Customer Service in Libraries
ALA Statements
Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers (ALA Reference & User Services Association (RUSA), 2004)
General Customer Service Resources
Note: Additional resources may be found in the Customer Service (General) list in OCLC's WorldCat.
Brussels Airlines Customer Service. YouTube (0:44) Truly going the extra mile!
Why you should always provide good customer service: Million Error or item 16 in this video from Socialnomics)
Library Specific
Print and Online Resources
Note: Additional resources may be found in the Customer Service in Libraries list in OCLC's WorldCat.
Designing Better Libraries, blog "Exploring the application of design, innovation, and new media to create better libraries and user experiences."
Dowd, Nancy. "Ideas from Customer Service is the New Marketing Conference." Blogpost, Feb. 6, 2008.
Holt, Glen E. "What Makes a Library Great?" Public Library Quarterly, Vol. 24, no. 2, 2005. p. 83-89.
Koontz, Christie. Customer-based Marketing. "Stores and Libraries: Both Serve Customers!" Marketing Library Services, Vol 16, No.1 Jan/Feb 2002.
Leonicio, Maggie. “Going the Extra Mile: Customer Service with a Smile.” The Reference Librarian No. 72 (2001): 51 - 63.
“Library Customer Service.” Webjunction http://www.webjunction.org/explore-topics/customer-services.html
Lubans, John. “To Save the Time of the User: Customer Service at the Millennium.” Library Administration and Management 15, no. 3 (Summer 2001): 179 - 182.
Sager, Donald J. “Customer Service and Public Libraries: Special Section.” Public Libraries 40, no. 2 (March/April 2001): 85 – 89
Training Options
For training from the American Library Association, see http://www.alastore.ala.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=281 and http://www.ala.org/onlinelearning/customer-service
