Customer Service Skills

  There are 7 important customer service skills that our library staff need to learn , that will improve  the library's image and standing.
1. Listen to patrons
2. Smile at Patrons
3. Watch for patron confusion ad then try to help
4. Approach the patron  & be engaged  with patron
5. Use positive body language - be inviting and make eye contact
6. Use the patrons name in conversation when providing library services
7. Smile!

    While theses are mostly self explanatory, as a Director or Manager, you may want to discuss and explain them to your staff.  If they have questions, make sure you call address them and straighten any confusion out.
You may also want to do some role playing at a staff meeting so that staff can experience how each item should be played out.  These are items that can be worked on as a staff team and developed over time.

Superior Customer Service

  All of our patrons are considered customers. And our customers /patrons are very important to help us maintain funding for our resources and programs.  So we should take time to consider our forms of customer service and the way we treat patrons.

  We could also consider our Customer Service  Policy( if we have one) . If not , we may want to develop  policy on how we want to treat our customers . We should want the library to be a friendly, welcoming place where people will want to come!

  One way we can have superior customer service is to hire exceptional employees . These employees are able to set a good example , interact easily with patrons, have a great phone voice and can communicate well via email.

  Also having the proper positive leadership  helps the change of the positive culture of our team ( staff) . In essence , Customer Service is putting the customer first by focusing on creating a positive experience.

  So here is the question: Does anyone have a customer service policy? What is in it?
If you don't have one, what do you think you should have in it? I would love to hear from you regarding  your thoughts on Customer Service,

Check out the Books For Sale Page! My ebook on sale now!

Greads- www.greadsbooks.com

    As I check out many book review blogs and websites, I come across many new ones. Many bloggers( myself included, although lately I have been slacking)  share there reviews, And they also share their favorite blogs.  So it a self continuing process of finding book reviews, I have found some really good ones which I like to share with you!

   Ginger's book blog sire ( www.greadsbooks.com)  is simple but entertaining.  She likes to share her ideas on the books she reads.  She reads contemporary Ya literature, and adult fiction ( contemporary and historical) . She also promotes books through blog giveaways

   The site is simple to get around .She a tab for book review archives, and her policy on reviewing.
  She has a link to the book she is currently reading. And she also has a listing of her favorite book blogs.

So check her out at : www.greadsbooks.com

The Super Powers of Librarians

   The role of the librarian( school, public, academic & otherwise)  continues to change . Every day there are new resources, websites, and technologies for patrons to learn and use. In order to keep up with the 21st century , as a profession we need also to keep learning and growing.  So we need to keep developing our super powers to get the job done.

  Being Flexible:  Yes , we need to adapt and grow and learn all we can in order to help our patrons and students  . So begin by evaluating, revising,  and implementing your programs.   Assess what is working and what isn't . Decide what you will keep doing, ( something that is working , and producing good results, )what needs to changed and how you can change it to provide the best for your  needs and the needs of the patrons.

 Some items to think about changing or adapting: Circulation,shelving, scheduling, Programs. Now don't expect to change /adapt these all at the same time. Take time to think through about the procedures , what you do now and what could be done to be more efficient. Tackle one at the time, make changes , and then re-evaluate to see if the changes are working.  Always ask yourself : Is it working? Why? Or Why not? What could be done differently?  How can we improve?
  By being flexible and going with the change we can  adapt our tasks to become more accommodating and efficient.

The Perpetual Page Turner-Book Reviews

  The Perpetual Page Turner is a book blog with reviews of Ya literature, adult fiction, and some non-fiction ( travel and memoirs). This is not a serious  criticism type of blog. This has a very conservational  tone to its reviews.  There also are  blogs on books, and discussion about all things bookish. Some are even personal about the  author Jamie, and her husband Will.

  She has a review policy tab, also a special features tab. She also tells a rating systems for the books she reads and reviews. There is a tab that leads to her book discussions and readers can log in and respond.  There are also giveaways and featured articles.  Along the right hand side , there are also links to her current read, and find a new read, and get exploring  more books.

  So check this out if you want a more intimate style of book reviews.

Good Work Habits at your Desk!

     Hopefully your desk is now ready to go. It is cleared of files ( See The Organized Librarian book- tab up at top for more on  files and filing)  But if not, and you have piles and piles of papers, here is what to do.

  The  key is to NOT let paper and piles keep multiplying!!  Process each paper as it comes  on to your desk.  If you do have papers and piles , grab a pile and go through it.  If you already have files in your drawers or file cabinet, then refile each paper in the correct file.  Do this with each  pile. ( Take 15 - 30 minutes at a time until your desk is clear of piles)

  Now establish a place where  you will place items to be filed/ refiled.  Establish also an area ( I use a standing file holder on the counter next to my desk- it could also be on my desk - and this is for current projects I am working on) Everything else is filed in my desk door ( files I use on a regular basis or in my file cabinet- where I put files that I use once a month)
   Also have a couple of folders( one marked to do, to read, )

  Each day you can pull out the files that you are working on . Then before lunch or before  the end of the day, always take a few moments to file materials where they belong!

Desk organization - Part 2

     Organize your desk and supplies according to your needs and usage.  Items that are used frequently are best put  in a convenient location. For example. I use my stapler, tape, sticky notes and paper clips often  so they  sit on my desk  between the phone and the computer .

  The rest of my desk  is clear. I pull  out folders from my desk drawer or side cabinet according  to what I am working on.  At  the end of the day ( or after lunch) I put tiems back in their correct locations so they can be found easily the next time I need to work on them.

( See more on files and filing in future blog posts and also in  the book "The Organized Librarian"  on sale above - Click  on the tab at top of the page.

Manager's meeting - part 2

   Her are some more thoughts coming from our workshop on developing a good working team.   As a manager , it should be a goal of ours to help our staff fulfill their potential. By doing this, we develop a staff who does their best  and most creative work.

  It is a process no doubt but a gradual one.  As managers / directors we need to discuss and explore with each one of our staff their strengths, talents, and  interests.   We need to observe and analyze as we go about our work with our staff to help them to identify their most positive abilities.

  Another possibility would be to create a survey asking them what they like to do best.  Then we can assign the correct person for the job and have the jobs/ tasks fall into the 'lap" of the right person.  This will help to develop the sense of team work within your staff. When they begin to think of themselves as a team  , then work and tasks at hand become more efficiently accomplished.

Managers Workshop: Discovering and Mentoring Talent-

   I attended a recent workshop for library manger's , directors, and any staff who has people to manage and direct.  It focused on mentoring  talent in staff and getting the best results.  But the speaker also addressed becoming a better leaders to help your library build a dream team of staff who will love what they do and be creative in their positions.

  Her firs big question to use was "Why are you in this job and in this field?"  We had a small group discussion to tell our story of how we got into the library field.

  As manager or directors , we need to a) develop a vision, share it, and have our staff buy into it, b) communicate regularly with staff, and c) create an environment  that allows discussion and a good communication system

  So our firs step would be to create our vision/ mission/  Then challenge staff to help build and fulfill the vision you see for your library.  As you listen to staff and their ideas , make changes . Embrace good discussions that bring up points to improve your library. Have staff become more involved in the work at hand and the vision of what your library is becoming!

Desk Organization

   Organizing your desk is a task that will help you be more efficient  at work or at home.  Planning your desk space - do you have enough room?  Do you have too many stacks? Do you have the items you need on a regular basis?

   Most of the time our desks are used for paper work or computer work,  We need to have files or supplies that are accessible when needed.  If we are lucky you will have drawer space and file storage built into our desk.

   Planning for your desk  usage, first determine exactly what is needed on a day to day basis . For example: pens, pencils, paper, scrap paper, paper clips, file folders, calculator , stapler , scissors and tape.
Now if you need all these supplies on a regular basis , figure out where to put them  , so you can get them if you need them.

  The next step is to figure out  what tasks you actually do at your desk( reports, budget work, computer tasks , letter writing, computations, etc,)  This will help you to prepare the space so that you can complete these tasks) Do you need more room at your desk? Then figure out what items can be eliminated or tucked away  in a convenient spot for quick access.

  Check out my The Organized Library  on the tab above for more information on organizing  your workspace and day.

The Staff Recommends

  This site provides recommendations to great and memorable books.  The staff receives books from publishers all over the US.  The staff then reads and decides if the title is worthy to be placed on the site. Only then does the publisher pay to have their books placed.  ( This is great advertising for great books!)

 The Staff Recommends  site reaches half a million readers and it help  readers to find a book they are bound to love.

  So to keep up with the latest and best  this is the site you want to  check out.  You can read reviews of their current picks.  Also check out their past selections which gives short review of many of their favorites

  

Calendar Part 2

Each week as you look at your calendar, you can record meetings, appointments, and other sessions  onto your weekly/ daily calendar.  The more you do this, the less chance of your missing an important meeting or task.  If you seen you are over scheduled, ( by looking the beginning of each week) then you can cancel, reschedule or eliminate certain items.

  Make it a habit to also check daily on both your monthly and daily calendar to make sure that you are on task  and get accomplish what you need to get done.

  On your daily calendar  write down items that need to be done that day or week.  In the back of my planner, I have several tabs - one of them is work.  This is where I keep a master list of items that I need to do.

  Every week I transfer items to my weekly /daily lists on days when I know I will have time to complete or at least start the project.

 Check out also The Organized Librarian  book for more tips and hints on being more organized.

  

We be reading

Webereading,com is a mother and son website that is professional looking and very intriguing.  K is a mom whose goal is to get people reading.  Z is 1 a0 year old who also loves to read and he writes his own graphic novels.  A very talented pair to say the least.

  There is a review policy and tabs that link you to Ya & Adult fiction review, non-ficition reviews, picture and chapter books, and film reviews.

  You will find very interesting review that are fair but critical.  I find this to be very helpful. I also like the film tab because they compare books to films  which is very helpful in my DVD selection.