The Reference Librarian, 50:215–218, 2009

Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 0276-3877 print/1541-1117 online
DOI: 10.1080/02763870902755981

1541-1117
0276-3877
WREF
The Reference Librarian,
Librarian Vol. 50, No. 2, February 2009: pp. 1–6

THE NEED TO KNOW: RETHINKING PUBLIC LIBRARY

REFERENCE IN A NEW INFORMATION AGE

Good Reference Service? Great Reference Service?

What’s the Difference?

VIVIAN REED, Column Editor

Rethinking
V. Reed Public Library Reference

Long Beach Public Library, Long Beach, CA, and California

State University, Long Beach, CA

Last fall at the 2007 California Library Association Convention, I had the
pleasure of attending a wonderful workshop, “Create Great Customer Service
Using the ‘Best Practices’ Model,” presented by Barbara L. Flynn, Deputy
Director of the San Diego County Library. With the able assistance of several
branch managers from the Orange County Library system in California
(where Ms. Flynn previously worked as a regional services manager), she
discussed and demonstrated practical ways to elevate good customer service
to great customer service.
Flynn’s common sense advice came to life as the other librarians acted
out vignettes showing the difference that personal involvement and enthusiasm
can make in improving reference service. Later, Ms. Flynn found time during
a hectic work week to talk with me about some of the points she made at
the workshop. Recent reports in library literature demonstrate efforts under-
way across the country to fine-tune reference service to better meet the
customers’ needs.
The “best practices” model in the title of Ms. Flynn’s workshop refers to
delineating what works best in your situation in your community. “Essentially,
it’s taking the extra step,” Ms. Flynn told me in our telephone interview,
“not stopping with a simple answer but finding what the customer wants to
the best of our ability.” She suggested to the workshop audience that talking
to staff members recognized by coworkers for giving exceptional service
can help define best practices at a local level. “Above all, remember that

Address correspondence to Vivian Reed, Long Beach Public Library, 101 Pacific Avenue,
Long Beach, CA 90822. E-mail: vireed@aol.com

215
216 V. Reed

there’s no cookie cutter procedure,” she told me. “Every situation is different
and every person has a unique reason for asking that particular question,
even if you’ve heard that question many times before.”
Getting to know the community can also help define best practices.
“You can’t superimpose what you think they want,” Ms. Flynn said. “Being
out there on the floor, you can pick up what’s asked for and what’s not.”
She suggested descriptive statistics and simple surveys as ways to measure
the types of reference service needed. “Don’t expect people to answer fifty
questions, though,” she said. “Five will do. Things like ‘How did we do
today?’ or ‘Did you find what you need?’” She advised the workshop members
to give extra attention to negative survey responses.
In a 2007 issue of Indiana Libraries, Steven M. Banks reported on a
method used by the Monroe County Public Library to evaluate customer
service to its community. The library, located in Bloomington, worked with
the regional office of the Indiana Small Business Development Center to
design a secret shopper program, commonly employed by retailers but not
widely used in libraries. Anonymous customers evaluated the quality of
service they received at the library and the results showed that the staff
performed very well.
In a phone interview, Mr. Banks told me the program took a year to
implement and involved several phases. The initial study covered the overall
impression presented by the library. “It was so valuable to get the perspective
of people who don’t work here on things like lighting, stacks of brochures
on the desk, and placement of computer monitors,” Mr. Banks said. “Things
we see every day but don’t think about.”
In subsequent studies, secret shoppers evaluated things such as did
they have to wait, was the question answered, and did the staff member follow
up. Mr. Banks said “they were satisfied, even surprised, with the service
they received.” When asked if he would recommend using secret shoppers
in libraries, he advised targeting general library service procedures rather
than performance of individual staff members. “It’s not about pointing fingers,”
he said, “but more about showing managers and [the] administration how to
put their staff in the best position to provide good service.”
Ms. Flynn also advocates a positive approach. “Attitude is so important.
It’s not something we put on and take off,” she told me, emphasizing tone
of voice and eye contact as key factors in connecting with customers. “People
remember friendly service,” she said. “A little phrase like ‘I’d be happy to’
can mean a lot to someone who’s uncomfortable asking for help.”
Focusing on the customer and being an active listener can improve the
quality of reference service too. At the workshop, Ms. Flynn described how
subtle distractions such as a person’s clothes or way of speaking can influ-
ence a librarian’s response to a question. “Don’t hurry or anticipate what
your answer will be,” she told me and recommended consciously pausing
before answering. “Usually, a customer appreciates the pause as a sign
 Rethinking Public Library Reference 217

you’re giving the question your full attention,” she said. “Another payback is
that the pause gives you time to consider all options, not just one pat
answer.” Asking for feedback and restating the person’s request are other
methods Ms. Flynn mentioned to actively connect with the customer’s needs.
She believes customer service begins as soon as a person enters the
library and that staff at all levels should be involved. “I really feel customer
service is everybody’s business,” Flynn said. “Every library employee influ-
ences how a person perceives the library.” Supervisors not only need to set
guidelines for customer service practices, they should model excellent cus-
tomer service themselves. Training and ongoing meetings where policies,
practices, and problems are discussed can help establish and maintain high-
quality customer service.
Encouraging and rewarding staff members for exceptional service can
motivate extra effort by others. Jodene Glaesemann, the library supervisor
of Walt Branch Library in Lincoln, Nebraska, reported on some easy, effec-
tive ways she has used to encourage staff input in the May/June 2007
issue of Public Libraries. She regularly puts up large Post-it notes in the
break room asking staff for opinions and ideas about ways to improve
service, and she also implemented morning briefings in which staff mem-
bers take turns being in charge. Staff at all levels can present ideas and
concerns about library practices at these informal meetings two or three
times a week.
In an e-mail, Ms. Glaesemann informed me that this year higher level
non-supervisory staff members occasionally take charge of formal staff
meetings at her branch. “My thinking with this is that staff meetings can be
a drag for staff and by putting them in charge they get some ownership in
the process,” she wrote. “Also, for other staff in attendance, I think they
enjoy not always listening to the supervisors talk to them. This allows them
to better see their colleagues’ skills. And finally, my responsibility to the
profession is to ‘grow’ new professionals. Giving them this experience helps
do that.” Implementing staff-wide changes in customer service does take
extra time and effort as well as ingenuity, but Ms. Flynn still highly endorses
it. “We owe it to the community and we owe it to ourselves to do the best
we can,” she said. In a Librarian Live podcast titled “Library Revolution”
available online through Clickcaster.com, Kerry McGeath talks about the
remarkable results at Southlake Public Library in Texas, where he is the City
Librarian.
Based on 25 years of retail experience, McGeath favored a “customer-
centric” outlook over the more common “institution-centric” library outlook.
By streamlining inventory and rethinking all policies and procedures based
on customer needs, the library more than tripled circulation figures in
4 years. City-wide surveys showed that a public dissatisfaction level of 65%
regarding local library services changed to a “more than satisfied” response
by 97% of those surveyed in that same 4-year time span.
218 V. Reed

Referring to great customer service as a sound business practice,

Ms. Flynn pointed out that satisfied customers are more likely to return to
the library and to recommend it to their friends. “When it comes right down
to it, it’s easier to provide high quality service than to make apologies or try
to mend fences after bad service,” Ms. Flynn said. “Quite simply, it’s the
right thing to do.”
This coming year at the California Library Association Convention,
librarians will have another chance to absorb Ms. Flynn’s expert advice and
passion for service at her workshop called “Customer Service—A Way of
Life, Not an Add-On.” I have no doubt she’ll present even more helpful
ideas to improve reference service as well as staff morale.
Please contact me at vireed@aol.com with any comments or news
about innovations being made at your library that facilitate the public’s need
to know.