doe library wall proposal

Doe Library WallA community celebration

of our centennial

100

ProposalApril 2011Jeffery Loojloo@berkeley.edu

DOE

Is a graffiti wall fitting for a library centennial?

Are the tone and message appropriate?

What if there are inappropriate messages?

The Battle of Berlin, WWIIOn April 30, 1945, the Soviet Red Army conquered the Reichstag

Graffiti left by Red Army soldiers on the walls of the Reichstag

“… blunt (and occasionally obscene) reminders of numerous

[personal] stories“Norman Foster

After German re-unification in 1990, the reconstruction of the Reichstag was led by the British architect Norman Foster

The Soviet graffiti were incorporated into the walls of

the new building

The Soviet graffiti were incorporated into the walls of

the new building

The motivations for the graffiti in the reconstructed Reichstag are both inspiring for and in sync with the values of libraries and librarianship

“… how these scars, once revealed, could be preserved, allowing the building to become a 'living museum' of German history"

“… more than half a century after the event - they still have the power to inspire such emotion"

[on the approval of incorporating the Reichstag graffiti into the reconstruction]“… what an extraordinarily open and democratic society Germany had become"

A celebration of free expression

Revealing the history of a building

Quoting Norman Foster from Foster, Baker, and Lipstadt’s

The Reichstag Graffiti, 2003

This event is inspiring for a library graffiti wall

A library wallA virtual or physical place in the library to express yourself and to share your message publically

Why call it a wall?Facebook wall and the Berlin Wall

Our challenge

If we decide on a library wall, how do we: • attract contributors and viewers from

our community?• make it significant and do-able?• enforce community standards?

A solution

This is a proposal for building a library wall

Since a centennial comes but once every 100 years,

perhaps THINK BIG initially, and then edit down our plans.

Goals of a library wall

Attract our community and … Be inclusive

enable them to share their experiences in and impressions of

Doe Library

Public expression and the Berkeley spirit

in a way that is fun, attention-grabbing, constructive, and

interactive.

Collect messages in their different forms with physical, digital, and

multimedia tools

Physical messages

Handwritten wall messages

Written messages

Cards

Postcards, comment

cards, Post-its

Illustrations

Drawings, coloring pages,

photographs

Digital messages

Online writing

Emails, online messages,

social media

Illustrations

Drawings, photographs

Multimedia

Video, audio, models,

animations

Outcome 1

A collection of messages

Outcome 2Library wall website/blog

Prototype at http://jeffloo.com/wall

Outcome 3Exhibits

Physical library wall

Multimedia display (e.g., revolving slideshow of messages)

Outcome 4

Print publicationLibrary wall album

Outcome 5

Community developmentMedia and public attentionPublic space“Library as a place for sharing”

Outcome 6

Research productThe messages could be data for a research work of cultural anthropology or psychology – an ethnographic study of cultural common denominators

Building a library wall in four steps

1. Collect and capture messages 2. Digitize and organize them3. Share and exhibit4. Preserve the messages

Step 1

Collect and capture messagesa. Equipment setup and layoutb. Facilitate writing and other contributionsc. Attract contributors and viewersd. Uphold community standards

Collect handwritten wall messages

sustainabilityre-usabilityeconomy

Writing surfacesWood panelsLarge sheets of paperBulletin boardsChalkboardsGlass surfacesDigital screensWhiteboards

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 1: Wood panels

interesting material, but difficult to maintain

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 2: Large sheets of paper

familiar, but not re-useable

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 3: Bulletin board

traditional, but lacks “wow” factor

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 4: Chalkboard

The First Amendment Monument Charlottesville, VA

Stanley Hall

nostalgic, but impermanent

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 5: Glass surface

different, but potentially difficult and expensive

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 6: Digital screens

interactive and cutting-edge, but potentially very expensive

Touch schematic

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 7: Whiteboards

Easy to maintain and re-useable for library instruction, but impermanent and conventional

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 7a: Whiteboard folding wall

Ewan McIntoshFlexiroom at Stanford’s d.school

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 7b: Whiteboard wallpaper

Duke University CIT, 1 and 2

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 7c: Whiteboard panels

Suspended Mounted

Stanford d.schoolStanford EdTech

Stanford’s d.school

Collect handwritten wall messages

Option 7d: Mobile whiteboards

Stanford d.school

Physical location of library wall

Fixed Doe Library’s north and south lobbies

MobileRotate through different sitesReading roomsMemorial Gladeother campus sites?

Position of the physical wall

Long corridor of panels

Monumental and compelling

but can look sparse and long panels may be difficult to re-use after the event

Staggered panels

Cozy pockets and a sense of exploration as you walk from panel to panel

but lacks monumentality

Floor panels

Different and curious

but potentially difficult to maintain

Writing instruments

markerscrayonspencilspaintpoetry magnetsdifferent colors

Facilitate writing on the wall

Writing promptsIn 100 years, I predict that Doe Library will

…So this funny thing happened at Doe

Library…Ask us a question about Doe Library! We’ll

answer.I discovered this interesting thing at Doe …I love studying/reading/being in Doe

because …Share a memory!

Staff contributions to “seed” the wall

Writing instruments of different colors for visual appeal

Prizes

Attract contributors and viewers

Publicize via web, print, and news

Encourage visitors to “sign” the wall (e.g., post-tour and post-Morrison Library event)

Showcase the wall at celebrations and events (e.g., Cal Day)

Uphold community standards

Uphold community standardsDefine and post community standards

Disclaimer of the wall’s public nature“By submitting your message, you give Doe Library permission to reuse your contribution on our website and related project communications, exhibits, and publications.”

Monitor for inappropriate messages and remove

Editorial approval of messages before display

Place the wall in a staffed area

Collect cards and notes

PostcardsFiat Lux insert that readers mail backEncourage community to send postcards

Comment cards

Post-it notes for wall comments

Collect physical illustrations

Provide paper and pencils for visitors to sketch the library

Kid-friendly drawing activitiesDraw Doe Library or color a coloring page and receive a prize! (Cal Day)

Send us your photographs

Collect online writing

“Tell us your story” email your message or complete a web form

Commenting functionality on the digital library wall

Encourage social media discussion Facebook, Twitter #doewall

Collect digital illustrations

Email your photographs or digital drawings

Collect multimedia

Send us your video, audio, interactive, or animated messages

Video boothWake the Library video booth

Step 2. Digitize and organize messages

1. Digitize

Physical wall messages

Cards and illustrations

Digital messages

Content management system

Take digital photograph Scan Upload

Select messages to display Describe and assign metadata

Post online

Website /Blog

Digital exhibits

Print publication

Archive

Preserve

2. Evaluate and organize3. Share

4. Archive

Staff (equipment)• 2–3 wall

maintenance staff• Photographer

(camera)• Digitization tech

(scanner)• Communications

manager (email)

• Content manager (CMS)

• 3-5 editors

• Web designer• Digital exhibits

designer• Graphic designer• Writer/Publicist

(publishing tools)

• Digital archivist (web archiving service)

• Print archivist

Digitize and organize messages

Step 3. Share and exhibit messages

A flatscreen tv in the lobby with a revolving slideshow of centennial celebration messages

Lead visitors to the physical library wall

Library wall website/blog

Print publication of library wall messages

Research publication

Step 4. Archive

Preserveweb pages, blog,

andprint publications

Next step #1

Do we still want a library wall?

Next step #2

What elements of a library wall do we want?

What messages collected?

What exhibits?

Three plans that vary by staffing, equipment, and cost.

Optimization criteriaEase of implementation

Low costCultural match with UCB

Minimal staffingSustainability

???

Core Extended Ultimate

Physical messages

Handwritten wall messages

Written messages

Digital messages

Online writing

Emails, online messages,

social media

Illustrations

Drawings, photographs

Core planMessages collected

Physical messages

Handwritten wall

messages

Written messages

Cards

Postcards, comment

cards, Post-its

Illustrations

Drawings, coloring pages,

photographs

Digital messages

Online writing

Emails, online messages,

social media

Illustrations

Drawings, photographs

Extended planMessages collected

Physical messages

Handwritten wall

messages

Written messages

Cards

Postcards, comment

cards, Post-its

Illustrations

Drawings, coloring pages,

photographs

Digital messages

Online writing

Emails, online messages,

social media

Illustrations

Drawings, photographs

Multimedia

Video, audio, models,

animations

Ultimate planMessages collected

1. Digitize

Physical wall messages

Cards and illustrations

Digital messages

Content management system

Take digital photograph Scan Upload

Select messages to display Describe and assign metadata

Post online

Website /Blog

Digital exhibits

Print publication

Archive

Preserve

2. Evaluate and organize3. Share

4. Archive

Staff to digitize and organize messages Staff (equipment)• 2–3 wall

maintenance staff• Photographer

(camera)• Digitization tech

(scanner)• Communications

manager (email)

• Content manager (CMS)

• 3-5 editors

• Web designer• Digital exhibits

designer• Graphic designer• Writer/Publicist

(publishing tools)

• Digital archivist (web archiving service)

• Print archivist

Next step #3

Determine timing and frequencyFor how long do we collect messages?1 month? 1 year?

How often do we erase messages and refresh the physical library wall?2 weeks? Monthly?

Next step #4

Cultivate teams to build the wall

Message collection2–3 physical wall maintenance staffPhotographerDigitization techCommunications manager

Digital objects managementContent management system manager

Editorial review3-5 editors

Design, exhibits, and publicationsWeb designerDigital exhibits designerGraphic designerWriter/Publicist

PreservationDigital archivist Print archivist

haiku summary

writing and sharing – the wall forges togethera community