Poster Session Post

For a general overview of the benefits and principles of the Library as Visual Workplace, see our poster session documents from the 2014 PaLA Conference in Lancaster, PA.  Click the link below to view our poster, handout, and flip-book.  Enjoy!

https://dspace.fandm.edu/handle/11016/24056

"Go Visual: the library as visual workplace" Poster Session
2014 PaLA Conference, Lancaster, PA

Return to Shelver - X Marks the Spot

An important yet easy way to bring visual systems to your library is to consider your library’s re-shelving location(s).

Offering places for patrons to lay used but unwanted items is important to reduce:

• the amount of time spent locating items
• “missing” item occurrences because of shelving errors
• money and time wasted re-ordering “lost” items

Maintaining re-shelving item locations also helps libraries track statistics. The items collected and marked “used” before re-shelving gives libraries an idea of what patrons are interested in. This is especially important for items that cannot leave the building, like reference books.

These use statistics are consulted when removing (a.k.a. deaccessioning or weeding) inactive titles and ordering new ones. Statistics also tell librarians and stakeholders which collections are being used and how heavily. Both are important when creating collection budgets and making the case for library funding (to department heads, college administrators, library boards, etc.).

Each academic, public, and commercial institution I have worked for offered re-shelving locations – some more successfully than others. Does your library have a place for your patrons to place unwanted items for staff to re-shelve? How consistently are your re-shelving locations used?

If your library’s re-shelving locations are under-utilized, have you stopped to consider why? Do you need a map to find a re-shelving spot, tucked out of sight? Is it in plain sight, but in a poorly trafficked local? Must you stand with your nose to the sign to read it? 

Room for improvement:  Low contrast "Please Do Not Reshelve Materials" sign is hard to read and fails to tell patrons where to go with unwanted materials.  Martin Library of the Sciences, F & M College.

Pink Shelves signal re-shelving location to library patrons. The space can be improved with a larger sign / larger font size with fewer words.  Shadek-Fackenthal Library, F & M College.

Never fear! The 5S of Visual Order and the 4 types of Visual Devices are here to help! Here is a short list of visual solutions to improve patron re-shelving location usage (now that’s quite a mouthful)…

• Sort & Set in order: clear and designate a location(s) for re-shelving.

• Identify the main arteries of traffic at your library (like, the path from the stacks to the circulation desk and restrooms) and place your re-shelving spot(s) at visible points along this path. Working within your patron’s natural flow boosts their adoption of new service points.
• Include well-marked, legible signs with concise wording to grab attention and quickly tell patrons what to do at a glance.
• Limit re-shelving locations to “re-shelving only” to cut confusion.
• Keep re-shelving tables and shelves between hip and eye level (consider coffee tables for re-shelving in the lounge or children’s areas)

Success!  This children's room re-shelving spot is found by patrons leaving the kid's room, heading towards circulation and is clearly marked by large and clever "Reshelve Spot" signage. It must be cleared several times daily.   Manheim Townhip Public Library.

Manehim Township Public Library echoed the success of their children's room in the adult collection:  repeating the same color scheme & circular "return spot" motif. Vertical stands for adult signs would help visibility.

• Shine & Standardize:  keeping it clean and consistent

• Use the same signage throughout the building.
• Maintain "fresh" & visible signage (not crumpled or hidden).
• Check & clear re-shelving spots at scheduled intervals according to your library’s needs: for example, 3x/day for the children's area and 2x/day in the adult's area (consider keeping a log of this for staff to initial).

• Success:  rinse and repeat

• Keep up the good work! Ensure re-shelving areas are clearly designated and regularly cleared.
• Observe outcomes & reconsider: Are there ways to improve? Locations or wording that would work better?

I'd love to see what your library's visual re-shelving locations look like and to hear your thoughts on how wonderful your re-shelving spots are or what you'd like to improve. I, for one, am looking forward to updating the re-shelving areas at the Martin Library of the Sciences this fall. I'll keep you posted!

~Jessica M. Gutacker
Franklin & Marshall College Library
Manheim Township Public Library

"Visual Management for Libraries" article

As a follow-up to my 2013 article on the library as visual workplace, I recently expanded my thoughts into the related area of visual management.  To learn more about Visual Management (VM) and its application to modern libraries, please see my seven-page article titled, "Visual Management for Libraries", published in the online journal Library Leadership & Management (Vol. 28, no. 3), May 2014. 

http://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm/article/view/7067/6297  

"The Library As Visual Workplace" article

After three years of experimenting with visual workplace principles, I've pulled together my thoughts in a five page article titled, "The Library As Visual Workplace:  Visual solutions offer the simplicity library employees (and patrons) need."  Read the article online as part of The Journal of Creative Library Practice or access the full .pdf article at dspace.fandm.edu/handle/11016/23926 

Getting Started for $6.69

In the Library Archives Records Center, a review of our workspace combined with a roll of yellow tape, a couple of S hooks, a new dustpan, and some yellow labels produced the above before and after. Before, unnecessary items were stored in the workspace, along with random parking of hand carts and a jumble of supplies. After analyzing the main work area, unused items were sorted and discarded, permanent locations were identified for carts and supplies, and visual borders and labels established. Cleaning supplies were prominently displayed in line with the 5S Shine principle. Standardized workflows were re-examined and simplified. Now the space is clean, orderly, and efficient.

Getting Started with the Library as Visual Workplace

In her introductory article on visual workplace concepts, author Tonya Vinas relays five actions from expert Gwendolyn Galsworth that will help any organization get started:

1. Do some basic reading on visual workplace concepts.
2. Gather visual-making supplies, signs, and bins.
3. Review work areas and habits. Look for unnecessary motions and searches for tools or information.
4. Indentify permanent locations for and make the answer a visual solution.
5. Talk up improvements and show others.

Read the complete article "Go Visual" in the October 2006 issue of Material Handling Management.

How I Got Interested in the Visual Workplace

While re-reading my favorite book about leadership vs. management (John Kotter's A Force for Change, 1990), I ran across an entry about communication in the chapter on aligning people. The author was discussing how strong and innovative methods of communication are always found in successful leadership stories. On page 55, he relates the use of charts in busy hallways and on the production floor. I liked this idea, so I started to search around for relevant books and articles. I quickly came across the broader notion of visual management, and the visual workplace. I started thinking about the application of these concepts to libraries and archives. The more I read and learned, the more correlations and examples I discovered. And before I knew it, the blog was born . . .