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Editorial

The figures below are similar to the ones from yesterday but just for England.  They show the cut in overall budgets is 30% since 2009/10.  Perhaps the wonderfully determined Lincolnshire campaigners can mention that to Number Ten when they’re there tomorrow over the little matter of the council giving away 32 out of its 45 libraries.  Perhaps also the Culture Secretary Maria Miller may be willing to give a donation the cause as I understand she may have some extra money hanging around at the moment that is causing her some embarrassment.

Total annual expenditure in England, inflation adjusted as percentage of 2012 spending

Changes

• Liverpool – 25% cut in budget (of £2.5m from current budget of £10m). Consultation until 16 May.
• Wandsworth (GLL) –Putney Library opening hours increased by three hours.

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Editorial

A parliamentary question by Helen Goodman has revealed that libraries will received £93 million in grant in aid from the DCMS in 2015/16.  This appears to compares to £111 million in 2012/13. Another day and another news items suggesting deep cuts in a council’s library service: this time in Powys where two-thirds of their libraries are now considered under threat.  Gone are the days when Wales was seen as being more protected than England when it came to cuts.  Over in Northern Ireland, though, well done to a nice animated feature tooting the fact all libraries there have WiFi. To round off this survey of one news item from each part of the UK, I was delighted to see that the Scottish are providing free online access to many thousands of old English and Welsh maps.  That’s going to be really useful for a whole load of people.  Thank you kindly.

Changes

• Northern Ireland – Free WiFi in all libraries.
• Powys – 11 out of 17 under threat. £350k cut 2015/16. May look to volunteers and replacement by mobile libraries.
• Swindon – Old Town Library opening hours to be maintained.

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Editorial

Two things that have drawn my attention.  The first is that a library service is asking people for a PIN as well as a library card in order to issue items on self service machines.  This surprised me so much I had to check (Thanks Mick) I’d read it right because my own authority has had self-service for three years and we don’t ask for PIN and – you know what? – it simply has not been a problem. Think about why for a moment. Like in every non-self service library in the world, the library card is enough. We don’t know everyone personally.  Anyone can come in with a library card, issue an item with a member of staff and go.  Why should the self-service machines be any different? Besides, I bet if I found a card in the street I could go up to a counter in that authority’s branches and ask for “my” PIN and they’d give it to me.  Yeah, you’re going to put off one or two especially unintelligent and lazy thieves but you’re also going to put off a hundred times that number of honest people who can’t remember their number and are too shy/busy/why-should-I to ask. We should be removing barriers, not adding to them. Putting an extra step in the way ain’t going to help your usage, folks.

Secondly, some good people from Spain have sent me a summary of what is going on in public libraries in that country.  It’s very like the UK in that there are deep cuts, less staff and less bookstock.  On the other hand, it’s quite different.  There’s no mention of large scale library closures or volunteers.  Spain has also seen a 20% increase in visits whereas English libraries have seen a decline.  This mirrors an increase in foreign countries I’ve noted elsewhere, notably in the US. Why the difference in the trend? I don’t know because no-one as far as I can see has done any meaningful research on the subject.  I’m just guessing, though, that it has something to do with long-term funding shortages (notable in the buildings themselves) exacerbated by short-term sharp cuts.  Or perhaps it’s because they don’t ask for PINs.

Changes

• Neath Port Talbot –  Cwmllynfell, Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, Ystalyfera, Seven Sisters (cost paid for by community council) and Blaengwynfi libraries now run by volunteers (with book an staffing support from council).  Briton Ferry, Resolven, Cymmer Afan and Taibach to be run by volunteers shortly (aim is May 1st). Taibach may be run by volunteers shortly.
• Sunderland – £500k refurbishment of Sunderland Central Library inc. wifi, iPads as part of new strategy after closure of 9 branches.

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Editorial

I was surprised and delighted to win the “Customer Service of the Year” award at the local Mayor’s Oscars on Friday. This is the second time I have won the award, with the 2012 one now having to move up to make space in the downstairs toilet.   After the shock wore off, it got me thinking about what makes, in my eyes good and bad customer service and so that’s what this post is going to be about.  Now, there’s a danger that this whole editorial is going to come across as arrogant blather and if it does then move on and ignore it.  However, it’s what I’ve learnt over 20 years and they work for me so they may work for you.  As you will see, if you disagree with any of them, I would positively welcome your complaints ….

• Never be too busy.  The main point of my job is to serve the customer.  Yes, I manage a couple of libraries but that person is standing in front of you now and needs help.  Giving him or her inferior help so you can get on with the paperwork is going to make it more likely they don’t come back. Which brings me on to..
• Think long term. That young parent with children asking for a picture book may take up a long time but she’s going to remember that help and come back.  Her kids will too.  You could be saying no to several people’s life use of a library if you say “no” to helping them as well as you can. I notice this having worked at the same place for twenty years … schoolchildren I remember serving are now bringing in their own kids. They wouldn’t have done if I’d have been nasty to them just once.
• Treat customers like friends and they become friends which means that pretty soon you’re not working but going to see your friends each day which means the job is fun which means you’re good at it.  But beware of not …
• Treating everyone the same.  It’s tempting to give more time to the nice ones and ones you know, less to the others … but that person who you don’t like serving is as worthy of help as anyone else.  You can quite often make more of a difference to theirs lives too.  Also, people notice if you treat some people better than others.
• Find ways of ending conversations.  Always be polite but if someone else is waiting then you need your own plans about how to stop the conversation as nicely as you can.  It may be fun but you’ve got work to do. Chatting 15 minutes to a friend is poor customer service to everyone else.
• Don’t gossip about customers.  Ideally, don’t talk about them at all, off or on desk.  While often a human failing, gossip can lead to disparaging of customers and a decline in service … and if customers hear you do it, they’ll write you off (after all, if you gossip about x then you’re going to gossip about them too – you wouldn’t want that to happen in shops you went to, would you?).
• Don’t clump.  Humans are social animals and so it’s natural for library staff to chat to eachother in quieter periods.  However, this means that they look busy to customers and also, have their backs to them.  It also means that anyone walking in will think only one thing … that the library is overstaffed. Not a good idea these days.
• Outreach breeds publicity breeds usage. I’m an extrovert, can’t help it really.  I do pantomimes, I do public speaking, storytimes, the works. The bigger the audience the better. If you speak to 200 people for five minutes and you make an impression then that is as much as a whole day or two at the desk.  The rules are to be relevant and not to be boring.  That’s it. The rest is window dressing.
• Self service doesn’t mean the end of customer service.  We’ve had self-service machines for two years but that award was still won.  Smile at users as they walk in – every customer should have some sort of acknowledgement.  Measure them up, see if they need help.  You’ve been doing this job for years: you know the signs. Smile and say hello to those who don’t need help, help those who do. Not a challenge.
• Go the extra mile.  You don’t know the answer so take down details and ask others until you find the answer.  You don’t have the book so phone up a library that does and get them to put it to one side for them.  Buy in the book if it is not in stock.
• Check check check.  You know the best way to deal with an enquiry: open questions, closed questions, answer then check to see if the answer is correct.  Then check to see if the user needs anything else.  Do that and you’re winning.
• Complaints are welcome. I love complaints.  They tell me what we’re seen as doing wrong, for free.  Take them as a gift to improve things.  Thank the complainer.  Look into the reason for the complaint and change practice if necessary.  There’s always room for improvement.  We never have all the answers and we’re never always right.  If we think otherwise then we’re wrong.  Similarly, I deal with hundreds of enquries a month but I still remember the ones from years ago that I did not do well and hopefully have learnt from them.
• Enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying your job, you’re doing it wrong.  Find a way to enjoy it.  Game it if necessary. People notice if you’re not enjoying things.  They even notice, would you believe it, on the phone … and my personal theory is they notice it in email too.  They’ll certainly notice it on Facebook.
• Be your own manager. Don’t look for your manager or colleagues for praise or for how best to do things.  If they do help then great but they may be too tied up to notice. Look to yourself for how you do things and take the pride with you. You’re the one that has to live with yourself after all.
• Be proud.  You’ve got the best job in the world, in a place you fought hard to work in, helping others.  People campaign to support you.  You provide a valuable service that people rely on.  So be proud of it and others will be proud of you.

Some of these of course rely on there being sufficient staff and resources but not all.  Anything which I have missed? Anything you disagree with?  I’d welcome your comments.

Please send any comments, thoughts, news or anything else to me via ianlibrarian@live.co.uk. I’d love (and enjoy) hearing from you.

Changes

• Wolverhampton – 51 jobs to be cut, some compulsory redunandancies.  Library service now down to 12 full-time and 75 part-time.

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Editorial

A fair bit of good news today, with refurbished libraries opening in Carmarthenshire, Hillingdon and Lambeth.  There’s also some good ideas from across the Atlantic and, footballers promoting books.  To cap it all, Arts Council England have come out with a response to the Sieghart Inquiry into public libraries which makes a fair bit of sense in parts.  I also love a great article by Mobeena Khan on the importance of reader development in libraries.

Changes

• Hillingdon – Uxbridge refurbished, marking the completion of programme to upgrade all 17 libraries.
• Lambeth – Streatham Library opened after £1.4m refurbishment

Ideas

• Mobile digital lab – Missouri, USA.
• Mobile workplace – St Paul, USA.
• Monthly poetry meet – with online forum and publishing on library website – Washington DC, USA.

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