On Friday we will be getting together to do some brainstorming to help us better understand the people that use the libraries services and the tasks that do on a regular basis. This will be the time to develop a shared context about the people who use our services that will help us throughout the process of designing and building a new website.

Goals

• Create a healthy environment that allows us to look towards the future
• Expose the talents of various individuals
• Develop a universal understanding of people who use the library

When it comes to understanding people we will to look at how and where they will be using the libraries website and the type of tasks that they do. If we do not have a shared understanding of the people who use the library we may not realize or understand the problems that occur into years in the future, which we cannot afford to do. One thing that needs to happen is to develop a new simplified way at looking at the world. Instead of looking at the world from an inside perspective of a librarian providing every resource imaginable, we need to look at things from the outside in. If we continue to cling to old beliefs it will prevent the libraries from moving forward.

A new project along with new ideas will help to establish a new healthy environment allowing us to move in a direction that better serves the college community. Today is the time to start looking at things in a new a way as we began the brainstorming process. As we work through the first phase we will want to start with a broad range of ideas and than began to narrow them down into specific tasks that people do on a regular basis.

As we work through the process we will be drawing and writing out various things on paper, a white board, and on a computer to record our thoughts. This will help us to think out loud and share our ideas with everyone.We we start the process by revisiting the persona’s of our users and defining the college libraries target audience. This will be a great time for us to talk about how we have helped a person accomplish something that they where trying to do, but could not do on their own.

During this brainstorming session we will be talking about the following items: people that use the libraries website, the environment they work in, and the tasks that they do on a regular basis. Throughout this session we will not be allowed to disagree or state that something does not happen.

What we will be doing

1. Creating a list of
   1. people who use the libraries
   2. environments people work in
   3. tasks that need to be completed
2. 10 to 12 Scenarios
3. flush out 5 to 6 scenarios in depth

The start of the outcome

• Users
  • Faculty
  • Undergraduate Students
  • Graduate Students – Music and Eduction
• Environment – how and where people use the libraries website
  • Faculty Students – Office/Home etc.
  • Students – Dorm Room/Library etc.
• Common Questions
  • Can you help my find a book?
• Tasks
  • Tasks that came from INFLUX Interviews
    • Search Library Databases
    • Use Inter Library Loan
    • Search Library Catalog
    • Ask Librarians
    • Use Chat Reference
  • Other
    • Pay Fines
• Scenarios