Faculty Peep Show, Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Millikin University

April 25, 2003

Although scientific and health research has been conducted on Peeps, most notably that appearing on the Peep Research website, we have noted an absence of research focusing on the ability of Peeps themselves to actually do research. To address this lack, we invited a small group of Peeps to visit Staley Library at Millikin University during the week of March 17-21, 2003 so that we could more closely observe their research practices. This was determined to be an ideal week for the Peeps to visit the library, as Millikin University students were on spring break. The research that follows documents their visit to the library and provides some evaluative commentary on our assessment of Peeps and library usage.

The Peeps Arrive at the Library

Photo of Peeps exiting a small VW BeetlePhoto of Peeps exiting a small VW Beetle

The Peeps arrived at the library in a customary manner, as evidenced by the photographs to the left, in a Volkswagen Beetle. It should also be noted that, not unlike college students, they attempted to fit as many passengers into their vehicle as possible.

Beginning Research

Photo of Peeps using the internet

We quickly observed that Peeps, like college students, immediately began their research by sitting down at the computer terminals and looking for information on the Internet. Our observations of their individual screens indicated that they were most likely looking for information about themselves. This research characteristic was noted in an article that appeared in the March 21, 2003 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education that discussed the tendencies of students to use search engines before library databases.

photo of Peeps looking at Peeps website

The first page we observed the Peeps looking at was the official website of marshmallow peeps. We speculate that this page was located via a search engine, as our attempts to replicate this search in several search engines resulted in this page appearing at the top of the hit list of websites.

photo of Peeps using the internet

Further exploration on the part of the peeps shows them at this website featuring Peep Shows. It is not known what the search terms were in this particular search, nor what they expected to find. (This page contains art work featuring canines.) Note, however, how they are all attempting to move closer to the computer screen.

photo of Peeps using the internet

This particular search resulted in a page that surprised both the Peeps and their observers. The focus of the content of the page, Visual Delights: Magic Lanterns, Peep Shows and Phantasmagoria, is unknown.

(Read the rest of this article!)

 

Doing Usability Work? Submit it to Weave journal!

Weave Journal of Library User Experience Logo

Weave is a peer-reviewed, open access, web-based publication featuring articles on user experience design for librarians and professionals in related fields. Our editorial board consists of recognized experts in the field of library UX, and our editorial philosophy is to strive for a balance between theoretical and practical topics.

As the importance of digital services begins to rival that of collections, library user experience is taking a more central role than ever. While new jobs are being created for User Experience librarians and some departments are being renamed “User Experience” teams, there has been no comprehensive, rigorous publication for library UX professionals to share with and learn from their colleagues. Weave is intended to fill that gap. Weave helps practitioners and theorists work together to make libraries better.

Continue reading Doing Usability Work? Submit it to Weave journal!

Library Visit: Sauk Rapids-Rice High School

This week I got to take a tour of the library at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School! Director Maria Burnham escorted me around the library – not an easy task in a library filled with students working on school work, group projects, and puzzle creation before school started for the day. There was a lot to see here, and everything looked just great. (Yes, it was hard to pull myself away from the books in the collection; but I was brave about it!) Maria is based here, but spends a lot of time charging around the building helping out in classrooms, teaching, and working with students wherever they could use a librarian. She is a great example of the way library service is changing for the better: we don’t sit and wait for people to come find us, instead library service goes where it can best be of service!

When you walk inside the door, you are immediately aware you are in a library that is connecting with patrons!

bookshelf
Lots of good books on display here!

Not only is this a very nice looking book shelf, displaying all kinds of interesting new books – but it was created in shop class at the school by a student. Engaging patrons to that extent is an impressive achievement! Continue reading Library Visit: Sauk Rapids-Rice High School