Jumpstarting a 105 Yearold Community Icon:
Bringing a 19th Century
st
Library into the 21 Century
“Free to the people” since 1895
a presentation to
PLA Annual Conference
Minneapolis
March 2008
“Free to the people” since 1895
Your Presenters
 Richard Kaplan
Manager, Reference Services
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Main
kaplanr@carnegielibrary.org
 Karen Rossi
Manager
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Downtown &
Business
rossik@carnegielibrary.org
“Free to the people” since 1895
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
“Free to the people” since 1895
Why did we embark on this project?
“Free to the people” since 1895
Examining the role of public library
 Impact of Internet?
 Impact of amazon.com and super bookstores?
 Effect of rise in service economy on customers’
expectations?
 Implication of the decrease in free time and
increase in discretionary income (for some)?
 Relevance of the academic model of subjectspecific departments for the public library?
“Free to the people” since 1895
Goals of library redesign
 Created library that is customer-centered and
user-friendly
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Eliminate customer frustration
Arrange activities and key spaces
 Increase user base
 Deliver information needs to users
 Make library a destination in the community
“Free to the people” since 1895
Outcome of Strategic Planning:
Our challenge
 Transformed space and services
•
Designed and created a popular destination within
a traditional library
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Merged subject departments into a cohesive
Reference Department
• Trained and mentored staff to focus on excellent
service to customers
“Free to the people” since 1895
Capital projects
 We embarked on our renovation projects
• 4 architects, 7 locations and more to come!
• Distinct neighborhoods, distinct libraries
 Website redesign
 Concerned that communication with the public
would become more fragmented and
unplanned unless we created a consistent
conceptual framework that would both inform
and be layered on top of the new physical
architecture
•
Information Architecture informed the process.
“Free to the people” since 1895
Information Architecture?
“Free to the people” since 1895
taming complexity
TM
An information architecture gives you predictability
(it’s one of the ways we make things easier to
use…)
User Interface
“Free to the people” since 1895
Information Architecture
System Architecture
Example: McDonald’s
 Infrastructure: the building, the cooking equipment,
the pricing structure, what times of day you can get
an Egg McMuffin vs. a Big Mac, etc.
 user interface: the signs and the design of the
customer-facing portions of the infrastructure.
 information architecture: the mental model that
most people share for “how to interact with a fast
food restaurant”. Includes the concepts of:
• a menu with items and their prices (only shows what you can
order at that time, or lists the times)
• a place where promotions are displayed
• a sequence of events that are followed in a particular order
• an area in which to place an order, pay for the order, pick up
the order
• an area in which to eat the food
• a place to discard the garbage
“Free to the people” since 1895
Libraries as complex organizations
 Variety of customer needs
 Variety of services
 Variety of materials
 Variety of facility issues
 Depth of resources
“Free to the people” since 1895
Organizers make connections
“Free
to>the
people”
since
1895
Overview
Research
> Analysis
> Design
The end of every customer journey should be the
beginning of a new one
“Free
to>the
people”
since
1895
Overview
Research
> Analysis
> Design
How do we serve the 21st
century library user?
“Free to the people” since 1895
What do we want people to think
when they walk in our doors?
“Free to the people” since 1895
How can we optimize our space,
services and collections?
“Free to the people” since 1895
“Free to the people” since 1895
Outdoor space
“Free to the people” since 1895
Quiet Reading Room
“Free to the people” since 1895
r
a
m
m
i
n
g
Large print room
“Free to the people” since 1895
The Gallery @ Main
“Free to the people” since 1895
“Free to the people” since 1895
Teen
“Free to the people” since 1895
“Free to the people” since 1895
“Free to the people” since 1895
“Free to the people” since 1895
“Free to the people” since 1895
Results?
 Named Number One
“Most Useful Web Site” in Pittsburgh
by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2004
 4.1 million visits in 2004
 5.9 million visits in 2007
“Free to the people” since 1895
Always ask myself:
What do I hope people will say
about this library? This staff?
How can we optimize our space,
services & collections?
“Free to the people” since 1895
What are we committed to?
What do we want to accomplish
as we work together?
“Free to the people” since 1895
Staff selection
 Qualities / characteristics
 Hire for attitude
 Teach skills
“Free to the people” since 1895
Hiring process
 General announcement and invitation
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All-staff newsletter
Internal job posting
 Information sessions
“Free to the people” since 1895
Hiring process
 Letter of interest
 Meet & Greets
 Interviews
“Free to the people” since 1895
Sample interview questions
 What’s the best customer service transaction
you’ve ever experienced (in any
environment)?
 What would you do to change the traditional
perception of the library to become a more
vibrant place to visit?
“Free to the people” since 1895
Don’t ask, “What if it doesn’t work?”
Instead, ask, “How will I feel if I
don’t even try?”
- Suzanne Zoglio
“Free to the people” since 1895
Staff training and development
 To learn and master skill sets
 Challenge staff to explore and develop fresh,
new ideas
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Expectation: explosion of ideas
 Brainstorm
 Encourage new approaches to library
services
• How can we do it better?
• More effectively?
• Imaginative & innovative
 Take risks
“Free to the people” since 1895
Staff training and development
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Customer service / best practices
Booklists, book reviews
Book discussion groups
Collection development basics
Understanding our Goals & Objectives
Databases
Program planning and implementation
Readers’ Advisory skills
Reference interview
“Free to the people” since 1895
Ongoing staff training
 Reader’s Advisory workshops
• Staff lead training workshops
• Mysteries, urban lit, romance, chick lit
• Overview of bestselling authors, subgenres,
•
award winners
CLP staff and librarians throughout the county
consortium attended
“Free to the people” since 1895
Ongoing staff training
 At staff meetings
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Best Practices Roundtables
Enhance book-talking skills
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Genre-of-the-month readings
Discuss what we’re reading in the genre
Brainstorm read-alikes
Constant practice
“Free to the people” since 1895
What fascinates you?
What makes your heart sing?
“Free to the people” since 1895
Staff involvement
 We’re creating a unique atmosphere, even a
spirit.
 We’re identifying 21st Century customer
service expectations.
 We’re creating a new type of teamwork for
managers and staff.
 Our staff have new opportunities to work
together.
“Free to the people” since 1895
Our challenge
 Transformed space and services
•
Designed and created a popular destination within
a traditional library
• Merged subject departments into a cohesive
Reference Department
•
Trained and mentored staff to focus on excellent
service to customers
“Free to the people” since 1895
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
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5
• Opened November 5, 1895
• The Library's first annual report, January 31, 1897.
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A staff of nineteen;
A book collection of 27,000 volumes;
A City appropriation of $65,000; and
Cash in hand for the erection of seven branch buildings.
• 1898 Children’s Department opened.
• 1898 & 1899 Andrew Carnegie gives two $10,000 gifts for technical
periodicals and the journals of learned societies.
• 1902 Science & Technology Department established. (Believed to be the
oldest such Dept. in a US public library.
• 1902 Patent Depository established.
• 1905 Government Document depository status.
• 2005 3 million items, 96 staff.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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6
Around the mid
1970s
Between 1996 & 2001
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Around the mid
1970s
Between 1996 & 2001
“Free to the people” since 1895
Background
• 1998 -- Application of business planning model to public
library operations.
• Process begun for strategic planning and goal setting.
• Staff, customer and consultant research / input to determine future
directions.
• 2000-2001 -- System wide strategic planning process
initiated.
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Services
Facilities
Training
Collections
• Existing research service model with subject departments,
last altered in 1986.
• Do existing services meet current & projected user
demands and needs?
• Does the facility support the needed service requirements?
“Free to the people” since 1895
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8 Subject Departments
1. Children's Dept.
2. Foundation Center
3. Humanities
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
(AV, Fiction, Literature, Poetry, Religion, Philosophy, Sports,
Entertainment.)
Job, Career & Education.
Music & Art Dept.
Pennsylvania Dept.
(Local History, Pennsylvaniana, Genealogy.)
Science & Technology
(Sciences, Medicine & Health, Patents, Cookbooks, Psychology, & Gov
Docs.)
Social Sciences
(History, Politics, Law, Business, Geography, Sociology, & Gov Docs.)
“Free to the people” since 1895
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• LC shelving organized by department floor.
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1st floor - Humanities. B-BD, BH-BX, GV, P-PZ & Fiction.
2nd floor – Social Sciences. A, C-CN, CR-CT, D-L & Z.
2nd floor – Music & Art. M-N.
3rd floor – Science & Technology. Q-V, circulating Dewey.
8 “stacks” of Reference materials NOT browsable.
• User Focus Group Conclusions.
• Confusing “jargon”. We use terminology not used / understood
by public library user.
• Unnecessary multiple trips to find information and materials.
• AV (then 25% of all circulation) too decentralized and spread
out.
• Conclusion / recommendation adopted, Fall 2002:
• Provide an Integrated Service Delivery Model.
“Free to the people” since 1895
5
0
What is an Integrated Service Delivery Model?
• A consolidation of the major subject discipline depts.
• Redistribution of the reference and circulating non-fiction
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collections into sequential call number order.
Transfer of almost all pre-1970 periodicals and the library’s
Heritage Collections to off-site depository and allow for 5 years
of growth in the circulating and reference stack areas.
What are the benefits?
• Less customer / user confusion.
• Single point of service for reference. (excl. PA and Jobs.)
• Reduction in overall staff costs.
• Services and collections that more accurately reflect library
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use.
Enhance the value of the professional staff by providing training
and experience that broadens their depth of knowledge.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Main Library Service Points
Then Existing Model for
Main Library
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Children's Dept.
Foundation Center
Humanities
Job, Career & Education.
Music & Art Dept.
Pennsylvania Dept.
Science & Technology
Social Sciences
Planned Model for
Main Library
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Children's Dept.
Film & Audio – New.
New & Featured – New.
Job, Career &
Education.
Pennsylvania Dept.
Combined Reference
The Foundation Center moved to
CLP’s Downtown & Business Library
in 2001.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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2
How to Implement the Program?
• Summer, 2002 - Selected a Manager to coordinate the subject
department merger, who became the Dept. Head.
• Developed a timeline to merge the departments and services
based on renovation and collection shifting program at Main
Library.
• Transferred of all Services affected by construction schedule on
library’s first floor. Humanities, Job Center and Customer Services
(check-in, check-out, returns and library cards)
• Shifted of over 1,000,000 volumes (+500,000 non print items) on
11 floors or stacks into call number order.
• Opened up an additional floor for public browsing, and transferred
pre-1970 periodicals and duplicate reference materials to off-site
depository (100,000 items.)
• Weeded, cleaned up and transferred another 50,000 items from
“old” warehouse to depository.
• Weeded over 150,000 items from Main Library collections.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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3
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Main Library floor profile
Open Stack
3
Open Stack
2
Open Stack (new)
Open Stack
1
Offices, shipping, admin.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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At the same time we:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Developed a plan for the new First Floor configuration
Setup a new Film & Audio Dept.
Reconfigured our Photocopy & Microfilm Services
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Photocopy previously reported to Science & Technology
Microfilm previously reported to Social Sciences.
Maintained all of our services during renovation.
Accommodated users from nearby Squirrel Hill Branch
closed for renovations. (Single busiest neighborhood
location after Main Library.)
Re-opened two branches that completed renovations.
Eliminated 13 positions system-wide due to state funding
cuts. (The blow was softened by having 11 concurrent
vacancies in Main Library.)
“Free to the people” since 1895
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The Process
Examined Carnegie Library subject departments and other
urban libraries that had merged or consolidated
departments.
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Began a regular round of information meetings with all of Main
Library staff to keep them informed of developments, invite
suggestions, and promote staff buy-in.
Reviewed Collections.
Reviewed Budget allocations.
Reviewed Periodical & Serial acquisitions.
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Substantial duplication of tools and standard titles between depts.
Looked at outside collaborative efforts.
Examined Information & Vertical Files. (3/4 were discarded.)
Assessed skill requirements in different disciplines.
Discovered idiosyncratic ways of each department.
Asked what other libraries had done.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Prior to Renovations.
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Established a schedule and scope of cross-training to
be developed and conducted by Main Library staff.
• The staff needed to learn and develop the practical skills
outside their traditional areas.
• Makes them an integral part of the process.
• They’re making it happen, it’s not being done to them.
• Determined an order to integrate the departments.
• Decision was made based on our intuition, and observations
of outside libraries that it needs to be a graduated process.
• Complete individual departments in a deliberate fashion.
• Merge the staff and the collections together, with particular
attention paid to what the incoming staff feel are their
important reference resources.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Concurrent with cross-training, began a cycle of
cross-staffing in the existing departments.
• Exposed staff to resources and patrons they’re not familiar
with.
• Better acquaint them with their professional colleagues and
future co-workers.
• Better acquaint them with their “new” patrons.
• Increase and promote all-around comfort levels.
“Free to the people” since 1895
Cross Training
(39 sessions between February & June, 2003)
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February 2003.
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What is a general overview?
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Humanities Dept. general overview.
Music & Art Dept. general overview
Social Sciences Dept. general overview.
Science & Technology Dept. general overview.
Teens general overview.
• Nature and scope of the dept’s. collection and service
areas.
• Nature of the most common inquiries and questions asked.
• Most common and useful reference resources utilized.
• Which staff have subject expertise.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Cross Training - Workshops
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Humanities Workshops.
• Readers Advisory
• Literature
– American
– British
– World
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Literary Criticism
African American Literary Resources
Shakespeare Resources
Finding poems and short stories.
Religion & Theology Resources.
Authorsheets (Carnegie Library developed literature resource)
Using Explicators
Concordances
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Cross Training - Workshops
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Music & Art.*
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Art & Artists.
Architecture.
Appraisals and Auction Prices.
Collectibles.
Pittsburgh Artists and Architecture.
Music – Searching Uniform Titles in the catalog.
Musicians, variations on names and non-English use.
Pittsburgh Musicians.
Special collections within the Music & Art Dept.
Music Scores & Sheet Music.
* In late 2005, we decided to keep Music itself as a separate
department sharing common functions and space with the Film &
Audio Dept.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Cross Training - Workshops
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Social Sciences Dept.
• ERIC and other resources in education.
• History sets.
• Finding statistical data
– Governmental
– International
• Business information
– Directory
– Financial data
• Consumer information
• Copyright
• Government Documents.
– Introduction
– Finding Aids
– Formats
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Cross Training - Workshops
• Science & Technology Dept.
• Science Handbooks
– (Chemistry, Physics, etc.)
• Science Fair Projects
• Manufacturer’s Directories
– Duns
– Thomas’ Registers
• Army & Navy Registers
• Medline
• Patents
– US
– British
• Trademarks
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Cross Training - Workshops
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Science & Technology
• Standards (CLP maintains a significant collection.)
– ANSI
– ASTM
– British & ISO
– MILSPEC
• Building & Construction Codes.
– BOCA
– National Fire Safety Code
– RS Means
• Topographical Maps & Mapping.
• Used Car Prices.
• Government Documents.
• NASA & SAE Technical Reports (Fiche.)
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Cross Training Workshops
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Unique Construct. Half of the classes designed by the
subject departments.
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The 2nd half were planned based on feedback and
requests from the librarians themselves.
• Based on their experiences during cross-staffing exchanges.
• Based on questions colleagues were asking the subject librarians.
• Cross Training was continual, gradually becoming an
internal continuing education tool. We still do them.
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Once or twice a month.
Informal.
Staff driven and staff taught.
No more than 1 hour.
Content, topic, or database specific.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Timeline
2003
• Planned & scheduled cross-training / cross-staffing.
• Initiated deliberate cross training programs and cross-staffing.
• Continued through June.
• First floor of the library closes for renovations (excluding the
Children’s Dept.)
• Humanities Dept. shares space and staffing with Social
Sciences Dept. but is maintained as a separate administrative
unit. (Not fully merged yet.)
• Late 2003 -- Humanities and Social Sciences Depts. officially
become the first two components of the new Reference
Services Dept.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Timeline
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2004
• Continued cross-staffing with Science & Technology and Music & Art
Depts.
• Late 2004 -- moved the resources and staff of Science & Technology
Dept. to the 2nd floor and merged them into Reference Services.
2005
• Reassigned Art Librarian to Reference Services. Maintain split
schedule with Music & Art Dept until December while new
Film & Audio Dept., coordinated with Music librarians.
2006
• All intended subject departments merged into Reference
Services.
“Free to the people” since 1895
Reality Check – November 2004
• Reference Question Survey – Two weeks.
• Tracked every reference question asked (excl.
directional.)
• Confirmed the premise behind the consolidation of
the subject departments.
• Tracked where the users are from.
• Tracked who they are.
– Students
– Business community
– Regular library user or not?
• What resources were used?
• Expertise level required to answer the question.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Reference Question
User Survey
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Survey Results
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Ref Services Questions
Humanities & Soc. Sci.
Social Sciences /
Humanities
2050 Questions
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20% - History
20% - Literary
Criticism
15% - Business
related.
15% - “What is…?”
30% - Mixed
“Free to the people” since 1895
Current Events
5%
Religion
6%
What is?
13%
Books
6%
Census & Geog.
5%
Lit Crit
18%
Law & Gov
7%
Articles
8%
Business
13%
History
19%
Survey Results
Social Sciences / Humanities Users
• 50% - Personal
• 40% - Students
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• 50% - College & University
• 45% - Secondary
• 5% - Elementary
10% - Business Users.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Survey Results
Science & Technology
Sci Tech Questions
1970 Questions.
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45% - General
20% - Common Science
& Health
15% - Patents &
Trademarks.
10% - “How do I…?”
10% - Hard Sciences.
Common Sciences
21%
General
43%
Hard Sciences
8%
Patents
15%
How do I
13%
“Free to the people” since 1895
Survey Results
Science & Technology Users
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45% - Personal
40% - Students
• 65% - College & University
• 30% - Secondary
• 5% - Elementary
15% - Business Users.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Survey Results
Music & Art
Music & Art Questions
1230 Questions
• 30% - Hard Music
• 25% - Music Scores
• 15% - Hard Art
• 15% - General Music
• 15% - Mixed
• Lyrics
• Collectibles
• Images
“Free to the people” since 1895
Hard Art
17%
Music
13%
Collectibles
6%
Images
3%
Lyrics
7%
Hard Music
28%
Scores
26%
Survey Results
Music & Art Users
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60% - Personal
25% - Students
• 65% - College & University
• 30% - Secondary
• 5% - Elementary
15% - Business Users.
• Auction Houses
• Attorneys
• Appraisers
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Survey Conclusions:
1. Decision to consolidate subject departments was
correct.
2. Revisited the decision as related to the Music
component of Music & Art.
3. Academic users are a substantial portion of the
library’s active customer base.
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Service implications
Technology implications
4. With the exception of Music, specific discipline
expertise isn’t necessary to meet the majority of user
demand most of the time.
- “Can I have your number, we’ll call back with that answer.”
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Conclusions & Recommendations
1. Allow as much time as possible / feasible to plan, promote
(staff & public buy-in) and train for a subject department
consolidation.
2. Use graduated cross-staffing to familiarize staff with their
colleagues, the resources they’ll need to use, and the
patrons or customers they’ll need to serve.
3. Encourage and support staff planning of thorough crosstraining.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Learn the resources.
Learn the questions.
Meet your colleagues.
Reduce the stress factor.
Involve the staff at all levels and solicit their input.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Conclusions & Recommendations
4. Use your construction delays wisely.
Communicate Communicate & Communicate.
“Free to the people” since 1895
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Reference Services Customer Service Model
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As much as possible separate phone service from desk or
walk-up service.
Substitute some standing orders for on-demand
purchases.
• ANSI Standards
Provide electronic document delivery, including original
PDFs.
Plain language signage – say it in English.
Balance what users use / need and anticipated use vs.
acquiring materials because you’ve always bought them.
Use data to make your decisions.
• Survey results
• Usage
• ILL and photocopy requests.
“Free to the people” since 1895
Results of the redesign?
 Visitors up 93%
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Squirrel Hill Library
Since 2002
 Visitors up 67%
• Downtown & Business Library
• Since 2002
 Circulation up 42%
• Hazelwood Library
• Since reopening in May 2004
“Free to the people” since 1895
“Free to the people” since 1895
Results of the redesign
 Increased circulation and registrations
 Many more users
 Library as a destination
 The library is easy to use and understand.
 No secret handshake is necessary.
“Free to the people” since 1895
The process of innovation is not simply
an act. It is not just design, or market
analysis, or investment, or
entrepreneurship….It is all of these, a
complex sequence of steps. And it is all
the more complex because there is
nothing automatic about it. The engines
of innovation are human beings.
Daniel V. De Simone
“Free to the people” since 1895
Jumpstarting a 105 Year-old
Community Icon
 http://www.carnegielibrary.org/presentations/
 http://libraryjournal.com/article/CA6312505.ht
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Beth Dempsey, “Power Users,” Library Journal.
Vol. 130 No. 20. December 2005. p. 72-75.
“Free to the people” since 1895
Your presenters
 Richard Kaplan
kaplanr@carnegielibrary.org
 Karen Rossi
rossik@carnegielibrary.org
“Free to the people” since 1895