Comments for Designing Better Libraries

Comment on Exceeding Expectations Depends On What They Are by Jim Nichols

Jim Nichols — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:51:38 +0000

OK, so the “exceeding” can be the enemy of the “meeting,” just as the perfect is the enemy of the good.

Remember Deming? The American that helped reshape Japanese industry and developed the paradigm of continuous improvement and customer-centered measures of quality? His approach to performance reviews was to dispense with them. He was not interested in finding the workers that “exceeded” expectations–he wanted to develop ways to help all the workers “meet” standards and then find ways to raise the standards.

It’s simple math in a way: Having more extreme outliers may affect the average, but doesn’t change the experience of most of the population. Moving the average though–that’s real change.

Comment on Discovering Inspiration In The Retail Sector by Kathy Dempsey

Kathy Dempsey — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:10:16 +0000

Good stuff. I believe in learning from retail and in merchandising in libraries.
Back in 2002, Marketing Library Services newsletter started talking retail when Dr. Christie Koontz started her column “Customer-Based Marketing.” That first installment is still one of my favorite articles. See it at http://www.infotoday.com/mls/jan02/koontz.htm

Comment on Get Inspired To Innovate: Ignore What You Know by Erin Dorney …In Six | INALJ (I Need a Library Job)

Erin Dorney …In Six | INALJ (I Need a Library Job) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:23:32 +0000

[...] Erin: I have been trying to branch out to some non-librarian blogs these days, on the advice of Steven Bell and Brian Mathews (whose blogs should already be on your radar). I’m pulling library-renovation [...]

Comment on User Experience Librarian – The Next Bandwagon? by Library Spaces and Places: An Introduction

Library Spaces and Places: An Introduction — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:48:02 +0000

[...] students, as needed. There’s even a (somewhat controversial) category of librarianship called User Experience, which is exactly what it sounds [...]

Comment on Get Inspired To Innovate: Ignore What You Know by Tasha

Tasha — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:24:51 +0000

Thanks for the reminder to keep ourselves from being in an echo chamber! I’ll definitely be taking a look at your resource list.

Comment on Be A Solutions Provider Not Just An Ingredients Supplier by StevenB

StevenB — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:27:09 +0000

Good point Jim. Looking at users by category could be an interesting way to be advance customer centricity. But I think it is more than just providing a different service to a unique population. Based on my understanding of the concept, you want to focus on the customer who returns something back to the library that is high value. You can create special services for distance learners to fill those gaps, but do they return something of value to the library – in the same way that a unique service for a leading faculty member in the distance learning program. I’m not sure that’s something we want to do, I’m just saying that’s my interpretation of Fader’s principles for centricity. Are we talking about segmentation by category of patron (e.g., international student, disabled student, etc.) or by who returns the most value as a customer?

And in response to Anonymouse – what you’re describing, to my way of thinking, isn’t customer centricity. It’s just bad customer service defined by “well, do i feel like really helping this person today?” type thinking. Not a whole lot more to say about this.

Comment on Be A Solutions Provider Not Just An Ingredients Supplier by anonymouse

anonymouse — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:50:51 +0000

At my public library, we claim to treat all reference questions & information needs equally, but we really don’t.

We extend internet sessions for people filling out applications but not people playing games; we give additional attention to teachers, pulling a large number of books for them that we wouldn’t for others; and I’ve seen librarians stop offering as much help to people who are rude, simply for being unpleasant to work with (for instance, mentioning ILLs and purchase requests to people who are friendly).

Comment on Be A Solutions Provider Not Just An Ingredients Supplier by Jim Nichols

Jim Nichols — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:33:24 +0000

Two points–how do we categorize? and how do special focused services benefit everyone?

There are a variety of ways to categorize our patrons, but a lot of those ways are not pertinent to their needs. The best way to categorize needs is by focusing on the situations or gaps that patrons face. Distance learners remote from campus are in a specific situation, for instance, independent of any other categories we normally try to put them in. So categorizing by situation can lead much more directly and creatively to needs and solutions. (Brenda Dervin clued me in on this.)

Second, in my work with distance learners I have noticed that solutions for them often spread easily to the benefit of others. I’ve seen the same happen for first-generation college students, international students, disabled students, etc. Learning to teach a blind student, for instance, made me a better teacher for all my students.

Comment on Keeping the Antennae Up: How Listening In The Library Improves The UX by Megan Hodge

Megan Hodge — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:22:10 +0000

Thanks for forwarding me this link, Steven. I’ve made many notes.

Comment on Keeping the Antennae Up: How Listening In The Library Improves The UX by Ecouter les utilisateurs « pintiniblog

Ecouter les utilisateurs « pintiniblog — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 05:05:54 +0000

[...] Keeping the Antennae Up: How Listening Improves Service [...]