During my breaks from Purdue, I work at the local library in my city, Greenwood Public Library. While taking Advanced Professional Writing, I have thought more about how the patron services department is designed. This department is where books are returned and where patrons check out materials or sign up for library cards. Most of the job is customer service interaction, but organization is an important component as well. One advantage of this job is that most mistakes are reversible or do not have dire consequences. Chapter three in Norman's “The Design of Everyday Things” was relatable to my patron services job because it discusses knowledge in the head vs. knowledge in the world. The way the physical space in the department is set up allows for some signifiers to jog important memories. The organizational systems in place have to be agreed upon by the other departments in the building along with other libraries around the state.
In terms of internal library systems, the organization of returned items is important to remember. If they are in the wrong place, this causes confusion for the pages, or the employees who shelve the items. For example, there are two cars for books: one for the upstairs adult department, and one for the downstairs children’s department. On the cart that is taken to the children’s department, the children’s fiction and nonfiction books are shelved on the right side of the cart, and the picture books and graphic novels go on the left side of the cart. Based on that information alone, the organizational decision doesn’t make much sense. However, if one were to venture into the children’s department, it would become clear. The right side of the children’s room houses the books that go onto the right side of the cart, and the left side houses the books that go onto the left side. If patron services employees need a reminder or reassurance that they are organizing the books onto the carts correctly, there is a sign above the cart that lists the book codes (ex. JFIC, JPIC) on their respective sides. Without this signifier, books would end up on the wrong sides frequently, causing confusion and slowing the shelving process for the pages. Additionally, our boss would receive more questions confirming which side a book goes on when we forget, taking her time away from more important tasks.
The most important external library system used is the Evergreen Indiana transit service. As a member of Evergreen, GPL has to process and mail books to and from other libraries in the state five days a week. In order to keep track of which book goes where, a large shelf is used in the back room. Along the shelves are sticky notes with a library code written on it, corresponding to what is printed on a book's receipt. For example, the code for the West Lafayette Public Library is WLAFY. As the books come in, they are placed in their spots on the shelves. From there, books must be put into mail bags and labeled appropriately.
To complete the bagging and labeling process efficiently, one must start with the box of index cards. It contains a pair of cards with the library code for each library member in Evergreen. They are taken from the box; one goes with the mail bag, the other in a pile. Once books are bagged with their first index card, the completed pile of second index cards is taken to the computer. Each code must be input into the mailing system so an official label with the destination address of the bag can be made. The labels are then printed and cut, and each replaces the first index card stuck in the bags’ label pockets. Then, the reunited index card pairs are re-alphabetized into the stack of remaining cards for libraries that didn’t have any materials to ship that day. Now the bags are ready for transit.
Without even realizing it, my boss designed a system to ensure library materials are sent out to the requesting libraries with minimal mistakes or slips. Through completing this system every day, it is ensured that the destination of the materials is checked and double checked unconsciously several times. However, it can be time consuming dealing with the numerous index cards. After completing this task often, I discerned a way to minimize the time spent while having the same outcome. Instead of using the index cards, writing down all the codes of the books on the shelf would be easier. After printing and cutting, the book and mailing label can go into the bag at the same time, and the task is complete. The only flaw with my plan is the environmental impact: this requires a new slip of paper to write on every day, while the index cards can be reused many times.
The patron services department is a designed space in which I have spent a lot of time in over the past few years. Without conscious intention, my boss has ensured the productivity and minimization of mistakes and slips through signifiers and repetitive tasks to be completed daily. This helps employees to know how best to serve the library, and makes sure there is plenty of time available to help patrons and plan activities for the community. DOET is a great resource for thinking more critically about the world we inhabit daily, like it did for me with my summer job.
In terms of internal library systems, the organization of returned items is important to remember. If they are in the wrong place, this causes confusion for the pages, or the employees who shelve the items. For example, there are two cars for books: one for the upstairs adult department, and one for the downstairs children’s department. On the cart that is taken to the children’s department, the children’s fiction and nonfiction books are shelved on the right side of the cart, and the picture books and graphic novels go on the left side of the cart. Based on that information alone, the organizational decision doesn’t make much sense. However, if one were to venture into the children’s department, it would become clear. The right side of the children’s room houses the books that go onto the right side of the cart, and the left side houses the books that go onto the left side. If patron services employees need a reminder or reassurance that they are organizing the books onto the carts correctly, there is a sign above the cart that lists the book codes (ex. JFIC, JPIC) on their respective sides. Without this signifier, books would end up on the wrong sides frequently, causing confusion and slowing the shelving process for the pages. Additionally, our boss would receive more questions confirming which side a book goes on when we forget, taking her time away from more important tasks.
The most important external library system used is the Evergreen Indiana transit service. As a member of Evergreen, GPL has to process and mail books to and from other libraries in the state five days a week. In order to keep track of which book goes where, a large shelf is used in the back room. Along the shelves are sticky notes with a library code written on it, corresponding to what is printed on a book's receipt. For example, the code for the West Lafayette Public Library is WLAFY. As the books come in, they are placed in their spots on the shelves. From there, books must be put into mail bags and labeled appropriately.
To complete the bagging and labeling process efficiently, one must start with the box of index cards. It contains a pair of cards with the library code for each library member in Evergreen. They are taken from the box; one goes with the mail bag, the other in a pile. Once books are bagged with their first index card, the completed pile of second index cards is taken to the computer. Each code must be input into the mailing system so an official label with the destination address of the bag can be made. The labels are then printed and cut, and each replaces the first index card stuck in the bags’ label pockets. Then, the reunited index card pairs are re-alphabetized into the stack of remaining cards for libraries that didn’t have any materials to ship that day. Now the bags are ready for transit.
Without even realizing it, my boss designed a system to ensure library materials are sent out to the requesting libraries with minimal mistakes or slips. Through completing this system every day, it is ensured that the destination of the materials is checked and double checked unconsciously several times. However, it can be time consuming dealing with the numerous index cards. After completing this task often, I discerned a way to minimize the time spent while having the same outcome. Instead of using the index cards, writing down all the codes of the books on the shelf would be easier. After printing and cutting, the book and mailing label can go into the bag at the same time, and the task is complete. The only flaw with my plan is the environmental impact: this requires a new slip of paper to write on every day, while the index cards can be reused many times.
The patron services department is a designed space in which I have spent a lot of time in over the past few years. Without conscious intention, my boss has ensured the productivity and minimization of mistakes and slips through signifiers and repetitive tasks to be completed daily. This helps employees to know how best to serve the library, and makes sure there is plenty of time available to help patrons and plan activities for the community. DOET is a great resource for thinking more critically about the world we inhabit daily, like it did for me with my summer job.
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