Designing an Ergonomic circulation desk: a case study by Scott Seaman LIBRES Volume 7, Issue 1 (March 1997)
Library work increasingly involves extended use of computers, and library staff and administrators are becoming aware of the hazards to the hands and arms from overuse of keyboards and incorrect posture. Such injuries are collectively referred to as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and include ailments such as carpel tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, epicondylitis, tenosynovitis, ganglionic cyst and Raynaud’s syndrome [Marshall, 1996]. Each is potentially serious and, according to a recent New York Times article, it is becoming ever more common for people to leave computer-dependent careers as a result of RSI [Brody, 1992]. Although older workers seem particularly susceptible, RSI can occur even in young physically fit individuals. The library literature shows an awaking to the issue with significant articles recently being published in Computers in Libraries , Library Resources and Technical Services , and College & Research Libraries News [Thornton, 1995; Summer, 1996; Switzer, 1995].
The purpose of this article is to relate how the University of Colorado reacted to an outbreak of RSI in its circulation department. The focus will be on the design of an ergonomic circulation desk that was installed in early 1996 at a total cost of approximately $30,000.
Data sources for library and information science research by Robin Rice LIBRES Volume 7, Issue 1 (March 1997)
–Presentation for Library Research Seminar I
November 1-2, 1996 Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida USA
It is definitely a pleasure and honor to be participating in this seminar with all of you. I am here, in part, because of conversations I have had with library school faculty members about the lack of use of my library’s resources by library school researchers, particularly doctoral students on our campus. I work as a Special Librarian at the Data and Program Library Service at UW-Madison, which serves the Social Science research community on
campus through reference and provision of machine-readable statistical data files and accompanying documentation.
I believe that Library and Information Science (LIS) is an inter-disciplinary field, and that to a great extent, Library Science can be characterized as a Social Science. This assumption shapes the rest of this paper, and what I have to offer in the way of research stones unturned. First I will discuss the notion of secondary analysis, then I will discuss some of the major datasets available.
