Digital Signs in Library, and how to make them work.

I walk by a television every morning as I make my way into the Adult Services department. This television happens to list library programs and other information. Often at times, I cannot look, due to how bad the digital sign looks. I also noticed that, there are multiple signs/slides that pop up on the screen. The other day, I chose to watch, and I counted 20 signs/slides. I didn’t find this very appealing at all; I wonder if there is a proper way to get a hold of patrons with this type of signage. Not to mention that, the images used on the screen looked very pixelated and distorted. April I. Siqueiros, author of Whizz! Bang! Pow! Making an Impact with Digital Signage interviewed Laurel Eby, a web services librarian at San Jose State University (SJSU) King Library. Eby, was in charge of implementing three digital signs (Siqueiros I., 2015). Eby asked some questions in regards to digital signage, “What should I put on these signs? How big are they, anyway? And how long could I reasonably expect students to stand there staring at them, reading content on them?” (Sequeiros I., 2015).

Through trial and error, Eby was able to figure out what key ingredients were needed in preparing these signs, to which she hopes will help other librarians. These ingredients are simple, and they include Screen Size and Content, and Assessment. Eby explained that, “Digital screens come in different aspect ratios; most of which full under 16:9 (widescreen TVs) and 4:3 (old TVs and monitors) (Sequeiros I., 2015). Further, this does not mean that the library can put anything on the screen. Users and librarians need to consider that, when displaying anything on these signs; you need to think about the screen’s width to height. Eby does bring up a great point, which I think should be considered, “knowing the aspect ratio and resolution of the screen can avoid black bars and cropped, tiny, or blurred images. Text can be informal, but too much of it can make a sign cluttered. Using a good image should pique the viewer’s interest to read the information” (Seiquiros I., 2015). Eby does need to do some more research with digital signs, but using an assessment method, she has come up with the idea of using 8–10 slides. She also plans to do some sort of style guide for best practices, as well as templates in order to help other libraries.

Since libraries are on the digital phase, ideally, this is something that should be considered. Having digital signs is a great way to omit the clutter surrounding reference desks, and other spots in the library (I have seen too much of this, as it’s an overload). Using a couple of digital signs in populated areas, and with these sorts of practices, this would be a great edition to the library.

Reference:

Siqueiros I., A. (2015, November 5). Whizz! Bang! Pow! Making an Impact with Digital Signage. Retrieved from Library Journal: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/11/technology/whizz-bang-pow-making-an-impact-with-digital-signage-the-digital-shift-2015/