Good Signage Contributes to a Positive Library Experience

by Susan G. Akers, Marketing Communications Manager, Ball State University
Published in “Focus,” Indiana Library Federation, March 2008

A user-friendly library anticipates and reacts to the needs of its visitors by providing a welcoming environment with convenient access to collections, resources and services.

People enjoy visiting a library with a friendly, knowledgeable staff, good lighting, a logical stack arrangement and easily identifiable service points. To enhance the library experience and to make visitors feel more self-sufficient, visible directional signs are important -- just as they are in other public buildings, such as airports or hospitals.

Good signage lowers the anxiety level for visitors by helping them feel more oriented. Clear, visible signs lower the number of directional questions while standardized signage creates an aesthetically pleasing environment. Typical library signage relates to

Hours and where to find various units within the building
Temporary changes or conditions that impact a visit or the visitors’ tasks
Room, office, workstation identifications, computer areas
Stack end labels and other signs identifying parts of the collection
Café and/or vending machines
Restrictions or behavior rules
Quiet zone areas
Guidelines (where to find printers, photocopiers, etc.)
Facilities for handicapped users

Considerations for good signage include legibility, color or shape, contrast, fonts and international pictograms. A rule of thumb to guarantee readability is to use a ratio of 25 feet per inch of text. Additional considerations include placing no obstructions between the signs and the users’ viewpoint and to keep messages brief.

When determining whether a sign is needed, decide what information a visitor needs at a given point within the building. A visitor moves from one area to another selecting resources and establishing a general pattern within the building. An efficient sign system responds to a user’s need as she/he progresses from the general to the specific during the visit. Then select the best possible means of communicating that information.

It is common for lobby directories to list areas, services, and maps. Good directional signs should be placed at decision points, i.e., wherever visitors have to make way-finding choices or change direction. It is a good idea to ask staff to identify stacks that stop and start and to determine if additional end-shelf signage is needed to guide visitors to the next set of stacks.

The effectiveness of graphics depends on factors within a library, such as placement, lighting and architectural elements and the layout. A minimalist approach (no signage) creates a lack of information for library visitors who then must ask staff directional questions whereas the laissez-faire, anything goes attitude can project an amateurish impression, along with an increase in outdated or illegible signs.

Good signage contributes to a user-friendly environment, so whether the signs are on a desk, free-standing or suspended, visitors will use them to locate the resources, collection and services with ease and efficiency which augments a positive library experience!