Service Blueprinting: A Method for Assessing Library Technologies within an Interconnected Service Ecosystem

Young, Scott W. H., Sara  Mannheimer, and Doralyn  Rossmann, et. al."Service Blueprinting: A Method for Assessing Library Technologies within an Interconnected Service Ecosystem"  Public Library Quarterly  39(3)(May-Jun 2020): 190-211. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01616846.2019.1637222). - Service blueprinting is one tool in the larger field of service design, which also can include “[j]ourney mapping, user interviews, ecology maps, and mobile ethnographies….” The value of service design is its focus on users and their needs, reminding library staff that “the purpose and benefit of … technology…” is as a service to library users. Understanding the way that patrons use a technology is made the top priority, rather than attempting to train or change patron use to fit the technology. A service blueprint illuminates the relationships between “user-facing interactions, behind-the-scenes staff actions, and … technology systems….” In this case, multiple iterations of the service blueprint were applied to the implementation of a new visualization display wall, making it possible for library policies and communication to progress in step with updates to the technology. - NN