As we all know, learning takes place in many contexts: some learning takes place in the act of doing new things and some occurs in the acquisition of information. Both the process of acquiring information and the storing of new information can enlighten.
Though, in our current world of ubiquitous technology, information needs to be immediately accessible to successfully reach the learner (Rosenfield & Morville, 2002).
The big trickle down
Interestingly, IA is trickling down to all sorts of information sciences. When the web first got rolling in the early 90's, web design practices were typically guided by traditional graphic and information design principles. Over time, IA adapted to the "me, here, now” mindset of users. Now, the amount of time spent surfing the ‘net is affecting the way people interpret and absorb information in all facets of life (Morville, 2005).
Thus, effective communication in countless fields looks to the web to encourage learning in its audience. Bulleted lists, multimedia, and "chunkalized" prose are becoming standard elements of teaching aids, news resources, and television. Even book drops at the library are IA savvy these days.
This video depicts the recently redesigned signage at the Customer Service desk in the Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library. The video was created for the Information Architecture Institute conference on "User Interfaces for Physical Spaces."
