“As a person experiencing homelessness, I want to use the library, so that I can access information and resources that are only available to people who have computer access.”

Pain: The duration of using computers is brief. He’s not very tech-savvy. He gets frustrated with technology easily. Printing is expensive. He needs to access websites  to identify sources of aid and submit applications. It’s not easy to have the right documents, and things take more time and effort than expected. 

Gains:

“As a person experiencing homelessness, I want to use the library, so that I can access information and resources that are only available to people who have computer access.”

Pains: The library closed, so he had to use computers at a homeless shelter, which were very competitive and in bad condition. There were less crowds to donate to him while he busked. The homeless shelter became much more crowded, and he had to fight harder for resources. Aid that he relied on was even less available. Jobs he wanted were inundated with overqualified people. He had to sleep outside instead of in a shelter.

Gains: People empathized more with his poverty. They didn’t judge him as much as before. Assumptions made about his life seemed to shift. He wrote new blues songs for coronavirus, which people really enjoyed. It was easier to have personal space in public areas, or to sleep outside closed businesses that would normally condemn it.   

“As a person experiencing homelessness, I want to use the library, so that I can access information and resources that are only available to people who have computer access.”

Pains: Organizations are tapped, and charity is less available. Competition is fierce, with a lot more homelessness overall. Affordable and subsidized housing is very in-demand. Finding places to sleep around businesses has become much more full and territorial. People are more tempted to steal. Angst has caused spikes in graffiti and crime, which he dislikes being looped into. There is more blame going around, and tempers flare as people battle over resources. He doesn’t have a computer to book a time at the library. He barely even has access to a phone, he could just walk in before! Now we won’t even let him come in to use the toilet.

Gains: People really like his coronavirus songs. He’s selling more CDs as a result. People returning to their offices in the CBD recognize him and donate for the first time. They stop to listen a bit more now, appreciating buskers with fresh eyes. Some people are donating more generously to the homeless overall, feeling more sympathetic. The library reopening has helped him regain access to computer resources he was sorely missing during the peak of coronavirus, so things are getting better after a period of being worse.

“As a traveller, I want to have immersive cultural experiences, so I can learn about myself and the world.”

Pains: Language, navigation, time-consuming, expensive, uncomfortable. 

Gains: Fascinating, educational, makes him feel like he’s had a meaningful life with rich stories from personal experience. 

“As a traveller, I want to continue traveling, so that I will have meaningful cultural experiences in new places.

Pains: International travel is not possible, travel within their country is limited. Time, effort and money that went into planning travels has been a loss and the prospect of those experiences is feeling gone forever.

Gains: Rediscovering cultural experiences closer to home. More time to research. More opportunity to tell stories from travels and look back on photos, make albums. 

“As a traveller, I want to continue traveling as soon as possible, so that I will have a second chance at the goals I set previously that fell apart, or replace them.

Pains: More paranoia about foreigners. Less flights and more expensive. Some countries are easier to get to than others.14 days of quarantining is expensive and time-consuming, many will choose not to honour it. Varied availability of usual attractions, some things are closed forever. 

Gains: More worthwhile to take longer-duration trips. Certain companies and attractions are offering special deals to propel business. Ease of travel between specific countries has resulted in them tailoring experiences to travellers from those particular countries, such as signage and tours in their language.

“As an MFA Student, I want to access library tools and collections, so that my body of work will be informed by its resources.

Pains: Thesis hinges on materials and tools physically housed in the State Library. The closure of ACMI has been very inconvenient timing, so she bases more of her work on SLV resources.

Gains: She was excited about items in the State Library’s collections, which she dedicated her thesis to. It’s easy to spend a lot of time with rare materials, which are readily available. She is an early adopter of new technological resources at the library, also necessary for her work.

“As an MFA Student, I want to access library tools and collections, so that my body of work will be informed by its resources.

Pains: Rare books and collections she relies on are not available. Software and tools were available briefly with StartSpace and now they’re not. She can’t access those things otherwise, and her work is severely impacted. She has to negotiate with her school, and feels her education is lower-quality. She’s extremely worried about her goals. Second-guesses whether it was the right path. Her and her fiancée move in with her parents.

Gains: She observes Memory Bank and curatorial talks. she starts to interview people and make recordings. She invests in select software and gets to know it better. She documents coronavirus in a variety of media, and becomes more acquainted with digital library resources, as well as those from other Australian institutions. She appreciates Ask A Librarian. She entertains genealogical resources and discovers interesting family history, and photo albums at her parents house.

“As an MFA Student, I want to access library tools and collections, so that my body of work will be its resources.

Pains: the library is too busy to utilize as casually, now she has to book and use specific resources more rapidly. 

Gains: Having more limited SLV access makes her gain focus and use resources more effectively. Coronavirus turned out to give her a more timely body of work. Documentation was exciting, diverse and abundant. She had time to consider what to do with the materials, and gleaned a lot of inspiration. She also remotely identified SLV resources to immediately pursue on reopening. She looks for ways to have extra access to the library away from the crowds and maximize it, so the new Memberships are useful.

“As an international student, I want to access the SLV, so that I’ll have an iconic Australian venue to study while living in a new country.”

Pains: The library can be busy. Tourists take photos of her while she studies. Limited hours. Books she references are not able to be taken away.

Gains: Unlike her school library, SLV materials she uses are usually available, with less people competing for books on the same topics. It’s an exciting environment, and a happy destination. It’s a much more enjoyable place to work than in her small student residence.

“As an international student, I want to access the SLV, so that I’ll have an iconic Australian venue to study while living in a new country.”

Pains: The library and other iconic venues are closed. There is more paranoia about international people. Many of her friends drop out of school and go home. Many go home and try to keep studying. She has to decide whether it’s still worth it. She feels stuck at home.

Gains: Her housemate leaves but keeps paying rent, and she gets more space. She finds online access to digital materials a bit helpful, and pools it together with digital resources of other institutions. Memory bank helps her see the everyday lives of Australians, which is intriguing and entertaining. 

“As an international student, I want to access the SLV, so that I’ll have an iconic Australian venue to study while living in a new country.”

Pains: It lasted a lot longer than she expected, and she has limited time left in Australia to do a lot of exploring. It’s hard to get into venues because they’re too popular. She feels germaphobic, and conscientious of her more vulnerable immune system in a foreign country. She has to wear a face mask to feel safe. She notices more of the people using desks at the library are talking on phones, and expressing vocal frustrations, or reading things out loud. It’s a different crowd, not as used to a library setting and more distracting.

Gains: Because she’s a morning person, the extended hours of the Student Membership is very attractive and she considers buying it, although it’s already partway through the school year. There are noticeably less tourists taking photos of her while she works. Having less people in the space for social distancing is comforting for her. She photographs pages from the books to compensate for short-duration access. 

“As a hobbyist, I want to keep my mind active with new knowledge and projects, so that I will feel excited about the sense of progress I made and what I discovered.”

Pains: Dislikes being at home. Needs to get out of the house. Bored easily. Can’t access desired information from home anyways.

Gains: Library has been undergoing changes that make him really excited. New materials always being added enrich his experience. Exhibits are enlightening. Library is never dull. Familiar faces, and great people-watching.

“As a hobbyist, I want to keep my mind active with new knowledge and projects, so that I will feel excited about the sense of progress I made and what I discovered.”

Pains: Working from home in a studio apartment. Not enough space. Although somewhat introverted, living alone feels lonely. Starts to loathe being at home. Not enough mental stimulation. Has to abandon certain projects.

Gains: Discovers digital resources more thoroughly. Excited about added genealogical resources, he focuses on it more than before and really dives in. Enjoys the live stream talks while working, normally would have to miss out on those things. Observes Memory Bank, but doesn’t post, and spends more time on social media but transitions his habits towards Instagram more than Facebook because it’s more positive.

“As a hobbyist, I want to get back to the library as soon as possible, so that I’ll stop hating my apartment and have more space to work from home at the library, explore the exhibits again and continue with my old projects.”

Pains: It’s hard to be at the library for extended periods, there is a long lineup and you have to reserve a time. He feels jealous of other people seeming to not need it as much as him. He feels guilty about not needing it as much as others. The atmosphere doesn’t feel as relaxed. A lot of the spaces are still closed or limited.

Gains: He knows his way around the library better than other people and becomes more connected to niche areas. He observes that some things are less popular for bookings, and uses it as a catalyst for new types of projects, such as getting a membership for startspace. Normally more recluse, he finds himself collaborating more, excitedly making new friends there with shared interests. He looks for ways to have extra access to the library away from the crowds and maximize it, so the new Memberships are useful.

“As a stay-at-home mom, I want to educate my children and be around other adults interested in arts and literature, so that my kids will have more diverse influences, be excited by intellectual environments, and so my own thirst for knowledge and inspiration remains stimulated.”

Pains: Too much baby-talk, difficult to keep writing and freelancing with kids awake, banality of chores, lack of external stimulus, excess of screen-time, dislikes ads to children.

Gains: Gets to meet other parents with similar-aged children, recurring events helps to introduce them. Kids make friends, she can peruse new literary releases, and getting out of the house makes the day feel more accomplished.

“As a stay-at-home mom, I want to follow the isolation guidelines and keep my family safe, so that the restrictions will lift sooner.”

Pains: Dad is working from home, but with reduced commissions. Her freelancing clients have dropped off. Older child was starting Kinder, but now is home more. Kids miss their friends. Way more screen-time, more pressure to buy things for entertainment and education. Not enough time with other adults. Much more cleaning and chores as a result of playing at home instead of going out. More tantrums from pent-up energy. Less sense of accomplishment. Goals and motivation waver.

Gains: More family time. Opportunity to educate children about virus, wellness, self-sufficiency, cottage industries, document a unique time in history. Learning and teaching ways to handle frustration and keeping a balanced lifestyle more independently than from external sources, and learning more about the life of their spouse that they don’t normally see. Husband helps more with chores and entertaining children. Wife sees more of the stress and workload of her husband. Memory bank is fascinating, and she stays engaged, and the live streaming is better than kids shows with lots of ads.After (Hypothesis from 2020)

“As a stay-at-home mom, I want to take advantage of re-openings but also exercise more caution than before, so that we will be less likely to be exposed to a second wave.”

Pains: Heightened anxiety about socializing, high-traffic surfaces, crowds, etc. She feels more vulnerable financially, notices more desperation in people, feels paranoid of crime. Going to venues is much more competitive, she feels guilty for taking up the space but also frustrated with the lack of availability for so long. They’re running out of cash and won’t be able to afford their mortgage once payments restart. There’s not enough time available at the library, and they need access to library resources more than ever.

Gains: New financial year has created more work for freelancers than for permanent staff. Her phone is ringing and she has a lot of material ready-made from the closure. She is becoming the breadwinner. Dad is taking care of kids more now, and spends some time at library to apply for jobs and print resumes, giving her more access to their single workspace and bandwidth, allowing them to downgrade the internet and save money. Kids are excited about how famous event hosts are, now they recognize them from TV! It’s sure nice to have coffee in a cafe again, and the kids are more excited than before about simple pleasures. They consider the Memberships.

“As a philanthropist, I want to support cultural organizations and museums, so that future Melburnians will have a better sense of their history and identity.”

Pains: information is increasingly distributed via digital formats

Gains: a strong sense of community - old friends and interesting new people.

“As a philanthropist, I want to support cultural organizations and museums, so they will retain their quality offerings, document history and actively provide resources.”

Pains: Concern that donations allocated towards promising goals are going to waste, and not providing enough community support.

Gains: Feeling especially helpful, witnessing history, and observing the library’s projects engaging public participation in documenting history.

“As a philanthropist, I want to support cultural organizations and museums, to reopen, get through difficult conditions, and provide key resources for the public in recovery and community.”

Pains: Feeling a bit more vulnerable personally, and disconnected. Falling into an age bracket that is more at-risk, not very digitally connected to friends and loved ones. Not able to attend public events and witnessing the aftermath of financial losses has left him discouraged. He is having a lot of time to rethink where to put donations, and how to access things for a sense of the benefit. Memberships are interesting, but he won’t buy one for awhile and complains with friends that attending the library has become an exclusive club for other people.

Gains: Opportunity to sit back and reflect, and be observant of the layers of history currently unfolding. Pleased to see the library reopening, taking notice of what is being offered for relief. Desire to help accelerate recovery. Things to look forward to. Wants to get there faster.