Libraries are changing – anyone stepping into a public library building may come across an “English as a Second Language” class, an art exhibit, daily newspapers in a variety of languages, and the ever-cherished children’s storytelling center. One is just as likely to find digitized images of women in business on the Internet through the efforts of academic libraries, full-text articles from trade journals aggregated into easy-to-use subject categories, online booking for PC workstations, even 24/7 virtual reference service – and don’t forget the ability to request books and DVDs!

Understandably, knowing what makes sense to provide to any given constituency can be challenging. Information technology has changed the way in which we communicate, the way we spell (try “how r u doin” in IM, and anyone will reply knowing what is meant), the way we learn, and the way in which we create and share knowledge. Libraries can provide a full spectrum of services and products from the very physical (i.e., a building) to the very virtual (a collaborative wiki). As a cornerstone of our society, what is the most valuable offering a library can make today?

A long time ago, in 1999, Alan Cooper wrote a book for software designers called “The Inmates are Running the Asylum.” The purpose of the book was to enable software designers to meet user requirements, versus enabling experts (aka the software developers) to assume that what they knew must be best for the user. Given the incredible complexity of software, the thinking was that by looking at software from the outside in (i.e. from the way it will be used versus the way in which it is built), it would simplify the choices and increase the usefulness of it. 

The same is equally true for libraries. In this era where information is literally everywhere, knowledge is the most valuable asset. And in this age in which choices are innumerable, what is more complex than meeting information requirements in the midst of a myriad of potential contexts, interpersonal, communication, presentation, and content sources?

There is tremendous pressure, and an expectation, for people to be well informed. Add to this the fact that we move around easily from place to place, mix our work lives with our personal lives, share information in a nanosecond, and continue to need to be human – i.e. connected socially in terms of friends, parents, children, teachers, and peers. Really, meeting the information needs of any given community is no small feat. 

Personas are one way to make sense of what library patrons, and non-patrons, want. Personas are characters created from a composite of data that emerges from traditional market research, the collective experience as narrated by users and non-users themselves, and observations of user and non-user behavior. A persona comes together in the context of an overarching goal.

For example, Jennifer is a persona based on extensive research for SirsiDynix on public library users. Jennifer is the parent of a teenager, and her overarching goal is to ensure her children know how to use the library and to use the best sources of materials to complete a project. Secondarily, she sees the library as a great location to post availability to baby-sit, or to announce a community event.  

Jennifer represents a set of data gathered from market research and from anecdote circles (a method used to capture narrative) held in rural, urban, and suburban public libraries across the eastern United States and in one major city in Canada. What we found was that, in those settings, parents like Jennifer want to get the information delivered to them through RSS feeds, Instant Messenger, or email.

Jennifer is very busy, so checking in on her email is the most convenient way of reaching her, but she also wants to count on the library as a community center. She wants information on community events, education related events for students, due date reminders, abstracts on new books of interest to her kids, ideally in as easy-to-use forms as iTunes or Amazon.com. She really likes the library and wants her kids to understand its value. She knows there is value in the library as a building, and even more as an essential, trustworthy information source in their life. Jennifer’s biggest complaint is that a lot goes on in the library that she simply isn’t aware of – or finds out about too late. In her own words, a great day at the library looks like this: 

It was National Library Week, as a matter of fact - it was very vibrant that day. My twin boys wanted to go downstairs; they had magic shows as part of a promotion for National Library Week, and my 13-year-old had to do a project - so he was working upstairs while his brothers were downstairs - so it was very, very busy. As a matter of fact, they had to bump a meeting from downstairs upstairs; the Girl Scouts were meeting that day too. So there were hundreds of people at the library. It was a good experience. It was a great day in the community.

Personas enable the ability to look at library services and products from the outside in. Personas get at the important issues of motivation, discovery, expectations, and relationships. Without the input from the users and non-users themselves, one can only speculate. For example, we might believe that the most important resource in a public library is the collection, and the ability to purchase enough materials to keep abreast of what is published.

However, what may surprise you is to know that from the users’ perspective, while the information is important, the most important role of the public library is its place as a community builder, as an institution that is available for community events and lifelong learning. The most important asset is the staff and the relationship they have with the patrons.

Ah – but we are getting ahead of ourselves. In this three-part series of articles, the first task was to cover the basics, which we have. The next article will look at the role of personas in establishing service level standards and getting a perspective from non-users. Our last article will look at how they are used to define new and improved products (virtual and physical ones). 

For more information, feel free to contact Mary Lee Kennedy at marylee@tkgconsult.com.