LIBRARY SIGNAGE: CREATING EFFECTIVE SIGNS WITH POSITIVE LANGUAGE THAT WILL GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS TO BUSY PATRONS

Signs: they are ubiquitous in most libraries, to the point where the messages we are trying to convey get lost in the clutter. There may be signs on the walls, signs on the printers, signs hanging from the ceiling, and messages on the computers screens when patrons sit down to use the terminals. College students, like the rest of us, are used to being bombarded constantly by messages at all turns from the media on television and the Internet as well as billboards and other advertisements. Many students don't bother to read the signs we have gone to all the trouble of posting, or may not understand what they mean when they do read them because the language is ambiguous or uses jargon. On the other side of the coin are libraries with inadequate signage that leave students at a loss as to where to go or what the rules are. This paper will address ways to gain the attention of our patrons and ways to convey our messages using positive language instead of negative language. For example, many libraries may “welcome” guests to the library with negative messages such as “NO FOOD ALLOWED” or with signs showing pictures of rats and bugs and chewed up books. This may not be the best way to warmly welcome patrons to our libraries or inspire them, particularly. Not to mention that this may drive them to go instead to places like Barnes and Noble where they can relax with a cup of coffee with a book in one hand and their laptop in the other. So, signage is clearly a critical part of the environment and plays a role in the library as place, as an appealing and user-friendly environment.