They use this Living Room system for sorting their reading material; basically you search by floor, zone (non fiction, fiction, kids, etc) and then living room (in the non fiction zone for example you get living rooms such as transport, house & garden, society, etc). Finally, the dewy decimal system is used in each living room, so you can narrow down your search in each small area by looking for the right number.
This confuses the crap out of people who are new to the library, as well as casual users to the place. It's not helped by the fact that thier maps don't show you where you are and don't mesh with the living room system that they use.
So, I came up with this map design. I made the final piece using Adobe Flash, which let me create a very simple interface. The simplicity was actually the hardest part for me; as a designer I love using textures and cutting stuff up and making a bit of a mess. A good interactive map (especially one that could end up on a touch screen) needs to be simple, easy to follow and attract the eye.
Here are some screen shots of the final project, showing various pop up buttons and stuff.
I've got other ideas about further expansion into other areas of information, but I'm gonna have a talk with the librarians later this week and see what they think. Hopefully they'll be interested in buying the design off me, or even better having me make the whole lot for them.
