ORCID

0000-0002-8944-178X

0000-0003-2875-8203

Document Type

Article

Date

2019

Keywords

Design thinking, librarianship, graduate library education, questionnaire surveys, United States

Language

English

Funder(s)

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Funding ID

RE-98-17-0032-17

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Nicole Potter for her assistance in developing and deploying the survey instrument.

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Methods | Higher Education | Library and Information Science

Description/Abstract

Despite interest in the application of design thinking and methods in librarianship, there seems to be a disconnect between application and education to support it. This study used an online

questionnaire to elicit feedback from library workers in the United States about interest in and use of design thinking and methods in library practice, and the need for design skills and abilities in library education. We found that practicing librarians perceive the relevance of design thinking and methods to library work, although opinions vary based on library and work type. Design thinking and methods were used mostly for space planning and program development, with applications disproportionally emphasizing empathy over other aspects such as prototyping and refinement. Additionally, library workers struggled with applying design concepts to intangible services and experiences. Increased education about design via MLIS programs, professional development opportunities, and/or repositories of example projects may help overcome some of the simplified and superficial applications of design thinking reported in this work.

ISSN

1741-6477

Source

submission

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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