Service Design: Towards a Holistic Assessment of Library Services

Course Description

Librarians are experienced in designing and assessing services, but we tend to develop each service in isolation from the others that we offer, with little to no user input prior to implementation. Service design allows for a more holistic and systemic look at the various components that make a library function. This methodology is unique in that it is a co-creative process conducted with library staff and patrons. By working together, the librarians and patrons can create more relevant services, or refine current services to be more effective and efficient.

In this 6-week course, students will explore the service design methodology as a relevant approach to service assessment and creation in a library environment. They will discuss the various tools libraries and librarians can use to implement a service design approach to assessment. Over 6 weeks, students will develop and define a service design project, assess current state, collect relevant pieces of data, synthesize the data, and share learnings with the class. Students from all types of libraries will learn from presentations, articles, hands-on exercises, discussions, and visual examples.

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and understand the service design methodology
• Define service in the context of the library, and devise a plan to assess and refine services
• Work with tools such as Customer Journey Maps, Service Blueprints, and Scenario/Expectation Mapping
• Determine the best tool to use to fit their research question

This course can be taken as one of six courses needed to earn our Certificate in User Experience (UX), but can be taken as a stand-alone course as well.