Stand up desks are becoming increasingly popular in the workplace, and now they’re popping up everywhere. From offices to libraries. Keep reading to find out why they can be good for libraries too:
- It will make more room for other readers: Libraries are already a crowded place. We need space for readers to be able to get around, read their books and find other materials. With stand up desks, there is room for all of that, and more. This extra space can also be used for other ways of interacting with the library such as browsing the internet, or doing research on our own computers or through borrowing from another library’s computer.
By not having to sit down in a reading chair all day long, we can do more while still doing our job. While these desks take up space in libraries they also take up no space at all outside of the library because they’re not taking up any floor space or other resources outside of it.
- It will allow for more interaction with the library staff: Libraries are a place where people spend a lot of time, especially older adults. For example, I know of one library director who had to hire someone from the community to do two part-time jobs – helping people find things and help them with computer problems. This means having someone in the library all day. So why not have that person be able to get up on the stand up desk? They can also interact with customers, finding out what they need and getting books ordered for them. And it doesn’t even have to be just at the end of your shift or when you can go home early – this is a great idea for the morning staff of many libraries as well. This type of interaction can help to get a sense of the person and their needs, making the library even more community oriented and open to their customers.
- It’s a big change for good: Employees at the library who will be on stand up desks will find themselves getting more questions, suggestions and other interactions with the community. They may never have had this kind of personal interaction before, which can be helpful in personalising your library, reaching out to people and helping them have a positive view on it to tell others about. Making people aware of all that libraries actually offer is important.
- It can lead to healthier habits: Standing up for long periods of time can cause strain on the body. So standing up can make a big change for the better in libraries. While you may be starting out with being able to work longer, standing all day in some cases, it is just a small change that will have a huge effect over time.
- It’s unique: Stand up desk is unique and something that libraries haven’t had before. This can generate attention from the public, getting them talking to their friends, family, neighbours and anyone else they know about how awesome your library is and how they should go check it out.
- It will make your library more efficient: The stand up desk at the library may be a bit different than the ones at office jobs because of the amount of time people spend at a desk with books around them. Instead, in a library setting, employees stand all over the place helping customers who need to find information quickly or work on their own projects while they’re reading or researching.
- It will start to build community spirit: By creating a place where employees feel good about everything at the library, it can also help build community. It will also help to encourage interaction between the employees and customers. Everyone who uses your library may be happier when they use it because of it, and that means more people using your services which could lead to more money in your budget for necessary stock or even new equipment.
Takeaway
I hope you have enjoyed this article about stand up desks for libraries. This is not just another way of doing things in libraries, but a way of creating a new and innovative environment and one that may encourage customers to visit your library (and thus more money coming into your book budget). There are many advantages of using a stand up desk rather than a large office desk to libraries, such as being able to save books or check them out, find materials online and find other sources of information. In the end, standing up can just be one more way we can all benefit from libraries.
