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September 28, 2006

Comments

jill

Hey, Brian. As usual, you have really creative and interesting ideas. It sounds to me like you're talking about two things: segmentation and managing demand. The former reminds me of that article I pointed out a while ago about segmenting groups by the jobs they want to get done (relax, study, etc.). The latter is something that services always struggle with (planning for and managing demand). I'm taking a services marketing course this semester, so I'll let you know if I learn anything worthwhile for libraries about strategies for doing this. I know that in the for-profit world, they use price a lot as a way to increase demand when business is slow and vice versa. I'll be curious to see what incentives librarians can use to encourage patrons to use the library in different ways at different times based on habits like what you've observed. Also, while the library as place is obviously important, I've been wondering how we can package online services in a way that students, wherever they are, can benefit from what the libary offers. It's sort of like configuring virtual furniture, to use your example. Good luck on getting that library to renovate! :)

air bed

Do you really need adjustable furniture to achieve the standing during day/sitting at night environment? Couldn't you just get high tables for people to stand at during the day, and then find some high seated chairs to place at the high tables at night? You'd have people sitting much higher up than they're used to, true, but it seems to be a simpler solution.

John Bull

Did you guys renovate the library finally?

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