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John Kupersmith's Design Page

"Librarians should understand that what they do is create space, cognitive space in the environment. It can look like a public library, a web site ... or whatever. Librarians need to make sure that they provide a rich space, where human beings can gather, interact, and become more than themselves. If librarians can do that, and do it well, they will be a part of the future."

John Perry Barlow, "Librarians as Cyberspace Guerrillas"
interview by Ron Chepesiuk, American Libraries
27 (September 1996), 49-51.

Publications on design
Written over the past 25 years, these deal with the design of libraries
and online systems as "information spaces."

Full Text Library Terms That Users Understand
This site is intended to help library web developers decide how to label key resources and services in such a way that most users can understand them well enough to make productive choices. It serves as a clearinghouse of usability test data evaluating terminology used on library web sites, listing terms that tests show are effective or ineffective labels. It presents alternatives by documenting terms that are actually used by libraries. It also suggests "best practices" for reducing cognitive barriers caused by terminology.


Full Text Is Usability the New B.I.?
This essay discusses what today's usability practitioners can learn from the experiences of the "Bibliographic Instruction movement" of the 1970s and 80s. Part of the festschrift Technology in Libraries: Essays in Honor of Anne Grodzins Lipow, ed. Roy Tennant (Lulu.com, 2008). Available as a free download.

Full Text The Other Home Page: Special-Purpose Entry Points for Library Web Sites
In an effort to optimize their web sites for diverse user groups, some libraries have chosen to create multiple entry points. This article discusses the design considerations for several types of special-purpose home pages and offers a suggested set of "best practices."

Excerpt YOU ARE HERE, But Where is That?: Architectural Design Metaphors in the Electronic Library
One of the key issues in planning an electronic library system is the choice and presentation of an overall design metaphor that will enable the user to form a useful mental model of the system. Architectural design metaphors are appealing because they address a set of basic human needs and behaviors known as "sensemaking" and "wayfinding".

Full Text Informational Graphics and Sign Systems as Library Instruction Media
This paper discusses typical approaches to signage in libraries, and describes the components, objectives, design, and benefits of sign systems.

Full Text 8 Hours in Cyberspace: Operating a Library Web Site
This paper outlines the tasks performed and staff time required to operate a public library web site.

Abstract UTCAT: Applying Design Principles to an Online Catalog
Eliel Saarinen's maxim, "Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context," is highly applicable to online catalogs and other public-access computer systems. This paper discusses the context and design principles that shaped the UTCAT online catalog at the University of Texas at Austin.

Abstract The Evolving Research Library: A Memetic View
This paper discusses the development of research libraries using the concept of memetics, which holds that ideas have a life of their own. It focuses on transitions in the perceived business of libraries, in the way libraries do business, and in the role of staff and their relationship to users.

Full Text Creating Effective Student Research Assignments
California Clearinghouse on Library Instruction program, 5/14/04
Handout - PowerPoint presentation

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