Wonderland: The Library Experience for Book Lovers

Do you remember reading Roald Dahl's Matilda? (if not, go read it now. Dahl is still very good reading for adults.) Remember her library experience? For book lovers, that story still rings very true - the world of wonders just waiting in books. It's the same reason we love The Never-ending Story movie, and we identify with Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Books are magical for us, and libraries are wonderlands.

I've posted before about the clash between this nostalgic affection and the image of the "modern library." But I've come to realize that while our wonderland libraries do clash with the library-as-consulting-agency model, they are delightfully consistent with another new idea of libraries: the library-as-destination.

Library-as-destination is really a beguiling vision. Libraries from this vision are community centers, coffeehouses, hubs of literature and conversation. We'll have concerts and storytimes and philosophy discussion groups and many, many book clubs. One of the high points of this vision is that we don't have to give up our love of books! Literature will be a focal point of our passionate community centers. Our teen areas will be cool to hang out in, and our children's areas - well, they will be wonderlands! Bright, magical spaces with toys and climbing furniture and walls of bright, colorful books.

The best thing abut this vision? It's appealing to our most passionate users, our "core" group - book lovers. Book lovers would flock to this library. And it makes more sense, really, to build a library that appeals to the people who already love us, rather than trying to build libraries that will draw in people who are currently indifferent.

So what's in the way? Mainly conflicting visions. A library cannot brand itself as both a cool modern library of expertise and professionalism and as passionate literary hub. We have to pick one. And sadly, there are practical concerns at work here. Our governing body (also our source of funding) is the county government, and they are eager to prioritize economic development - which means that the consulting-library is easier to sell than the wonderland-library. We would need an amazing amount of community support to work towards a different vision. And I think we could get it- it's just a matter of selling the dream.

Old-fashioned Charm: Love it or lose it?

Where I work, we build very sleek, modern libraries. They are lovely - high ceilings, lots of light, open spaces, modern signage. They fit well with the image we're trying to create (to the extent that we think about our image at all.) We try to portray ourselves as a new library for a new age - we are modern, slick, efficient; we are cool and professional. We use Barnes & Noble as our model. We're seeking a place in the business world, we're emphasizing our role in health information literacy and financial literacy, we think of our librarians as consultants. Our publications should portray us as "a winner."

Are we going the wrong way?

One thing I've noticed is that when people speak of libraries with affection, they are almost always talking about an old-fashioned experience. They love the feeling of peace and quiet, or they love the nooks and crannies, they love the sense of mystery, and the wonder of being surrounded by books - for many people, the older the books, the better. I've heard people wax nostalgic about paper dust. They don't want the experience of a large chain bookstore. They want the old-fashioned charm of a library.

While I love the open, airy spaces of our new libraries, and paper dust makes me sneeze, I can identify with this other perspective. I love old-fashioned libraries. I love mysterious staircases and hidden corners and yes, I love old books. I once read a quote that said that the love people have for their library is inversely proportional to the size of the library - that small libraries would always be beloved, in a way that large libraries never would be.

I think that New York Public Library gives this the lie. Look at the recent reaction when they considered moving their stacks. Their reading room is beautiful and well-used, and they have a rich array of cultural programming. The lions that flank the entrance are so iconic that they had a children's television program named after them (PBS's Between the Lions). They are a huge library serving a huge population, and yet they are loved.

The simple fact is, old-fashioned libraries are an emotional brand with a lot of positive resonance. As we move our library into a sleek, almost corporate image, what will our emotional impact be? We've worked hard to get away from the old-fashioned nostalgia, but I'm worried that we've driven away the people who love us the most. How will we regain their love? How will our sleek professionalism gain anyone's love?

I'm not ready to give up on the modern library yet, but we're going to need to think hard about the way we brand ourselves. We want to be professional, but we need to stay human, need to be approachable - we need to be able to be loved.

Favorite Library Logos

The logo research continues, and I've been looking at a LOT of library logos lately. (Alliteration: just one more service I offer.)Here are some of my favorites.

(I've linked to the library websites whenever I could, so you can see the logos in their native habitat.)

First, logos with books in them:
Anchorage Public Library
This is one of my absolute favorites. It's a book, but at the same time it looks very digital - you can see it as being more about reading and knowledge than about the physical object of the book. Great colors but still nice in black-and-white.

Beech Grove Public Library
Simple and elegant book-and-tree. The downside: the lettering. Why is the H large? And what's with the kerning? The bottom line especially.







Hamilton Public Library (Ontario)
What I like about this logo is the hand that holds the book. First of all, GREAT use of negative space. Second of all, it adds so much warmth and humanity to this image. It's not a picture of a book - it's a picture of a person USING a book. Wonderful.

Daniel Boone Regional Library
A fun, colorful logo that still holds up in one color. Also check out the fun tie-in on their Bookmobile Jr: http://www.dbrl.org/outreach/bookmobile (scroll down)



Place-based logos
These logos focus on the LOCATION of their library, rather than of the CONTENTS of the library.

New York Public Library
We're all jealous of New York Public Library. So beloved, such rich history. Their logo shows the lions which flank the entrance.

Chicago Public Library
I love the simplicity of this piece. Somehow it manages to seem like a solid institution of long standing, without seeming stodgy or out-of-date. The "Y" symbol, which forms the book in the center, is the "municipal device" of the city, and represents the Chicago River. (Read more here: http://chicago-outdoor-sculptures.blogspot.com/2010/01/y-symbol.html )

Orange County Library System
Okay, so this logo isn't exactly to my taste, and I think there are some things wrong with it, and yet...it's bright, it's fun, and it represents its community. I had to include it here.



Graphic Logos
It's hard to do a good graphic logo, but when you get it right, it can be both modern and timeless. Here are a couple that I do like. (You may be noticing a tendancy towards circles at this point. I confess. I do like circles.)

Hennepin County Library
I really like this. So simple, so bold.

Westport Public Library
It's graphic, it's flowing, it works in one color and at a small size. Very good.


Marion Regional Library
Being a design and type geek, of COURSE I like this logo! (Note: This logo seems to be ENTIRELY HOMELESS on the internet and to exist only within Google Images. I can't find a library with that name, and the designer's site won't load either.)

Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
A local favorite of mine.





And a final, self-indulgent category...... RAINBOW LOGOS!
This section really has nothing to do with my professional opinion. I just happen to love rainbows

Library Book Logo - pros and cons

Our library is exploring a new logo. Not that we really have a logo right now, so I guess we're exploring the possibility of A logo.

And there's one large question that keeps coming up: Do we or don't we use the image of a book in the logo?

Pros: Books are still the single image that people associate most with libraries. (http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm) A logo with a book is immediately recognizable - a book is an easy thing to visualize, and when people look at it, they see "library."

There's also an affection factor. People who already love books are probably the most inclined to love libraries, and we can tie ourselves into that. I love books, and my favorite library logos all have books in them.

Cons: Books can be seen as old-fashioned and boring, which we definitely want to leave behind. A book image doesn't help us expand ourselves. We don't necessarily want to play into the libraries=books stereotype. If we want to start moving into a new niche, we need to start creating a new brand, and associating ourselves with a new image. We are trying to remove our association with "things" like books, discs and computers, and associate ourselves with intangibles like service, community, and intelligence.

 :) Now if I can only find a way to create a visualization for community and service...

Logo deliciousness

An interesting and adorable video of a child's view of brand recognition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4t3-__3MA0

And the cool blog of the creative brain behind it:
http://blog.ladd-design.com/

And even more cuteness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9OZVWN_a0c

As a bonus, a nice list of cool logos: http://www.jacketflap.com/megablog/index.asp?tagid=185255&tag=inspiring+logo+designs