Simplicity

We’ve all heard the idea that computers are there to make our lives easier, but that’s not always the case.  And it seems that these days, our lives are getting so busy that anything that makes our lives easier in some way should be welcome.  But are we really making things easier?

This morning, I came across a simple question which got me started. “Do you think about light switches?”  Okay, you might wonder first of all how this got me on the topic of simplicity, and secondly, who thinks about light switches?  Well, the point is, we just flip them on.  They give us light and we don’t even think about them.  There are complicated processes behind light switches…the design, the science….and yet, we just flip them on or off a million times a day without giving them a second thought.  They are simple.

How does this apply to the library?  It got me thinking about how complicated libraries can be and how we can make them easier for people to navigate.  When you work in a library for any length of time, the idea of the Dewey Decimal System, the OPAC and your library catalog software becomes second nature.  It is easy to find things, even though there are many different areas throughout a library with different inventories.  Not only do you have the non-fiction categories from the zero’s to the 900’s , but there are magazines, fiction, paperbacks, newspapers, microfilm, DVD’s, books for sale, audiobooks, picture books, biographies and french books.  Keep in mind, these categories are mainly in two separate areas of our library….adult and juvenile so it makes it doubly complicated.  The average library patron might only visit one section of the library on a regular basis, so how do we make the rest of the library as easily accessible as turning on that light switch?  Signs, for a start.

But how simple are signs and how effective are they? (I’d like to point out that the signage catastrophe at the new Almonte roundabout is NOT helpful.  Twenty or more signs in an area the size of a typical house foundation when you are in a moving car will not make life easier, just laughable.)  Looking around our own library, I notice signs that I don’t really look at everyday, and for the most part, they could be helpful, but can we make them serve a better purpose? For example…for years, when someone came to the front desk and asked for a book in the juvenile fiction section, we’d point back to the children’s area and try to describe just where the book could be found. (“It’s on the second bay from the right, on the left hand side.” etc.) Too complicated.  So instead, we put up some simple signs which have really helped.  Now we just say bay 1, 2 or 3 and it is easy.

Fiction is an easy one to find, but we didn’t have a specific area for new children’s fiction for the longest time and it was being lost on the shelves.  It isn’t that we just want kids to read the new books, but kids are visual people these days, and they like to see appealing books.  So we started a “New Juvenile Fiction” cart and it has really caught on.  Once the books have circulated for a while, they’ll be transferred to the shelves and others will be put in their place.  But hopefully, kids will have found some new authors and will search them out on the shelves.

We’re also featuring books now in our children’s area because we have new shelving and more area to display our books.  This has worked really well, and although some might think we are force-feeding kids with certain books, I think it has really made a difference in how the kids look at the books now.  They not only see the featured books, but they actually SEE the books in general.

And recently, we moved all of our Juvenile Audio collection over to the children’s area, making it easier for the kids to find audio books they like, instead of being mixed in with all of the audio books we own.  Has it helped the circulation?  Time will tell, but we’re trying.

So, this is just a little insight into how we are trying to make our library an easier place to get around.  If we keep the light switch idea in mind to try to improve the experience for all patrons, we might just make a unique and wonderful experience for book lovers.  Something to think about……

Ride your bike

These days, the cost of gas makes the idea of riding a bike even more attractive to a lot of people.  But it’s hard to keep the “cool” factor pulling up to work on your ten speed with your hair all smucked to your head from the helmet.  What if your bike was a bit more elegant, something to marvel at?  Would it coax you into trying?

Bicycle design has pretty much stayed the same since the original bicycles in the 19th century, aside from the fact that they’ve come down in size.  But bicycles could look so much more interesting and it seems that designers have finally caught on to that fact. The creative people at Hammacher Schlemmer have created an eight speed transmission electric bicycle (which kind of defeats the purpose of getting some exercise, but that’s neither here nor there).

And what about a folding bike that will save some space once you get to work?  In fact, you could bring the entire bike into your cubicle with you, instead of just the wheel. The Strida Folding Bike looks a little odd, but if it works, then I guess that’s all that matters.

Australian student designer Julie Anne Davies has come up with a unique helmet design that cools the rider, is more ergonomic and provides better safety in crashes.  Along with that, her Pulse Bicycle Safety Helmet features a USB port and Bluetooth capabilities to allow you to take your music along with you.

We have nice number of books on the subject of bicycles in the library, also, such as :

Bicycles by Robert Green

and

Zinn & the art of Mountain Bike Maintenance by Leonard Zinn

Of course, there are many more books to choose from but if you are interested in getting out your bike and taking to the streets or the trails, come on in and browse the shelves for some ideas.  You can also see more fun bicycle designs right here at the interesting site Been-Seen.

Design with Todd Oldham

I’ve always found designer Todd Oldham to have fascinating and creative ideas, but ones which translate well to the real world.  Unlike some of his peers, his work doesn’t scream ridiculous design for the sake of being unique.  Instead, he takes simple items and makes them stylish and I was thrilled when I found his book Handmade Modern on our shelves.

This book is a great combination of style, design and crafting for the everyday person.  It is unique in that each page boasts simple step-by-step photos and instructions to create beautiful items for your home.  He claims that almost anyone can make these and to a point, he’s probably correct, from a gorgeous library daybed to creative side tables to lampshades and creative pillows.  The book looks as fresh as the ideas, creating a modern style that almost anyone would enjoy.

Oldham’s website is fun to search, looking very similar in layout to the book itself and you can see the many aspects of his creative life.  I also stopped by his blog which posts current updates about his design studio, if you are a fan.

I found Oldham in action in a series of YouTube videos where he shows how to create one of the items from his book, usually with the help of a celebrity.  He makes it look simple and inspiring.

An interesting thing about this book is that some of Oldham’s favourite designers also each get a page in the book and he tells about their inspiration to his creativity, which I think is fascinating.  It always says something about the creative process to know a bit more about where a person gets their ideas.  You can see an interview by one of Oldham’s favourite’s Charley Harper right here:

Of course, we have many great books on design and creative inspiration if you are thinking about making a few changes to your home.  Stop by to see what we have on our shelves, or browse through our online catalog for this book, and click on “nearby items on the shelf”  on the details page to see more books that you might be interested in reading.  It’s a nice way to spend a summer weekend.

The world on a plate

London based designer Craig Ward has specialized in creating beautiful and interesting works of art based on typography.  We have featured his hair alphabet in a previous blog, but he has many other fabulous creations that are inspired and will make you think about typeface and how we view letters.

The Economist : The world on a plate

Typography is everywhere.

LoveHate Ambigram

You can find out more about Craig Ward on his blog or you can view his website here.

Do you reuse?

This weekend, my husband commented on the fact that although the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” is everywhere, we don’t really do all of those things. When I thought about it, he was right.  We recycle quite a bit in our house and while we are working on the reduce part, we really don’t reuse a lot of things.  I bring empty egg cartons to work for my storytime (they make great glue containers), and paper towel rolls, but what about all the other waste that comes from packaging and disposable materials?  Does anyone really find uses for all of the packaging or items they purchase?  I suppose many people do,  and here is just a great example of a variety of lighting made by DIY’ers and reused materials.

Egg carton light string, photo courtesy of Esprit Cabane (see their DIY step-by-step instructions to make these yourself!)

Ballpoint Pen Chandelier by EnPieza (made fora client)

Plastic Spoon Chandelier by Studio Verissimo

You can find more creative uses of reused materials at this great site called Web Ecoist. Maybe it will inspire you to make something out of that peanut butter container you were about to throw in the garbage.

A paper sentence?

Amazing paper cutting artist  Aoyama Hino uses only tiny scissors to make these amazing and wonderful creations!  I can’t imagine having to cut out each little part but her work is beautiful and I wish I had the patience to do it.

On her site, Aoyama Hino says

“They are super fine lacy-paper-cuttings done by a simple pair of scissors.
My passion is to create a finest cutoff beyond the level of the very time-consuming needle lace making.

I don’t follow traditional but I am trying to create a mixture of the traditional and modern styles and to produce my own world through this super fine lacy-paper-cuttings technique.”

This particular photo is from her collection called “Sentences” which you can find on her Flickr page.

Wonderful!