Boston Public Library Ethnography

We saw almost every demographic in the library; in particular, we saw a lot of young adults and older working on either the library’s computers or their own.

There are numerous screens near the entrance that tell you a lot of information - what events will be happening, new books, etc. These are also, in theory, touchscreen and interactive, but we found them to be heavily glitchy. On the one screen that worked, there was a catalog of the library’s digitized collection. We didn’t see anyone besides ourselves using it. We presume this is partially due to the glitchiness and also due to the lack of clarity of what exactly it is.

There are also computers (macs and windows) that are accessible to anyone with a BPL card, as well as some computers that are reservable for 15 minute time frames without a BPL card. Many visitors were using these, and it seemed more people were using the computers in the library than the physical books.

In the older section of the library, there is also a small exhibit on maps which involves an interactive map of what Native American tribes were on what land in the United States using Mapbox. It allowed you to (in theory) look up your own address to figure out what tribes used to live there. It was unfortunately glitchy and therefore unused, partially from the touch screen and partially from the interface. It was also placed near the back of the exhibit, and it was difficult to tell what it was supposed to be for a while. Simply a smoother UI would help increase participation.

Within the cafe, near the radio news broadcasting area, there are a number of news tickers that were rather large and mostly ignored. it seems to be an excessive number of news tickers to serve the same basic purpose, so they could be cut down and potentially slow down the rate of the ticker so that people actually look at it. It would also be interesting if the ticker displayed information related to the library rather than just random news.

Most people use this space to do computer work or independent reading. However, if you go at night, it’s not uncommon to see homeless people sleeping on the property (not inside though).

There is also a section of the library that seems to be used to record radio news broadcasts, within the cafe section. We don’t believe that the BPL is advertised as having such a space, so you could say it’s unexpected - especially considering libraries are usually seen as places that are supposed to be quiet.

As libraries are generally designed for individual use, the technologies are mostly focused on presenting information and providing services to individuals rather than creating a shared experience. From personal library experience, when you check out books, the librarians record your name/date of return inside the book, and it can be cool to see who has used this book before you. Implementing a similar mechanic, which does not force interaction, but simply indicates the existence of a common bond, could be interesting, such as creating a method for people to add books to their book list, and having that be public information.

From far away the BPL can be seen as both a monolithic and beautiful structure with brownish-grey stone making up its exterior. However, when you go closer, the relationship between interior and exterior is blurred slightly - where there would normally be a wall, there are glass panes all along the front. This makes the library a lot more welcoming than if the plain architecture had been extended down to the ground level and you were only greeting with stone as you approached. The way it is now, you have a full view of the entrance area, and can see many different people utilizing the space in their own way. The older area of the library has an entirely different aesthetic, with its fairly grand entrance and stairs. These different appearances also give them different functions-the older area is for sightseeing as well as work, while people mostly just work in the modern area.