Library Signage: What message are we sending our patrons?
Gail Santy: Central Kansas Library System
Librarians
make profound differences in people’s lives.
She is
a librarian’s cheerleader!
Merely
adequate signage identifies the resources in your library and tells people what
the can and cannot do. Great signage communicates your competence,
understanding and care for the people using your library. --- Chris RippleWhat constitutes a good sign? How do you send the right message to your patrons?
www.prezi.com Library Signage Workshop (free tool) like PowerPoint, but more provides more freedom.
·
Use
Microsoft Word or Publisher and a color printer
·
Sharp
contrast color difference
·
ADA
compliance
·
Paper
and foam board
·
Rubber
cement
·
Order
ceiling hanglers from Amazon – Grid clip – hardest part is to make sure the
strings are the same length
·
Or,
use binder clips and fish line
·
Use
small foam board scraps for signs on shelves
·
Laminate
the paper and then rubber cement them to the foam board – also easier to peel
off.
·
Wordle.com
– online tool – pop in a word and it
will generate words that go in different direction… i.e. in 300s, list words of
subjects in that dewey number
·
Use
Styrofoam – Krylon spray paint is for plastic and Styrofoam – Letters are cut
out of Styrofoam
·
Use
corrugated tin on walls of teen room – use chicken wire to hang signs
·
Use
photos of people in your community on a sign
·
Use
photos or pictures because some folks may be illiterate
NO VISIBLE TAPE ON LIBRARY SIGNS! NO TAPE
RESIDUE!
Do not
punish everyone for the sins of a few
·
Is
this a prison library?
·
No
Frisbees
·
No
rearranging furniture
·
No
using books as weapons
Points:
·
Shabby
signs send a message that we don’t care about our library. Signs are our silent
conversations with our patrons.
·
Update
signs with new signs, not pasted over updates
·
No
tape
·
No
rainbow colors in letters
·
Use
a brand – recognizable as library
·
You
can have too many signs saying the same thing
·
Replace
label maker signs that are peeling
·
ADA
– letter visibility, color, placement: Sharp contrast in colors, white
lettering on colored background. In some cultures color has different meanings
– Placement is also important. Need to be able to read the sign from a certain
distance. Look at the website for the ADA for specifics
·
Wayfinding
– use arrows
·
Non-readers
need wayfinding clues, too. Dinosaur stuffed animals point out dinosaur books.
Not just for children.
·
Use
pictures in adult section as well – do not get too cutesey – use same type of
pictures (similar illustrations available from Microsoft office clip art
·
Even
temporary signs should have continuity. Someone needs to be assigned to keep
the signs updated.
·
Be
sure to update and remove outdated or expired
·
If
you cannot afford acrylic sign holders, print out signs and fold them to table
or shelf tents
·
Buy
old ratty cookie sheets from yard sales, spray paint them, screw to wall and
use magnetic signs and messages
·
Use
scrapbook paper as background for YA and other signs – polka dots
·
Have
another library critique your signs, and you can do theirs
·
In
a small library, you should be consistent with signage and color
·
Do
not be afraid to have three foot letters that say “Children’s” or “Teens”
Emotionally intelligent signs
·
Instead
of Be Quiet, say “Readers Working”
·
Instead
of no cell phones, say text please.
·
Try
not to use the NO word. Try to reword for emotional effect
See website for more information. The prezi.com
www.ckls.org Central Kansas Library System
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