In Final Printed Issue, Information Outlook Looks at User Experience
A coffee bar, a TV lounge, comfortable chairs, dedicated quiet areas, 24/7 Internet access–the list of amenities that clients and customers expect from our libraries and information centers is long and growing. No longer just warehouses for books and journals, libraries and info centers are now seen as extensions of our wired, social environments, and their services are judged accordingly.
How can librarians and information professionals meet the expectations of today's users? The Nov/Dec issue of Information Outlook–the final printed version of the magazine–offers some advice. Authors Debra Kolah and Gretchen McNeely discuss user expectations within the context of user experience and usability, two concepts that frequently are applied to Websites but also relate to physical environments (especially with respect to lighting, seating, signage, and so forth). Their insights into how to conduct user experience research will help even info pros with limited expertise and budgets understand how clients engage with their information environment and identify ways to enhance that interaction.
In addition to the theme articles, the Nov/Dec issue also contains several other pieces worth reading:
- A look at the copyright practices of nonprofit organizations and the arguments for greater information sharing by such groups;
- An overview of near field communication (NFC) and answers to common questions about it;
- A first-person account of the roles of information professionals in helping venture capital firms make successful investment decisions; and
- An interview with SLA member Tim Siftar, who has worked in health care, financial and academic settings and held several different titles yet still lives in the same neighborhood into which he moved while attending graduate school and still rides the same trolley line he rode to his first job.
You'll also find columns by Stephen Abram, Lesley Ellen Harris and Jill Strand, plus the usual assortment of news items. Watch your mailbox for the printed version of the magazine, or begin reading the articles online by clicking here.
