Services design in academic libraries and its impact on university community

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the paper is to study how service design is developed and implemented in academic libraries in order to meet the requirements of the university community in their educational, research and/or personal activities. Methodology. The author aims to bring clarification to modern concepts, such as design thinking principles, process and methods to make them more understandable for the readers, and describe planning stages of the services design in academic libraries. The paper was compiled based on related literature review, observations, and findings from case studies Findings. Detailed services design planning allows the libraries to foresee all possible difficulties and shortcomings of the planned library services, and thus sidestep these problems by considering all conditions in the initial stage. The primary goal of the services design activity in academic libraries is mostly connected to meeting library and information needs of the university community, and creating new library services for all situations (such as the current pandemic) that might be in great demand by library patrons, though they might not even realize it. Therefore, a special and in-depth study of the user behavior and feedback in certain library services is essential in terms of understanding patrons’ requirements, and developing more innovative user-centered services for them. Originality/value. The services design process and design thinking principles and methods are broadly discussed topics in modern librarianship, which make this paper competitive enough to analyze different points of views and find out one can be applicable in certain circumstances and/or environments. In this regard, the suggested tools and techniques can be practical for most young library specialists working in public services units of academic libraries.