UX Work in Libraries

Abstract

The application of UX expertise is beneficial in all the areas and aspects of library services and products. All what a librarian needs is an understanding of those principles and some tools with which to practice them. The goal of this chapter, therefore, is to provide a guide for librarians, whether they are specifically in charge of UX work at their library or aspire to integrate UX into their work on other library services and products. This chapter provides some theoretical background on the traditional goal of library user satisfaction and introduces UX as an approach that benefits libraries and their users. It gives an overview of popular UX methodologies and describes real-life UX in libraries through the stories from three librarians in their respective institutions: the New York Public Library, New York University, and University of California, Riverside.