Us and Them: shaping a
customer service culture
in libraries
Maxine Melling, Director of Learning and Information
Services, Liverpool John Moores University

Case Study
Working Together Project, Vancouver

Public Libraries – “a community development
approach to putting library skills at the service of
the community by working with them to link
library services to community understanding of
its needs”
http://www.librariesincommunities.ca/


How do we demonstrate our values?
5. STAFF 1. MESSAGES
Who deliver Reflect
2. RULES
4. EVALUATION AND MEASUREMENT
Which come from
And imposed by
3. STRATEGY & POLICY
Informed by

Messages

Language
In the trenches: military images

Crime and punishment: the delinquent borrower

OPACs, authentication and class. numbers

Incompetence v. Presumed intelligence


Space
Accessibility

Self evident and customer-owned

Interactive not controlling

Way-finding rather than dependent on staff help

Consolidated help desk – roving/on-call staff

help
The role of security barriers


RULES AND REGULATIONS

Strategy & policy
“library & information managers need to ensure that their

policies and strategies reflect a culture of real customer service.
The key to achieving this is to build customer perspectives into
your planning process”
 A McDonald, Vancouver Public Library
“Customer service is as much about purpose and culture as it is

about services and delivery. We need strategic management that
brings together corporate values, planning and organisational
responsibilities”
 Sheila Corral, Sheffield University

Identification of needs, VPL
Traditional model Community-based model
Data Meet people where they are
Statistics most comfortable
User surveys Connect-consult
Comments cards Collaborate
Demographic trends Build relationships based
on trust and respect

Service planning, VPL
Traditional model Community-based model
Senior staff develop service Library and community act
proposals to address as partners in planning
identified priorities Community involved in
Staff are consulted stock/services selection
Reference to Work collaboratively to
literature/conferences etc. develop policy
recommendations

Evaluation & measurement
Discussions

Narrative based – allow people to use their own

language
Perceptions based (e.g. LibQual)

Qualitative –what else?

Focus groups etc.

Non-use

Segmentation


Staff
Critical thinking & self-

awareness
Humility

Contextual listening

Empathy

“we’re going to try to help staff
understand that when we say we
use our values to inform our
work we’re talking about the
library’s values”
Diana Guinn, Supervisor
VPL

“Barriers are pervasive…sometimes
they are the result of institutional
goals at…management level, while at
other times they emerge from the
personal beliefs of staff at the public
service level”.
Randy Gatley, Community Development
Librarian, Vancouver Public Library