Getting with the system

I was upset at the horrible browsing conditions at one of the public libraries I visited recently. The fiction section (dewey...grr...) was not broken up into genres like sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, etc., making it extremely difficult to browse for new books. I ended up checking out two books by an author I already knew and then running out of there.

Here's the thing: why can't libraries be more like bookstores? Bookstores have got the easily browsable fiction thing down, and really - aren't we in the same business? (Well, sort of.)

Examples of better signage:

(In a library. Source)

(At Barnes and Nobles. Overkill? Source)

Basic things I want from the fiction section of my public library:

• Shorter shelves to open up my line of sight. My height goes from 5'2" (when I'm feeling honest) to 5'6" (when I use these) --> I need help seeing anything.
• Better signage along with the shorter shelves, so I can tell where I am immediately. Maybe fewer people will get lost in libraries, too...
• Separate, marked sections of different genres for easier browsing.
• Comfortable, clean chairs!
• (And while I'm at it: more international fiction, please!)

Of course, some libraries are already doing all of these things...I just wish that more of them were.