ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


February 1994/63

Customer service: The heart 
off a library

B y  H a rd y  R. F r a n k lin

A message from the President 
o f  ALA

S
ervice is the heart o f our profession. 
Thinking o f patrons as “customers” is an

apt way to remind ourselves— and our staffs—
 
 

of the manner in which we wish 
to associate with the public.

Our customers— whether 
they be students, faculty, or 
members of the general public—  
are why libraries exist. We must 
not take them for granted.

It is not enough to simply de­
liver service. We must market 
our services in a way that assures 
our libraries are addressing real 
needs and that our customers—  
current and potential— are aware 
o f the benefits available to them.

In a letter to ALA in which he 
shared how the library had made 
a difference in his life, Nobel laureate Linus 
Pauling said he used his college library not to 
pursue his scientific studies but to “develop a 
broader view of life” by reading works by George 
Bernard Shaw and Edgar Allan Poe. How many 
of us would have assumed the opposite?

One of the biggest mistakes any organiza­
tion can make is to assume it knows the needs 
and wants of its customers. Corporations spend 
millions o f dollars “listening” to their custom­
ers via customer service surveys, but it needn't 
be that expensive or complicated.

That is why during National Library Week, 
April 17-23, 1994, the American Library Asso­

Hardy R. Franklin

ciation (ALA) is asking all types o f libraries to 
participate in taking a national “snapshot” of 
library customer satisfaction.

Why do a customer satisfaction survey? There 
are at least four good reasons. One is to deter­
mine the level of customer satisfaction with your 
services; two, to identify areas for improvement; 
three, to identify needed services; and last but 

not least, to let your customers 
know you care what they think.

We know that libraries of all 
types have millions o f satisfied 
customers. This survey is an at­
tempt to document that fact.

We are not pretending that 
this is a “scientific” survey nor 
are we expecting 100 percent 
satisfaction, although similar 
surveys conducted by libraries 
have generally found high lev­
els o f satisfaction.

W e are expecting to gain 
valuable insights into library 
customer service satisfactions 

that will help us to promote library use and 
legislative support for libraries nationwide.

A camera-ready survey form appears in this 
issue o f C&RL News (see page 65) for you to 
reprint “as is” or customize for your library. 
Libraries are asked to report their survey re­
sults by May 15, 1994, to the ALA Public In­
formation Office, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 
60611; phone: (800) 545-2433, ext. 5044.

All responses are confidential and will be 
used solely for the purpose of compiling a na­
tional picture of library customer satisfaction to 
be used for promoting library use and support. 
Thank you, in advance, for your help. ■

Hardy R. Franklin is director o f  the District o f  Columbia Public Library and the 1993-94president o f  the 
American Library Association. Franklin chose “Customer Service: The Heart o f  the Library" as the theme f o r  
his presidential year.