What signage & wayfinding do• Inform users:

– Locate library resources & service points– Provide emergency information– Provide point-of-use instruction– Publicize library resources, services & events

• (Hopefully) influence user behavior:– Inform users about library policies– Regulate certain activities– Create a positive impression of the library

Wayfinding purposes & signage• Know where you are at all times

– “You are here” on a floor plan etc.– “Landmarks” clearly identified (service desks, room

numbers/ names, shelf ranges)• Know where you want to go & the best route to get

there– Floor or building directories; directional signage;

floor plan– Provide assistance at decision points– Provide paths to destination with clear lines of sight

• Know when you’ve gotten there• Know how to go elsewhere

– Another destination– Return to where you started from

Emergency signage• Draw attention to areas, objects or situations that

can potentially cause harm• Identify action to be taken in case of emergency• Best practices:

– Eye-catching (symbols, colors)– Clearly convey message– Emphasize action to be taken

or avoided– Describe hazards & consequences– Provide emergency contact

information

Instructional signage• What patrons can do in this area• How patrons are expected to behave in this area*• Steps required to complete tasks• Avoid combining identification & instructional signs

– If must be combined, clearly separate identification elements frominstructional elements in some way

Room 290-DComputer Lab

Please no food or drinks

Behavioral signage: AKA how to say

• Respect the libraryand the things in it

• Respect the people inthe library, includingthe library staff

• In as positive a way aspossible

Source: https://flic.kr/p/45EjpU

Source: https://flic.kr/p/3W5Ga4

Source: https://mrlibrarydude.wordpress.com/2011/02/

Where would youfeel morecomfortable?

Source: http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2009/11/7/signs-signs-everywhere-theres-signs.html

What AALL says about signage• County Public Law Library Standards (April 2009):

IV. Physical Plant and Facilities7. Directories, library guides and other signage to assist customers should be

provided8. The law library should meet the requirements of the Americans with

Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended.

• Appellate Court Libraries and State Law LibrariesStandards (July 2013):IV. Physical Plant and Facilities

H. Directories, library guides and other signage to assist users shouldbe provided in languages and formats most appropriate forthe user population.

I. The law library must meet the requirements of the Americanswith Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended or and may offer otherreasonable accommodations to meet user needs.

• Both of the above at http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Leadership-Governance/policies/PublicPolicies

2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design• In effect March 15, 2012; applies to facilities

remodeled or newly designed after that date

• Signage is in Chapter 7, Communication Elements &Features, sec. 703: http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/buildings-and-sites/about-the-ada-standards/ada-standards/chapter-7-communication-elements-and-features

• Some sign vendors’ interpretations:– http://www.apcosigns.com/techpdf/

ADAHandout.pdf– http://www.accentsignage.com/wp-

content/uploads/ADA-Quick-Reference.pdf

Major 2010 ADA signage provisions• Non-glare finish required• High contrast between background & text (70%, based on

light reflectance values)• Sans serif fonts only: no italic, script or decorative fonts• Signs for permanent rooms/spaces must include:

– Large characters for visual readers– Raised, thin, beveled, widely spaced characters in all caps for

tactile readers– If pictograms used, must be at least 6” high & raised,

incised or sub-surface for tactile readers– Braille must be Grade 2 Contracted & placed below

corresponding raised characters

• Sign placement must be done with the safety ofthe tactile reader in mind

Examples of ADA-compliant signage

Source: http://www.frostmanufacturing.com/signs/ada_signs.php

“Signs” your current signage isn’t working

• Frequent directional questions from patrons• Signage supplemented with handmade

“temporary” signs (that have been there for years)

• Outdated information• Redundant information• Inconsistent information• Multiple, incompatible formats/designs• Signs faded, tattered or dated in style

Doing a sign audit• Take someone not familiar with the library• Record location & content (take photos)

• Directional:– Where are decision points? Is there clear guidance at

each?• Emergency:

– Visible; conveys risk level; easy to understand• Informational:

– What actions can I do here; how can I do them?• Behavioral:

– What can/can’t I do here (and why)?

Questions to ask: “C.P.A.”• Content:

– What is the purpose of this sign? (Do you need one at all?)– Is its content current & accurate?– Is it concise & easy to understand?

• Placement:– Why is it in this location?– Is it visible & readable there? (ANSI standard: 25 feet per

inch of text)• Appearance:

– Is it attractive? Is it consistent with branding & othersignage? Does it meet ADA guidelines (if applicable)?

– Are materials durable enough for the length of time itwill be posted?

• Does it present a positive image of the library?

Best practices• Less is more

– use as few signs as possible to prevent ‘signfatigue’ / ‘sign blindness’

• Place signs at decision points• Use consistent terminology• Keep wording simple & positive

– Emphasize what users can do, not whatthey can’t do

More best practices• Keep appearance consistent: typeface, colors,

shapes, logos/logo placement– Follow institutional graphic/style standards– Use “consistent variations” to indicate different

types of signs or different areas• Develop a signage policy

– Record language, controlled vocabulary, design& placement decisions

• Mount paper signs in some way– foam core boards– acrylic sign holders

Worst practicesUse the words NO, MUST, FORBIDDEN, DO NOT,PROHIBITED (in caps of course)Use italics, underlining and bold text & don’tscrimp on exclamation points (even better, useall of them at once!!!!!!)

Use lots of REDUse cute fonts that are hard to read

Use handwritten signsUse insufficient contrast between text & background

More worst practices

Use text that is TOO LARGE or too small , given thepurpose & placement of the sign

Use lots of colorsUse excessive, redundant and totally unnecessary verbiage that is way too long and extensive forany reader, let alone an impatient one, to quickly comprehend its meaning by looking at it foronly a short period of time while the said person is standing in front of the sign, wherever thesign might happen to be placed, posted, or otherwise displayed in the library.

Use library jargon: Catalog, Stacks, Database, ILL,Index, Periodicals, Reference…

Use single pieces of paper taped up or thumb-tacked -- especially if torn or wrinkled

Our signage dilemma• 20+ years’ worth of signage in a variety of

styles & conditions• Confusing building layout & no maps in the

building• No money to have professional signage done• But… we had a new color printer & a little

end-of-year money

Solution: fixed-size tables in Word

• Table/column width set to width of acrylicsign holder (in this case 5”)

• Table height generated by fixed-height tablerows (in this case 3 rows, total 7”)

• Colors & fonts used based on NIU graphicsstandards

Another solution: PowerPoint

24”x36” poster modified from aPowerPoint template created bythe NIU Office of Publications &printed on COL’s wide formatcolor printer.

Another solution: Publisher

Good forbanners &non-standardsizes

What about floor maps?

Before:(blah)

What about floor maps?After:

(better!)

What made the difference:

SmartDraw process• Created a “layer” in SD and pasted a .pdf of

the building floor plan into it• Created another layer and traced over only

the library portion• Created separate layers for shelves, furniture

and labels– SD allows you to hide and un-hide layers, so you

can see just shelves, just walls, etc.• SD does lots of other things too

– flow charts, mind maps, org charts, projectmanagement charts… and signs

Shelf-based signage & QR codes

• Link to audiodescriptions of what therange contains (FAMULaw Library; WidenerLaw Library Delaware)or popular resources(IIT-Chicago Kent)

• Link to electronicversions of printresources (FSU LegalResearch Center; Univ.of Aberdeen)

Special occasion signage

• OK to violate “consistent appearance”• OK to use less durable materials• Use templates & clip art to enliven design

Digital signage• Advantages:

– Easy to update– Makes library look high-tech– Promote multiple resources, services & programs on

the same sign– Can offer interactive wayfinding & event calendar

integration– Can add photos, graphics, trivia questions,

quotes, fun facts, etc., to engage library users

• Disadvantages:– Can be expensive– Can be target of theft or vandalism– Need to keep content fresh

Source:http://sites.duke.edu/ddmc/2014/02/24/digital-signage-testing-with-the-lenovo-thinkpad-tablet-2/

Digital signage on the (relatively) cheap• Re-purpose PCs & flat screen monitors

– See Session H-1 @ 9:15 tomorrow…

• Digital photo frames

• Tablets

Source: http://www.ipadenclosures.com/about_ipad_enclosures/partners_ipad_enclosures/vablet-ipad-digital-signage

Source: http://www.displays2go.com/C-27734/Digital-Photo-Frames-Advertise-Products-and-Services

Best practices for digital signage• Mount at eye level in high-traffic areas

– “Points of transit” & “Points of wait” require differenttypes of signage

• Design principles similar to static signs

• K.I.S.S. your content– Use short words & phrases– Use active voice & action verbs– Just the facts: dates, places, shortened URLs,

phone numbers, QR codes

• Refresh content every 1-2 weeks

Resources• Assessing Signage in Your Library,

http://demco.com/goto?SIGNAGEPLANNING• Donald A. Barclay & Eric D. Scott, Directions to Library Wayfinding,

http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/directions-library-wayfinding

• Cornell University Library Signage,http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/AHProjects/Library/librarysigns.pdf

• Digital Sign Content Best Practices, http://www.itcs.umich.edu/digital-signage/using/content-best-practices.php

• John Kupersmith, Library Terms that Users Understand,http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qq499w7

• Liz Hunrickhouse, New ADA Signage Standards Take Effect,http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/new-ada-signage-standards-take-effect

Resources, cont.• Deborah Schander, Digital Signage: A new tool in your arsenal of

knowledge, AALL Spectrum (March 2013), p. 7-8.• Melissa Serfass, The Signs They Are A-Changin,’ AALL Spectrum (April

2012), p. 5-6.• Amy F. Stempler & Mark Aaron Polger, Signs of Change: Rethinking

Language, Branding and Design in Library Signage,http://www.slideshare.net/markaaronpolger/alcop-presentation-2012

• Michael Stephens, http://tametheweb.com/category/signage-in-libraries/

• Scot Sterling, Signage: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly,http://librarygraphicdesign.blogspot.com/2010/11/signage-good-bad-ugly.html

• Leah White, Signage: Better None Than Bad,http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/signage-better-none-bad

Questions?

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Think of something later?Contact me:Sharon L. Nelsonslnelson@niu.edu(815) 753-2021

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