Manoeuvres in the Dark: Design Implications of the Physical Mechanics of Library Shelf Browsing

Library shelf browsing is a much-loved but little-understood form of information seeking. Attempts have been made to replicate or replace it online, however they have not typically been based on a principled understanding of the goals and behaviours of readers. This paper addresses the behaviour of readers, presenting an empirical examination of the mechanics of library shelf browsing. We note some previously undescribed behaviours, such as placemarking, and some hitherto unknown details such as the large number of books browsers consider. We situate our findings in the literature, and use them to drive design recommendations.