Customer service in academic libraries : tales from the front line
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Bibliographic Information
Customer service in academic libraries : tales from the front line
（Chandos information professional series）
Chandos Pub., c2016
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-123) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The term 'customer service' is not new to the academic library community. Academic libraries exist to serve the needs of their community, and hence customer service is essential. However, the term can be applied in a variety of ways, from a thin veneer of politeness, to an all-encompassing ethic focussing organisational and individual attention on understanding and meeting the needs of the customer. For customers, the library's Front Line team is the 'human face' of the library. How well they do their job can have a massive impact on the quality of the learning experience for many students, and can directly impact upon their success. The importance of their role, and the quality of the services they offer, should not be underestimated - but in an increasingly digital world, and with potentially several thousand individuals visiting every day (whether in person or online), each with their own agendas and requirements, how can the library's Front Line team deliver the personal service that each of these individuals need? Customer Service in Academic Libraries contributes to what academic libraries, as a community, do really well - the sharing of best practice. It brings together, in one place, examples of how Front Line teams from libraries across a wide geographical area - Hong Kong, Australia, Turkey and the United Kingdom - work to 'get it right for their customers'. Between them, they cover a range of institutions including research-intensive, mixed HE/FE, private establishments and shared campuses. All have their own tales to tell, their own emphases, their own ways of doing things - and all bring their own examples of best practice, which it is hoped readers will find useful in their own context.
Table of Contents
Dedication
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
About the Editor
About the Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. "Customer Service"-What's the Big Deal?
Abstract
What's in a Name?
Thinking Like a Customer
Mapping Your Customer's Experience
Customer Service Standards
Building Customer Relationships
Chapter 2. Staffing the Front Line
Abstract
Recruiting, Developing, and Rewarding Staff
Listen and Learn
Chapter 3. Marshalling a Century of Experience: Customizing Services for the Next Generation of Users
Abstract
An Institution Amidst Rapid Changes
Historical and Emerging Roles of the Libraries
Holistic Approach to Building a Service Culture
Knowing the Users and Striving for Continuous Quality Assurance
Nurturing a Customer-Centered Team
Strategic Application of User and Staff Surveys
Next Goal-All-Dimensional Experience
Chapter 4. Customer Service in a 24/7 Environment: The Exeter Experience
Abstract
Background
Why Rove?
Initial Training and Mobilization
Maintaining a Roving Culture
Roving and Communication
Recognition and Feedback
Ongoing Challenges and Developments
Chapter 5. Customer Service at Victoria University, St. Albans Campus Library
Abstract
Customer Service: What Does it Mean to Me?
Organizational Structure
VU Focus on Customer Service, Drivers, Etc.
Library Structure
Our Libraries
Library Focus: What Does Customer Service Mean to Us as a Service
St. Albans Campus Focus: What Does Customer Service Mean to Our Staff?
How Do We Recruit for Customer Service?
How Do We Train Staff?
Student Mentors: Rovers, Student Assistants, Research Ambassadors, and Writing Space Mentors
How Do We Know When We are Getting it Right?
What Have We Learnt So Far?
Future Considerations?
Chapter 6. Innovations in User Services at Sabanci University Information Center
Abstract
About Sabanci University
About the Information Center
Introduction
Rooms Booking System
Nothing Endures But Change. (Heraclitus, 540 -480 BC) (Fechete 2014)
Customer Satisfaction
Improving Ideas Comes with Erasmus
Standards
Problems with the Reservation System
Teamwork
Finally
Conclusion
Chapter 7. Library Services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter, Penryn Campus: Listening to Our Customers in a Shared Services Environment
Abstract
Background and Context
Library Structure
Customer Care and Our Customers
Customer Consultation and Feedback
UCF LibQual Survey 2013
Conclusion
Chapter 8. Where Next for the "Front Line"?
Abstract
Bibliography
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
