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Leave the Stereotypes Behind: New Tools for Shaping the Library Experience

Discover tools that challenge stereotypes in libraries and enhance the user experience, from hospitality to demand-based resource allocation.

michaelrivera
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Leave the Stereotypes Behind: New Tools for Shaping the Library Experience

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  1. Leave the Stereotypes Behind: New Tools for Shaping the Library Experience Joan Frye Williams www.jfwilliams.com April 2008

  2. What’s Behind the Stereotypes?

  3. Who Are Your “Civilians”?

  4. How We See Civilians

  5. How They See Themselves

  6. Civilian Reality • Information everywhere • Ideas economy • Decline of deference • Preference for personalization • Time pressure

  7. Stereotype: Detailed Rules, Procedures, and Standards Ensure Excellent Service

  8. Civilian Perspective:Do These People Really Want Me Here?

  9. Strong Sense of Arrival

  10. Inspiring Destinations • Cleanliness • Hospitality • Views • Natural light • Improvisation • Better than home • Source of pride

  11. “Green” Buildings and Practices

  12. Zoning by User Activity

  13. Youth-Savvy Staff

  14. OK, Within Reason… • Talking • Food and drink • Shared computers • Gaming • Cell phones

  15. What Advice Would You Give the Library? • “Be more pleasant to people” • “Make the atmosphere… not so clinical” • “Relax a bit on the restrictions” • “Lighten up!” • “Stop making it feel so much like church!”

  16. Hospitality Insurance Minimal gate-keeping Fewer, simpler rules Presumption of innocence

  17. Service Isn’t About Winning Arguments

  18. Make Something Happen!

  19. Stereotype:If We Shelve It, They Will Come

  20. Civilian Perspective:Do They Have Anything I Want?

  21. Demand-Based Resource Allocation

  22. Emphasis on Abundance Mid-list fiction Fast, convenient delivery Minimal rationing Appeal factor

  23. Leveraging the Books Brand • Benefits of reading • Reading lifestyle • Support for authors • Ties to/from other media • All staff recommend books

  24. Plenty of Programs/Classes

  25. Tie-Ins with Local Arts Events

  26. Make Something Happen!

  27. Stereotype:“Patrons” Aren’t Capable of Finding Good Things on Their Own

  28. Civilian Perspective:Why Do They Call It “Cookery”?

  29. Browsable Multimedia Information Neighborhoods

  30. Consistent Terminology • Magazines • Periodicals • Journals • Serials • Periodical literature • Current periodicals • Back issues • Bound journals

  31. Engines, Not OPACs

  32. Recombinable Resources • Mainstream data formats • Easy import/export/snip • Digitized materials • Institutional and civilian-defined tags

  33. Make Something Happen!

  34. Stereotype:One-on-One Service Is Our Most Valuable Product

  35. Civilian Perspective:Will I Succeed Here?

  36. Simplified Wayfinding • Less clutter • Consolidated desks • Situational signage • Virtual tours • Prepackaged tips, shortcuts, FAQs

  37. Self-Directed Service

  38. Support for Different Learning Styles • Individual, Pair, Group • Print, Media • Quiet, Lively • Traditional, Kinetic, Interactive

  39. Zone Staffing • Staff are responsible for the overall environment and for the civilians’ successful experience, not just for specific transactions • Everyone assists with basic civilian tasks • “Hip to hip” service

  40. Upselling

  41. “Bookends” Service • Get me started • Check back later

  42. Dispatched Service • Centrally located desk(s) • Staffed by non-librarian dispatcher • Dispatcher matches question to the best person to handle it • Librarians work on call • Tech staff work on call • Work to completion with each person

  43. Redeployed Reference • Online reference • Hot topics • Extreme Googling • Training, coaching • Appointments • Community specialists

  44. Make Something Happen!

  45. Stereotype: Quality Always Takes Longer But It’s Worth It

  46. Civilian Perspective:How Convenient Is it?

  47. Expedited Returns and Sorting

  48. Netflix-Style Circulation

  49. Podcast/Webcast Programs

  50. Text/IM andMicroformats

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