Tamworth City Library A Living Room Library

Objectives

• Encourage client independence• Create a cosy atmosphere where clients are

comfortable to linger, browse or read• Cater for different styles of using the library. i.e the

browser versus the catalogue user.• Display and promote awareness of the complete range

of formats available for use.• Entice clients to explore new formats. • Integrate electronic resources so they become less

threatening for clients who are shy of technology.

Floorplan• Long narrow site/building

• Entrance 1/3 way down the building

• Living Rooms (mostly ”u” shaped areas) used to break up the length of the building and take away tunnel effect.

• Some shelves are on wheels so that areas can be “opened up” for events, displays etc.

FoyerReturns Chutes

Characteristics of “Living Rooms”

• Broad subject “rooms” with comfortable furniture scattered throughout. Lounges, lounge chairs, bean bags and coffee tables

• All formats interfiled in each room: Junior & Adult Reference , Non-Fiction, Magazines, CDs, Video, DVD, etc and PCs which default to a “pathfinder” screen for the subject area. The default page includes subscription databases and Internet Links. Some areas have extensive pamphlet collections and there is lots of “face out” display.

• Drink vending machines (Coke and Coffee)

Vending Machines

Entrance Doors Music Living Room

Subject Groups

• Choice of subjects for subject grouping is not a “one size fits all” for public libraries

• Analysis of loan statistics for non-fiction by Dewey 10s. i.e 610s 620s etc assisted in determining the groupings. The popularity of subjects such as agriculture and medicine became apparent from these reoprts.

• The layout of major bookstores also influenced the subject grouping. For example after visiting Borders Bookshop it was decided that politics should go in the history room and that language tapes should be located in the travel room.

• Local profile- population has high child and youth age groups, agricultural area, country music capital.

Tamworth City Age Profile

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

0-4 5-14 15-24 25-35 35-44 45-54 55-64 65&over

Rooms

• Large Rooms• Literature & Film• Music• Agriculture & Gardening• Health & Sport• History ( includes Politics)

• Local Studies• Science & Technology

• Medium Sized Rooms• Cooking & Craft• Travel ( includes language tapes)

• Biographies• Law and Business• Religion & Philosophy• Art & Photography

Locating the rooms Traffic flows & relationships between areas

• Information desk opposite entrance & circulation next to exit.• Music Room first thing users see when entering library • Law & Business Living Room and Health & Sport Living Room given

high profile, visible from entrance and close proximity to information desk

• Youth area near the front with high visibility inside and outside the building

• Travel Living Room near Youth area• Children’s corner at rear of building with colourful pathway.• Science & Technology Living Room next to Children’s area to

encourage boys into transition to information resources• Cooking & Craft nearby to Children’s area so parents can browse

while storytime is in progress.

Health & SportLiving Room

Health & Sport

Public Access PCs scattered throughout Living Rooms

• 22 public access PCs• Some are dedicated PCs in living rooms with default

pages promoting subject databases and web links for the living room subject area

• Automated booking system linked to library management system borrower file

• Clients can book for themselves using borrower number and PIN

• Booking system features include reports on usage, booking limits ( 2 per day) sessions close down at end of booking and at closing time, session termination can be carried out from the nerve centre.

Literature & FilmLiving Room

Workflow• New collections codes set up in library system• Library closed Monday mornings Aug- Dec 2004• All staff involved – assembly line process• Worked through the non-fiction completing about

5 bays each Monday. Unprocessed returned items not shelved until processed.

• Process = weeding / room allocation / collection & call no prefix change on system / spine label generation/ match item and spine label/ security strips inserted/ reshelved

Evaluation

• Increased usage. Some change in proportion of information/recreational use

• Changed patterns of library use – borrowers staying in the library longer.

Loans Stock Turnover 6 months 30/6/05

Agriculture 1189 600 2.0

Art& Photography 1064 646 1.6

Biography 1542 638 2.4

Craft & Cooking 2437 817 3.0

Health & Sport 2475 1879 1.3

History 2289 1910 1.2

Law 972 991 1.0

Music 210 219 1.0

Philosophy & Religion 729 408 1.8

Science & Technology 1909 1811 1.1

Travel 1449 682 2.1

Tamworth City LibraryComparison Loans Jan- Jun 2004 / Jan- Jun/2005

fiction fiction

anf/roomsanf/rooms

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

2004 2005

anf/rooms

fiction

Fiction Area

Law & Business

Law & Business

Science & TechnologyLiving Room

Children’s Corner

Other factors which contributed to success of the project

• Timing - rearrangement coincided with move to new premises

• Naming the concept - both the media and public have been quick to begin using the “Living Room” name.

• Ownership – all staff were involved