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UNSW Library Unstacked:

An innovative approach to the visual communication of digital library engagement

Jackson Mann

Curator, Special Collections and Exhibitions

UNSW Library

Elisa Lee

Creative Director

Unstacked

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UNSW Library

In 2019

  • Reducing footprint of print collections

  • Meeting demand for more study space

  • Activating spaces through exhibitions and public art

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User Perception

“If the Library didn’t have books, I wouldn’t come…It’s not a real Library without books”

“I see the Library as the past – it’s not modern”

“An academic institution is academic books because that’s what the audience requires”

“I come the Library to chill out and relax. It’s the only real option consistently here”

UNSW Students�Client Experience Interviews 2018

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Objectives

  • Give visibility to the digital library and expose online interaction
  • Create an artwork as well as a clear communication piece 
  • Tell a story about the University and our users, not just the Library and its collections

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Introducing UNSW Library Unstacked

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Designing

UNSW Library

Unstacked

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Student and staff

Co-design �workshop

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User testing

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Integrations

with Primo and

Google Analytics

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Staff feedback

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Student feedback

“It makes me feel like there is such a diverse range with so much going on. People are studying such incredible things, it’s a hub of academic intelligence, I love it.”

“It’s nice to see your study and research contributing. It is a culmination of all our study efforts, everyone is working towards the same thing.”

“Before I saw this I didn’t think so many people used the library.”

“As a student in the arts faculty it makes me feel pretty important seeing our square being the biggest!”

“I am realising that online resources are much more vast than I thought they were.”

UNSW Students�Unstacked Feedback Interviews 2020

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Library feedback

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