Over the past decade, 42 public libraries have closed across Scotland, revealing a deeply damaging cultural trend. What needs to change in Glasgow’s libraries and serve as a starting point for adapting to the future of libraries?

The project began with an exploration of libraries from a wider context to local scales, later narrowing its focus to the GSA Library, where a recurring issue was identified: significant annual losses due to unreturned books.

Based on the ongoing issue of book loss at GSA Library, this project explores how design can nudge borrowers to return books. The outcome is a library borrowing web platform featuring an interactive “book voyage” journey map that integrates personalized avatars, book reviews, and return countdown to enhance user engagement and responsibility for borrowed books. This aims to reduce book loss, supporting more sustainable library operations.

The design solutions can be applied to other libraries in wider context, raising people’s awareness of the value of books and libraries and make them join voices to speak out against library closures.