In this 60 minute presentation, Mark Aaron Polger will discuss some of the best practice guidelines when designing effective library signage. He will discuss the process of conducting a signage audit (or inventory), and how to use different signage research techniques in order to get feedback from users. Topics will include how to compose an effective signage message, design basics, mounting/placement, and ADA requirements. This session will be highly interactive and practical, as participants can immediately improve the quality of their signs. Additionally, he will discuss the steps in creating a library signage policy document. Lastly, the presenter will discuss digital signage and the different technical specifications needed for a digital signage system in your library.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this webinar presentation (time permitting), participants will be able to:

1. Apply the best practices for creating effective print and digital library signage
2. Implement a signage audit in order to evaluate the current state of your library’s signage
3. Identify “touch points” in your library in order to inform you how to place library signage.
4. Utilise different signage research techniques that will help provide valuable quantitative and qualitative data about your users.
5. Understand how ADA compliance can affect the design and placement of library signage
6. Create a library signage policy for your library

Presenter:
Mark Aaron Polger is an academic librarian and information literacy instructor who has been working in libraries since 1988. He received his MLIS degree in 2000 from the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada) and has worked as a librarian in public, hospital, and academic libraries. Currently, he is the Coordinator of Library Outreach at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY). He has been deeply engaged in working in various library signage activities since 2012. He has written about library signage audits in journals and other publications and has presented nationally at library conferences.

In September, 2021, he published Library Signage and Wayfinding Design: Communicating Effectively with Your User (ALA editions). He is also an accidental library marketer, as most of his professional experience as a librarian involves the marketing of library services and resources. His research interests include library marketing, outreach, and UX (user experience) design. Currently, he is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the open-access, peer reviewed journal Marketing Libraries Journal, which was launched in Fall 2017.

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