Ergonomics for Library Employees

TechTeaching made an excellent point in his/her comment. Library employees can not be overlooked in this blog.

I found another great link on this very subject. It's from a U of M task force (for the Library Human Resources) that contends the chair and the table are the two most important elements of a computer workstation, ergonomically speaking. I love how three different chairs are compared here.

The other suggestion that stands out is having "on-screen reminders to take breaks" and stretch. Would it be too annoying to have your work interrupted every hour by a pop-up that instructs you to take a break? When I am focused on a task, any interruption upsets me...but sometimes it's just what I need to come up with fresh ideas. So I suppose a pop-up would be nice to have as long as you could disable it when you're on a strict deadline. But the stress of a deadline probably warrants frequent breaks.

I know a few U of M employees (some of them librarians), and have been told by these people that they were fitted for a workstation by an ergonomics professional. But I'm assuming most libraries (especially public ones) don't have quite the resources a major university has.
I admit I've never worked in a library, and have only briefly seen behind the scenes of a couple of libraries. Even with those two glimpses, I didn't get to see the computer workstations of the library employees. So bear with me while I assume that most libraries are probably not spending their limited budgets on ergonomics.

From what I have read, some companies are willing to listen to employee complaints and to make ergonomic adjustments to workstations. There is no law requiring such concession (as far as I'm aware), but studies show that ergonomics improve job performance and satisfaction, and reduce work related injuries.

So do libraries choose to spend money on ensuring patron comfort first, or on workplace health? I'd love to be a fly on the wall at such meetings. I can imagine the argument that without patrons, librarians would be out of a job, and to keep patrons coming requires up-to-date computer workstations. I can also imagine information professionals presenting the research showing how important ergonomics is. That would be an interesting debate!

Library computer workstation comparison

Since my original post, my awareness of public computer workstations has been heightened. I have since visited two libraries I have never visited before, and made sure to sit down in front of the computer at both.

The first one was the library at the graduate school I attend. This was my experience: I had three hours before class, so I decided to get in some internet time. At the end of one hour, my mousing hand was so deprived of circulation, that my fingers were stiff with cold. Not long after, my elbow began to ache, followed by a burning sensation in my wrist.

What was the problem? There was no pull-out tray for the keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse were sitting on the table top of the station. So I found myself shrugging my shoulders up as far as I could in an attempt to make my forearms as parallel to the floor as possible. The chairs were wooden, and in no way adjustable, so I couldn't raise my chair in order to lower my shoulders. New problem! Do you know what happens when your shoulders stay up around your ears? You get a splitting headache! (Not to mention the aching rump from the hard wooden chair.)

Obviously, this was NOT a very ergonomic workstation for me. So after a little while, I moved to a station where the table top was lower, and there I fared much better.

The second library was a large public library, and had recently undergone extensive updates. The workstations there were somewhat closer to being universally ergonomic. The chairs were comfy, yet supportive. There was a keyboard tray. But alas, no vertically adjustable monitor, and no foot rest.

If the chair is vertically adjustable, though, does the monitor need to be? I don’t think so…but then that would disturb the ergonomics of the keyboard tray. And if keyboard height didn’t present a problem, what about the problem of dangling feet?

Hmmm. Maybe I’ve over-simplified the concept of universal ergonomics...

Universal Ergonomics?

I don't know how it is at your public library, but at the public library closest to my home, the computer stations need a bit of an update. Admittedly, I rarely use the computer there since I have one at home, but I would dearly love for my community to have more comfortable experiences with internet usage.

Let me see if I can describe it for you. There are four or five (I'm ashamed to say I don't remember exactly) computers lined up on a folding table with plastic, institutional chairs to sit on. There are no dividers between the stations, and certainly not much room to stash your belongings/books, etc. The screens are positioned quite low, so much so that I (a vertically challenged individual) have to tilt the poor dinosaur of a monitor up to see the screen. Are you getting the picture?

I do feel obliged to add that "my" library has recently closed for renovations, and I am hopeful that a good portion of the budget will be spent on technological advances. And would it be too much to ask that they consider our comfort and health while they're at it? Is it even possible to create a computer station that is easily adjusted so it can be ergonomic for every user?

Here is a link to some general guidelines for ergonomics.

Obviously, some of the guidelines require that the user be aware of his/her own body, and no one would expect a "body mechanics police" to monitor library computer terminals. However, there are some things that should be the libraries' responsibility. For example, proper monitor distance, vertically adjustable screens, adjustable chairs and foot rests should be standard at any computer station.

Now, I feel I should mention that my seven years' experience as a Certified Massage Therapist has given me a unique perspective on ergonomics. I have seen/felt/heard a host of physical problems associated with computer use. Though this is certainly not an exhaustive list, the complaints range from frozen shoulder to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome to chronic headaches and neck pain. The severity of some symptoms can be managed with regular breaks and stretching. I like the list of stretches suggested in the above link, but I would be remiss as a CMT if I didn't also suggest pectoralis stretches. Here is a great link for stretching. But I digress...

To have a truly ergonomic workstation, each person should be visited by a certified ergonomics professional who then takes measurements and customizes the workstation to the individual's specifications. Obviously this is not an option at a public computer terminal. However, if the stations are adjustable, and if there is some kind of education (a poster, maybe?) on how to properly adjust them, I think universal ergonomics for libraries is a distinct possibility.