Making the best of small spaces and small budgets

Caroline Warhurst, LMLAG Conference British Museum, 26 April 2007

Frank Pick “The test of the goodness of a thing is its fitness for use.

If it fails on this first test no amount of ornamentation or finish will make it any better.”

Frank Pick, speaking in 1916

He transformed this…

and this…

into this…

and this…

What are the issues?

• keeping up to date • web benefits – what’s best for me? • money? • difficult spaces – large or small • limited staffing resources

What to keep in mind “80% of most library visitors use Google to find what they want…Web visitors do not care whether information found is ultimately housed in a museum or library. We need to work together… to make certain that visitors can easily find what they want.”

Ken Hamma, J. Paul Getty Trust

Another guiding thought “Two thirds of our visitors don’t come for something we have shaped, they are coming to our core assets…They aren’t coming to hear what we want to tell them, they are coming to find what they want to know...Libraries are the ultimate 2.0 content providers. Everything is available.”

Nina Simon www.museumtwo.com

Issue

• keeping up to date

Solutions

• sources that work for you • professional organisations • Library 2.0 solutions, free services • stay focussed, avoid ‘wilfing’!

Some sites I find useful

• http://www.museumtwo.com Museum 2.0

• http://www.ipl.org Internet Public Library

• http://www.bloglines.com Blog service

• http:// www.librarycrunch.com Blog

• http:// www.freepint.com Research site

Issue

• web and IT benefits – what’s best for me?

Solutions

• be clear about your service • what do you really need? • go for tried and tested • make full use of simple / free

solutions

Issue

• money?

Solutions

• keep up a costed ‘desiderata’ list • power and influence • get what you can afford and build on it • maximise grants and partnerships

Issue

• difficult spaces – large or small

Solutions

• clear vision • consultation • audit activities • flexible spaces

Issue

• limited staffing resources

Solutions

• prioritise • projects that give double benefits • exploit your unique assets • develop integrated services

LTM as a case study

We have all the issues

• small difficult space • money – didn’t have any… • limited staffing resources • web benefits – what’s best for us?

Update definitely needed..

• 12,000 items packed into 74 sq metres

• High inaccessible shelving

• Unique material • Dingy, poorly lit

space

Issues

Bit too cosy..

You couldn’t browse

• Storage for 12,000 items

• 239 metres of shelving reduced

• 5 workstations for staff and volunteers

• Dedicated public access point

What did we want

Stage 1: installed rolling stacks at Acton store, 2005

Successful bid for ‘end of year’ money.

Refurbish Library as part of Covent Garden

redevelopment

Packed 350 crates to go to Acton

Crates fork-lifted into store

Rolling stacks go in the library.

Room gets a lick of paint, new lights

the crates return

New shelves are installed

The new Library

• Accessible shelving • Compact storage • More study seats • Visitors can browse • Flexible space

What’s next • Online library catalogue • Wi-fi for visitors and

Museum staff • Re-purpose digital

resources • Review customer services

Final thoughts “The biggest challenges with ICT have almost nothing to do with technology. They are really about what it means for your museum, how it is likely to change the way you work and how you will ensure that you get the best out of your investment of time money and effort.”

Nick Poole, Director of MDA

Adapt and thrive in the digital age • have a clear vision unique to you • customer-centred approach • Library 2.0 options, right for you • use all your assets (IT, human, space)

Thank you