What if the first step in planning a library program isn’t deciding what the program should be?
In a webinar last month, Dr. Audrey Barbakoff, CEO of Co/Lab Capacity and a former public library professional, explained how design thinking can help libraries develop programs with their communities. The approach looks for the intersection between what matters to the community, what the library does well and what can be sustained with available resources. Watch the webinar recording on demand here!
Start with people, not programming
Libraries often ask people what they want from the library. The difficulty, dr. Audrey Barbakoff explains, is that people tend to ask for more of what they already know: more books, longer hours or more of a program they have already attended. That feedback can help libraries serve existing users, but it may reveal less about people who do not currently use the library.
Design thinking starts somewhere else. Rather than asking what program to offer, librarians first identify the people they want to reach and learn about their goals, strengths, aspirations, values and barriers.
That may mean getting out of the library and meeting people in places where they are comfortable. One-to-one conversations, community discussions, outreach and participation in community-led activities can all help library staff build relationships and better understand the people they hope to serve. Dr. Audrey Barbakoff stresses that these relationships need to be sustained, rather than formed only when the library needs input for a particular program.
Turn community insight into action
The webinar introduces six parts of the design thinking process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test and iterate. They are not a sequence that libraries complete once. What they learn from testing and working with community members feeds back into their understanding of those users and may change the program or even the question they are trying to answer.
Once librarians have developed a better understanding of the people they want to serve, the next step is to define the opportunity. Dr. Audrey Barbakoff suggests framing it as a “How might we?” question, developed with the community. The question provides a focus for generating ideas together rather than jumping immediately to a predetermined program.
The first version does not need to be fully developed.
Instead, libraries can prototype a small version of an idea using resources they already have, observe what happens and gather feedback before investing more heavily. If the ideal program is the wedding cake, Audrey Barbakoff suggests starting with the cupcake.
Testing should also include a simple plan for learning. That could mean observing how people participate, talking with attendees afterwards or using a survey to understand what worked and what should change. Libraries can then refine the program and, where appropriate, try it again or expand it.
Treat community feedback as part of the process
One of the clearest illustrations of the approach comes at the end of the webinar, when dr. Audrey Barbakoff is asked what librarians should do when community feedback challenges their original idea.
Her answer is straightforward: that is exactly what the process is meant to uncover. Community members bring knowledge and ideas that library staff may not have themselves. When their feedback points in a different direction, the library should learn from it and be prepared to change.
Watch the webinar recording for the full discussion, including practical guidance on building community relationships, developing “How might we?” questions, generating ideas with users, prototyping programs and learning from testing and feedback. Watch it now or bookmark the page for later!