I tried out Cornell Library’s book-delivery service this week. A nice stack of David Foster Wallace books quickly appeared at my workplace yesterday afternoon, and I got a friendly call when they arrived.
If you are a Cornell student or staff, you can have library books delivered to any library-location of your choice for free. For me, this means walking upstairs to our sunny little ornithology library overlooking the pond, and sitting by the fireplace for a bit.
I’m an irredeemable Amazon.com addict, so I view as a right the ability to learn about a book, click a few links, and have said book delivered to me. Imagine my pleasure at being able to do this without paying for it.
Unfortunately, you pretty much have to be told about the service to find out about it, unless you are the type of user who clicks links labeled “requests” on library websites and enjoy library jargon. Like many public services in the country, the crucial step of communicating to humans was overlooked.*
*Many nonprofits seem to say to their clients: “Look, we provide a valuable and benevolent service. You could at least be arsed enough to jump through a few design hurdles in order to discover our valuable service that you don’t know exists because of our design hurdles.”
I’m not sure, but I think the Cornell Library Patron narrative is supposed to go like this:
- A student or staff member goes into the library catalog and searches for some interesting books, thinking “Hey, I’ll go pick these up at the five separate library locations where they are housed”
- The patron adds each book to her “bookbag” (navigating a series of hurdles involving ID numbers, multiple passwords unique to the library system, and cute-not-descriptive service names) to create a list of books she wants to get.
A MIRACLE OCCURS HERE- The patron mysteriously knows that she can have her books delivered.
- The patron clicks into the catalog page for each book (students love catalog pages!) and separately clicks “requests” at the bottom of the page, knowing instinctively that book delivery is a “request”.
The patron chooses “Book Delivery Services (9996 available)” from a dropdown list conveniently located below the fold.- Assuming the patron does not receive the helpful error message “Your Patron Initiated Call Slip Request failed. This item is not available for Call Slip requests.” like I just did (Patrons Love Call Slip Requests!), she enters her ID number again.
- The patron is familiar with the names and locations of the dozens of small on-campus libraries and selects her nearest branch.
The patron knows that, unlike use of the weight rooms, climbing wall, or campus cinema, the library book delivery service is free.- The patron clicks “submit request”, then repeats the process for each item she wants delivered.
- The patron celebrates her triumph with a fine malt beverage.
Still, mad useful if you know about it.
The financial advice site Get Rich Slowly suggests using the library as a frugal way to save money on books. I agree, and am going to endure more bad OPAC design in the interest of financial progress. Stay tuned.
Cornell librarians: Please do not kill me. I’m glad to have your services. Bad online user experiences are common in the library world. I’m sure you are busy right now improving the OPAC and writing clear non-jargon filled text describing your services. Go Big Red!
You really hit the nail on the head with this one. With many online library services I find that not even the librarians in their own library have any idea what services they offer! Thank God the patrons are a little more savvy. Of course, there is a heavy reliance on that “Miracle happens here” moment… without that, great services go completely under- or un-used. If we could only devote a little of the committee time we devote to deciding what the link will say to thinking about how to make our services accessible, usable, and known to potential users… well, what can I say???
I love this! I am linking my blog to yours today today today.
Heather
Dari: I love getting those calls. There is a big difference between the friendly human face of the library (you) and the snarling digital face of the library (our OPACs and websites).
Katie: Thanks dude. Glad to know I’m not too “overwrought” for everyone.
Laura: Good to know that Yale bought the El Crappo-brand OPAC too. America’s finest minds and all.
Of course, it’s easy to throw stones.
Does anyone know of an OPAC provider that offers non-1990’s era interfaces? If so, are they hiring a User Experience Manager? If not, want to start a software company with me?
Oh my god, I love this post. You are right on the money!!!
Great blog. Just got the link from a friend today. I’ll have to look around more. I work part-time at my local library in the circulation dept. When I’m not checking in/checking out, I’m making call after call saying, “The book you requested is now in and will be held for one week for you to pick up.” Lots of answering machines to talk to. Then there’s the live voice and someone gushing, “Oh, thank you! I’ve been waiting for that!” Makes an otherwise routine job more rewarding, even though I played a small part in getting the item for them.
There’s more handling involved in the requesting/delivery process than you’d think, at least for our 30+ member library system. As web usage grows, so does the amount of self-requesting online. Hoping that translates into job security!
You SO have the same OPAC as us at Yale (it must be an Ivy League conspiracy). I am always glad to know that I have 9996 more book requests available to me. If only each one did not take as long as going to the various far-flung libraries and retrieving the books myself.
Alexis: GRS is a great site. I enjoy their realistic approach to financial planning.
Alie: It’s amazing how many librarians I know that don’t use libraries. We’re also the worst at returning our books on time. >:)
Library Fan: Um, thanks.
Your thoughts on this subject are a tad bit overwrought- I get the point. I think Cornell has been offering this service for maybe a couple of years. Just a tip, a little sass goes a long way…
As a fellow librarian, I am now transferring pretty much all of my reading to the library. It makes sense for us since we actually work in a library and should take advantage of the services we provide! Plus, it’s delightful on the pocketbook.
Thanks for the pointer to Get Rich Slowly. I’ve been transferring my Amazon wishlist to the library — better reading, and better on the pocketbook. I love libraries.