A library customer-service (or lack thereof) experience from my past:
When I graduated college, my then-husband and I moved to TX for his job. During my spring break that spring we were looking for housing in TX. Since my husband was already working, I was killing time in the area until we could go look at more housing options after 5:00. One afternoon I decided to hang out at a local library branch, reading, to pass the time.
When I entered the library, I do not remember anyone initially greeting me or asking if I needed any assistance. I wandered the branch for a bit, then found a book and magazine and sat down to read.
After I had settled in, a staff member asked if I needed anything. I said, "Thank you but no," and continued to read. A little bit later another staff member asked if I needed any assistance. I again replied, "No thanks" and tried to continue reading. Each time a staff member approached me, it was as if they had never seen anyone reading in their library and they wished that I would go away. I was asked about a half dozen times over the course of my time in the library if I needed assistance, but never in a friendly, smiling manner - it was in a "Why don't you go away?" tone.
I finally gave up and left the library. I had never felt so unwelcome in a library in my life. I realize that staff members should ask if a patron needs help, but I felt harassed. Why was I made to feel uncomfortable for using the library as a place to find a book and read? I may never know the answer... I never went back to that library branch, even after I moved to an apartment in the same town.
-- Patricia Dew
Comments (1)
Skip Auld said
at 8:33 pm on Mar 28, 2007
Wow, Patricia, that's pretty poor customer service. It almost sounds as though the people in that library were told to approach people on some sort of schedule. I once heard of a department store where employees were instructed to use customers' names at least 3 times. Equally absurd!
What I've found to work really well in just about every library in which I've worked is to practice & get in the habit of smling, making eye contact, and saying hello or some other friendly verbal greeting. The point, though, is to do these things naturally and genuinely.
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