Tag Archives: customer service

The 10-Minute International Librarian #80: Make a contact count

Librarianship is all about helping people to achieve their goals through meaningful access to information and knowledge.

It of course includes a wide range of roles, from the front desk or out among the stacks, to the conservation lab or the cataloguing room.

Nonetheless, in each case, it is through meeting people – in person on online, through direct conversation or through a user’s interaction with a service provided – that access is provided and supported.

Clearly, different members of the field will therefore be in contact with a greater or smaller number of users, in person or online, and they will interact in different ways.

The common thread, though, is the importance of ensuring that interactions are effective, and provide the support the user needs.

So for our 80th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, make a contact count.

Think about how you approach a contact with someone (or design a service with which someone will interact). Is it having the effect you want on the user?

Is there anything that might be holding you – or them – back?

Are there alternative approaches that you could use, both in terms of what you are saying (or doing) and how?

Don’t forget that a satisfied user is also potentially an advocate for your services!

Let us know about how you have managed to make a contact count in the comments below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Key Initiative 2.3: Develop standards, guidelines, and other materials that foster best professional practice

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the com

The 10-Minute International Librarian #40: understand your users’ expectations

Librarianship is all about providing service.

Our institutions are there to help people find the information they need to make decisions, and to take part in economic, social, cultural and civic life.

As a result, we have a strong focus on working to identify and respond to user needs, both in terms of building collections and developing services and wider communities. User needs are of course also key when designing libraries in the first place.

But in addition to needs, it’s also worth thinking about what users expect of the library. This matters, because how libraries match up with users’ anticipations will affect overall experience.

So for our 40th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, understand your users’ expectations.

What do they want from the library in terms of type of service, and how it is delivered. What is it that they want to do in the library, and how can you make this simpler?

Don’t forget that these expectations can be affected by experiences of other services, both public and private. What makes these attractive or easy to use? Can you replicate ideas?

Let us know your about your experiences of responding to user expectations in the comments section below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 2.3 Develop standards, guidelines, and other materials that foster best professional practice.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments b