Malmö stadsbiblioteks nya informationsdiskar : Planering, utformning, höjd och placering

Sammanfattning: This Masters thesis in Library and Information Science has the title The New Information Desks at Malmö Public Library . During the rebuilding of the library in Malmö a new information desk was developed. This desk differs to a great extent from conventional information desks used in libraries. The information desk is triangular with rounded edges which allows the librarian and the user of the library to work side by side without any physical barriers. The aim of this thesis is to explore the requirements for the information desks formulated by the library and how they are perceived by the librarians and the users of the library. In the literature about information desks we identify four main areas of research: planning, design, height and placement of the information desk. These four categories are then used in analysing two empirical studies (interviews with librarians and a user questionnaire) and the planning documents regarding the information desk produced by the library. It is very clear that there is no such thing as the ideal information desk that suits each and every library. The optimal information desk for a library should be developed according to its specific conditions. Important factors are: who are the library users, what kind of questions are asked (difficulty level) and the rate of work at the desk. The main intention with the new information desks was to improve co-operation between librarian and the library user by designing a desk that makes it possible for them to work side by side without any physical barriers. This has been achieved by designing a nontraditional information desk. The thesis proves that Malmö public library has fulfilled its intentions with the new information desks.