Library Signage and Wayfinding Design: Communicating Effectively with Your Users

Find on LibraryThing.Find on WorldCat.
Price: 
$54.99
ALA Member 
$49.49
Item Number: 
978-0-8389-3785-3
Published: 
2021
Publisher: 
ALA Editions
Pages: 
160
Width: 
6"
Height: 
9"
Format: 
Softcover
AP Categories: 
A, C, I

Samples

Read a sample of this book now!
1.2 MBpdfDownload
  • Description
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Author
  • Reviews

This book connects wayfinding and signage with user experience (UX) design principles to assist libraries in creating positive, welcoming signage that communicates effectively and efficiently. 

Take a more user-centered approach to crafting library signage with this handy guide. Well-designed signage is clear, direct, and reduces confusion and frustration among library users and library workers alike—and also complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), bolstering accessibility. Using the principles and examples laid out by Polger, you’ll learn

  • how to spot the telltale features of poor design, from signage that’s wordy, passive aggressive, too small, unfriendly or threatening, to wayfinding that uses inconsistent terminology or different color schemes or typefaces;
  • why taking a UX (user experience) approach can help make the library a welcoming space;
  • core UX criteria for effective wayfinding design, such as the specific design zones of a sign, appropriate typefaces, color schemata, text to image ratio, text and image sizes, contrast, and viewing distance;
  • about important considerations like placement and touchpoints;
  • best practices for using ADA compliance guidelines when performing a library signage audit;
  • special approaches for digital signage; and
  • techniques that signage designers can use when studying library users to better understand their perceptions, feelings, and attitudes regarding signage and wayfinding.

Preface: My Fascination with Street Signs
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why Is Signage Important?

Chapter 1    A Brief History of Signs and Wayfinding
Chapter 2    Signage Research Methods
Chapter 3    Conducting a Signage Audit
Chapter 4    Digital Signage
Chapter 5    Signage Best Practices and Policies
Chapter 6    Signage and the Americans with Disabilities Act

Conclusion
Index 

Mark Aaron Polger

Mark Aaron Polger is associate professor and coordinator of library outreach at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY). His responsibilities include coordinating the library’s marketing and outreach activities, engaging in campus partnerships, promoting library events, and coordinating assessment of library services and resources. His research interests include library marketing, library signage, and user experience (UX) design. He is most interested in how users interact with the library’s physical and virtual touch points; specifically, the website, signage, and promotional materials. He has written and presented on topics ranging from library marketing strategies, faculty outreach, library jargon, and library signage. Originally from Montreal, Canada, he moved to New York City in 2008.

"Libraries, so often large buildings with unintuitive layouts, can intimidate users, and signage is frequently an afterthought when it should be a focus. With thoughtful attention to signage, librarians can increase both users’ comfort with the library and their ability to navigate the building successfully. For any librarian without a design background, Mark Aaron Polger provides all the information needed to improve library signage in his well-researched and practical book ... It provides librarians from all types of libraries with the knowledge they need to improve upon their library’s existing signage. Additionally, this book has something for everyone, regardless of how much time and staffing they can dedicate to signage improvements."
— Journal of Access Services

"Anyone who has attempted to navigate an unfamiliar building with inadequate or nonexistent signage understands how frustrating that can be ... Polger offers clear, practical, actionable advice for improving how libraries communicate with users through signage. Will appeal broadly to library workers in public service-related positions."
— Library Journal

"Written by Mark Aaron Polger, who confesses upfront to be ‘obsessed with street signs and maps’ since childhood, the genuine passion shows. Systematically, Mark leads us through the world of library signs in six concise chapters ... We liked the fact that this book was very well researched. It included ample, useful bibliographies and made use of numerous illustrations, charts and graphs that added to its easy use nature."
— Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association

"The case studies show that there is not one way to do this work, and that’s a point made throughout: to get signage right, you need to take a user-centered approach and develop a system that works for your specific library and context ... Good luck to all the library staff out there in charge of signage and wayfinding! Use Polger’s book for principles and ideas and to reassure yourself when you wonder why it’s so challenging."
— Weave: Journal of Library User Experience

Also of Interest: 
Image for Digital Archives: Management, Use and Access
Digital Archives: Management, Use and Access
Image for Checklist of Library Building Design Considerations, Sixth Edition
Checklist of Library Building Design Considerations, Sixth Edition
Image for Collaborative Library Design: From Planning to Impact
Collaborative Library Design: From Planning to Impact
Image for Better by Design: An Introduction to Planning and Designing a New Library Building, Second Edition
Better by Design: An Introduction to Planning and Designing a New Library Building, Second Edition
Image for Serving Patrons with Disabilities: Perspectives and Insights from People with Disabilities
Serving Patrons with Disabilities: Perspectives and Insights from People with Disabilities
Image for Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians
Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians
Image for Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians—eEditions PDF e-book
Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians—eEditions PDF e-book
Image for Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities—print/e-book Bundle
Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities—print/e-book Bundle