Evaluating Two Most Important Facets Of The Library Experience

For the first part of this assignment, my task was to observe, listen, and evaluate two very important facets of the library experience, the library environment and the staff’s interactions within that space. With that noted, my personal goal was simply to pay attention. This goal might seem small, but whenever I visit a library, my attention is usually focused on some question that needs to be answered and I remember little about my experience outside of the information I was looking for. A second goal was to observe the library as objectively as I could. I did my best to remove all preconceived opinions and expectations so I might see the experience with fresh eyes.
I chose to do my observation in a music library because I thought it …show more content…
It is a large area that takes up half a wall and a whole corner of the room. Behind the desk is spacious with several shelves for storage. Some of the shelves contain books and materials that are not allowed to leave the library. On the counter of the reference desk, is a patron accessible shelf. The counter space and shelf allow accessibility to staplers, tape, a hole punch, free music posters, a tub of free CD’s, a small tray to return books, and pamphlets and informational material. There is a bucket of pencils and a sign indicating everything on that particular shelf is free. In contrast to the rest of the space, the reference area is well lit. There is no sign indicating the reference desk, however because of the location it is obvious and has an inviting feel, making it seem approachable. The desk and counter are low, decorated in light wood, and frosted glass. The set-up of the libraries physical space has a nice flow with little physical barriers between the reference desk, the entry, and the shelves containing most of the resources. I brought my laptop and decided to sit at one of the stations where the computer is broken. The room was mostly quiet except the occasional sound of an instrument being played somewhere else in the building. I sat down and situated …show more content…
He sat down when the document started to print. This was the only patron to approach the staff member. He spent less than a minute with this interaction. Another patron was stapling some papers at the reference area and dropped all of them behind the reference desk. The staff member was obviously annoyed by this. The woman went around behind the reference desk to retrieve her papers. The staff member took out his earbud and started to stand up, but the patron had already retrieved her papers so he sat back down. He did not rove or ask anyone any