July 31, 2022 |    Jennifer Thompson, Research Assistant, Project ENABLE

Navigation is incredibly important for giving patrons with disabilities the agency to find their own way around your library. When designing appropriate signs for your library, it is essential to remember accessibility. In this Blog post, we will look at some of the different types of signs and how they play an important role in helping patrons with disabilities use the library. We will also discuss ADA signage requirements as well as a useful signage tip called The Pinky Test.

Sign Types

Signs are critical tools for libraries to use to help convey essential information to patrons. There are different types of library signs that you can use depending on what you want to say.

Examples of different types of signs are:

          1) Navigation: How to get from point A to point B;
                    You are Here Map - Shows where you and how to get to where you want to be
                    Directory - Shows where certain locations are in relation to where it is (Ex: Director’s Office, 3rd floor)
          2) Identification: What different areas are for;
                    Area Sign (Ex: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children’s, etc.)
                    Room Sign (Ex: Community Room, Computer Lab, Archives, Bathrooms, etc.)
          3) Instruction: What to do;
                    Rules Sign (Ex: How to use the computer, behavior rules for kids, etc.)
                    Restriction Sign (Ex: No smoking, no talking on the cell phone, etc.)
          4) Emergency: Where to go/what to do in case of something happening.
                    Fire Exit Sign - Shows where to go in case of a fire

Patrons with disabilities use these signs to help themselves navigate through the library space. A Deaf patron, for example, might use the sign as a way of communicating what they are looking for. A patron who is blind might use the braille signs to tell which room they are in. These and many other reasons are why libraries need to have accessible signage.

ADA Compliance

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990. Its passage was marked as one of the most significant landmark laws involving protecting the rights of people with disabilities. The law states that people with disabilities cannot be discriminated against in all areas of public life including, but not limited to, at school, jobs, public transportation, businesses, and public places. In other words, people with disabilities are entitled to the same rights as able-bodied people.

The American Library Association (ALA) recognizes that people with disabilities have been discriminated against and created a policy in order to better serve them. The ALA policy notes that libraries play a critical role in helping patrons with disabilities by acting as an essential resource. This policy includes providing accessible signage so that people with disabilities can easily navigate through the library. 

Understanding the ADA requirements for your library signage can be daunting to learn. So, here are some tips on creating accessibility signage.

          1) Text
                    - Must include Braille and raised text
                    - Braille needs to be Grade II
                    - Dots need to be rounded or domed, not pointed
                    - Words need to be lowercase (on Braille signs) except for: proper nouns, initials, acronyms, first word in a sentence, part of a room number (ex: Room A3)
                    - Braille needs to be placed below the text with a 3/8th clearance on each side
                    - Tactile lettering must be raised 1/32 inches
          2) Font
                    - Best font to use is a sans serif style (simple lettering without curly Q’s and other embellishments)
                    - All characters must be uppercase
                    - Don’t use styles that are: Script, Italics, Oblique, Ornamental, or unusual
                    - Text height has to be between 5/8th of an inch and 2 inches
                    - Spacing is important, the spacing between tactile characters should be a minimum of 1/8th of an inch
                    - Characters should be 3/8th of an inch away from the border
          3) Color
                    - Don’t choose colors that are too similar to each other
                    - “Bad” combinations include: red/green, purple/blue, orange/yellow
                    - Use contrasting colors
                    - Black (background) / White (text), White (background) / Black (text), Blue (background) / White (text), or Yellow (text)
                    - No Glare
                    - Choose non-glare finish
                    - Use matte, shine eliminating, or shine-free finish
          4) Placement
                    - Mounted no lower than 40 inches from the ground
                    - Text needs to remain unobstructed from view
                    - Tactile Braille must be reachable
          5) Pictures and Images
                    - Use ISA symbols (International Symbols of Access)
                    - Pictograms must be placed directly over visual and tactile characters
                    - Must be alone with a 6 inch high background area

We all want our library signs to be attractive to patrons. However, in terms of accessibility, less is more. Placing the signs in strategic locations throughout the building is also necessary. If a sign isn’t near where it needs to be, it’s useless. Consistency is key. Keep your signs designed with a common, similar look and style so that patrons can recognize what type of sign it is. Only put information that is critically important on the sign. For example, “FIRE EXIT” is a good sign. “FIRE EXIT THROUGH HERE” is too busy and too long. Less is more.

The Pinky Test

One good resource for you to use to help make your library more accessible is Project ENABLE’s ADA Checklist located at: https://projectenable.syr.edu/projectenable_resoruces/view/1253. It gives an overview of different sections in your library and how to make them accessible, including signage. Under this section, the checklist notes using The Pinky Test in order to determine sufficient text size for signs.

Using The Pinky Test is a quick and easy way to determine if your sign is accessible. ADA requires text height on a sign to be between 5/8th of an inch and 2 inches. As a rule of thumb, or in this case pinky, the pinky is usually an average height of around 2 inches tall. So, if the text on your sign is around the height of your pinky, (or 2 inches), you’re good to go. If you still want to be absolutely sure, you can always measure. This isn’t an absolute rule, just a fast way of determining the height of text on a sign.

We hope you have found this blog post helpful for creating library signage that meets the needs of all library patrons.

Resources Used

(2011). “ADA Accessibility Checklist.” Project ENABLE. https://projectenable.syr.edu/projectenable_resoruces/view/1253.

Agarwa et. al. “Cornell University Library Signage.” DEA 470: Applied Economics Class. https://ergo.human.cornell.edu/AHProjects/Library/librarysigns

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“Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy.” ALA: ASGCLA. https://www.ala.org/asgcla/resources/libraryservices.

“The Average Length of A Pinky Finger? Find Out Now.” Allfitwell. https://www.allfitwell.com/the-average-length-of-your-pinky-finger/.

“Understanding Accessible Signage Guidelines + Tips On Design.” Signarama. https://michigansignshops.com/blog/accessible-signage-guidelines/.