ARSL Conference Notes

ARSL Conference - September 2014

Here's more from the ARSL conference I attended in September.

Delivering Excellent Customer Service -Break-out Session – Lisa Lewis

This session included tips and ideas on how to ensure that our patrons have a wonderful experience at the library through great customer service. (I’m listing these tips and ideas here, but some may go against your own library policy, so you’d need to check.)

Signs and Displays

• What is the first sign a patron sees when entering the library? Does this sign say “NO . . .”?  If it does, we should consider changing the wording. Negative wording hurts business and puts people on the defensive.
  Some examples:
  If the sign says No food and drink, change to something like “We love food, just not in the library.”
  No cell phones – Try “Thank you for not using your cell phone in the library.”
  Instead of No Loud Noise (etc.), try “Thank you for conversing in soft tones.”
• How many signs/posters do we have? Less is more, so use as few as possible.
• Weeding is important! Don’t overcrowd the shelves.
• Wipe off dust jackets when the books come in. Replace damaged ones.
• Change displays often.
• Using a digital frame at the circulation desk is a good idea. Add events to the display along with the photos.
• Suggestion: Set up maker-space tables with arts/crafts books and a craft for peopleto do.
• Suggestion: Display a table of cookbooks and add cracker and cheese, etc. (I’m not sure how this would work if we don’t allow food in the main part of the library, though.)

How We Assist Patrons

• Show people where things are.
• Be courteous on the phone.
• Don’t ever say:
  Are you sure?
  Wait, you’re confusing me.
  You’re wrong.
  Well, no one else has had that problem.
  Who told you that?
  Well, you’re gonna have to . . .
  It’s library policy. (Instead, explain why we have this policy.)

Fines and Fees

• Ease up and give staff the authority to forgive a fine.
• Chill out, loosen up, break the rules, compromise.

Tablet Slinging Librarians – Break-out Session – Leah Kulikowski

This session focused on practical and creative ways to use tablet technology to stay on the leading edge of customer service. A number of libraries are using tablets for:

• Children’s programs (Storytime apps like Peter Rabbit pop-up book App)
• Roving reference
•  Checking out books (with a Bluetooth barcode scanner)
• Credit card payment of fines
•  Music during programs
• Inventory (with a Bluetooth barcode scanner)

Leah said that her library uses an iPad as a Look-up Catalog Tablet mounted to the wall in the Children’s area. She also said that they took tablets to the park and signed up children for Summer Reading Club.

I thought these were innovative ways to bring tablet technology into the library.