Ike t. cayabanIke t. cayabanDirector of Libraries Director of Libraries

Saint Mary’s UniversitySaint Mary’s UniversityBayombong, Nueva Bayombong, Nueva

VizcayaVizcaya

I. Introduction

My topic is limited to making readers’ queries and transactions proactive and effective. But being proactive is not limited to readers’ services; hence, understanding it in a better perspective is but necessary.

But first, may I start by retelling an episode in the American television anthology entitled The Twilight Zone. This episode is retold by M. Berstein1 .

A man, named, Burgess Merideth, was called before the tribunal of totalitarian state, and is told to be exterminated.

This episode was in 1961 and most people, particularly the librarians, who saw it took it simply as a joke and nothing more.

If this episode is replayed today, how would the message be taken - that libraries and librarians are obsolete and useless?

ANY REACTION, PLEASE!!

Berstein said, this can be answered by two words –

What kind of service then?

How then would we, librarians, ensure that we and our libraries do not become obsolete?

customer service!!

But here’s a catch from a reference librarian, “if we don’t change the way we provide service, we are at risk for putting ourselves out of business.”2

I know you will agree with me that it must be

A PROACTIVE KIND OF SERVICE.

II. Concepts of Proactive Library ServicesIs this a new kind of service in the library?

NO!!

earlier editions of unabridged dictionaries for the term proactive but this did not appear.

2006 edition of Webster’s encyclopedic dictionary and the 2007 edition of Collins and Cobuild Advanced Dictionary define proactive in the following ways:

Adj. “Acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes”;“Proactive actions are intended to cause changes rather than just reacting to change.”

Here are other definitions:From: http//www.answers.com/topic/proactive

Adj. “Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory”;

From: http//www.wiki.answers.com/Q/“Proactive is to step up and do something to solve a problem rather than let it go”;

From: http//www.the freedictionary.com/

“Proactive (of a policy or person or action) controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens”.

Translating these meanings into our libraries, it means that proactive libraries are libraries where:

Positive changes are created even when the environment (workplace) is restrictive, full of constraints and obstacles.

Changes or innovations in all aspects of librarianship (management, human & physical resources, readers’ services, values, relationship, advocacies and the like).

Opportunities are identified, proper and timely actions are initiated until meaningful improvements or changes occur.

Taking actions before any action is required

A Proactive Stance

III. Can libraries Exhibit Proactive Stance/ Services?

Yes, I do believe they can! In some libraries, these are already the kind of services being rendered.

But, sad to say, in most libraries in the country. these are none existent Why? Think about these statements:

- our Britannica is 25 years old and our DDC is even older; - our one and only computer is in the Chief Librarian’s office- our administrators prefer to erect buildings than to build library collections

The above statements highlight the glaring differences between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ in the library world.

I would like to cite the findings of Mr. John Hickok in his research studies comparing U.S. and Asian-Pacific Libraries.

He found that there are many common challenges (problems) cutting across all borders and cultures. He summarized them into five, which are:

Challenge 1: Limited Resources

Challenge 2: Clients not using Reference and Instruction services

Challenge 3: Not ‘reaching” clients to help them become information literate.

Challenge 4: Librarians’ expertise/ specializations not always available or utilized

Challenge 5: When traditions become inflexible

With the exception of highly developed and financially fulfilled libraries in the country, all of the above challenges are deeply ingrained in most libraries in the Philippines,

Holistically, these challenges /problems are interconnected or intertwined. The first challenge:

1. LIMITED RESOURCE

A. Primary Reason:

• Very limited library budget

• No budget at all

B. Consequence of: 

On the Part of the Administrators

Library being the least of the priorities of top

management (president)

Administrators’ who had been non-library

users themselves

On the Part of the Librarians

Lack personal & professional competencies

Exposure to traditional, passive library

services

On the Part of the Librarians …

Many librarians belong to the Type B personality

Never suffer from a sense of time urgency with its accompanying impatience

Feel no need to display or discuss either their achievements or accomplishments

Play for fun and relaxation, rather than to exhibit their superiority at any cost

Can relax without guilt

B.Secondary Reason:

library budget diverted to be one of the sources of savings

- (for X’mas bonuses) - (for buildings, laboratories, etc.)

C.Needed

PROACTIVE ACTIONS on the part of the librarians themselves, and

Provided by PAARL

Challenge 2: Clients not using Reference and Instruction services

Challenge 3: Not ‘reaching” clients to help them become information literate.

Challenge 4: Librarians’ expertise/specializations not always available or utilized

Challenges/problems 2 to 4 are very closely interrelated and are highly dependent to challenge/problem 1.

A. Primary Reasons:

Our students prefer to rely on their old notebooks, or textbooks, or friends and,

recently, over emphasis and reliance on the internet;

They seldom consult their teachers and never ask information help from the librarian unless forced to in the college

A very recent study (2006), about students in a college reveals this one significant finding (this is from a thesis donated to the SMU library):

“Very few students use the library. In general they do not find using the library resources as necessary in their studies. They can go on with their schooling without Book Loans. Using the library has not become a culture in their college students’ academic life. This is equally true for students regardless of college enrolled in, academic year, sex, and residence while studying, house staying in while studying, and academic classification.”

B. Consequence of: 

Our educational system Emphasis on rote learning Does not encourage students to be independent learners From primary to tertiary do not train students to be library users;

Our teachers Unsupportive administrators Greater majority do not pursue higher education Find CPE expensive No knowledge about Information Literacy

On the Part of the Librarians

Greater majority do not pursue higher education

Unprofessional practice of some librarians

Negative perceptions of librarians still persist (even among themselves)

Librarians in developed libraries do not “reach” out to their users; orientation is limited to the rules and regulations and library tour for the first year students.

From Mr. John Hickok, the following are the Images of librarians (still persist):

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Or…

Challenges

What kind of an image do you display to your clients?

Hence, instead of

SOME SIGNS OF PROACTIVE SERVICES

Help on the 1st and 3rd floors

Advertise

THIS IS THE KIND OF LIBRARY SERVICES IN MOST LIBRARIES

WALANG SERVICE,

TAKOT NA SERVICE, ETC., ETC.

IV. Proactive Services or Procedures Not always New.  

Are proactive services or procedures always new and innovative, or, those services or procedures that have never been seen or tried or tested?

This is a wrong notion about “proactiveness” or “proactivity”!!!

it is to be understood that routine services or routine procedures in libraries of first-world countries or highly developed/advanced or superior libraries, can be seen as proactive or innovative practices or procedures in least developed libraries, in libraries where funds are measly and sometimes gingerly (slowly, cautiously, suspiciously) provided for.

For example:

• Internet library services, telephone, email, live chat, database/electronic demonstrations, roaming reference, virtual reference, etc. in the first world countries are now very ordinary services.

But these may still be considered innovative or proactive services in many libraries in developing countries.

Since reference service started in libraries, one of the foremost concerns is to respond to changing demands and information seeking behaviors, library attitudes of users or customers.

V. OUR LIBRARY CUSTOMERS

Inherent in this service is the handling of customers’ queries and transactions and handling of different types of attitudes and behaviors exhibited by the customers.

The coming of the internet and new technologies are the most current forceful driving forces of change in library & reference services. The 21st century librarians have to face and handle these new customers.

An OCLC report states the following:

All Customers

• Want to feel welcomed and respected• Want to be successful• Want what they want when they want it

The New Customer

Self-directed navigates independently wants to do straightforward tasks without assistance

Want help: at the point of need with complex task

Culturally-linguistically-generationally diverse Expect convenience

Tech-savvy customers expect to have Internet options to get recommendations from peers to participate

Solutions to Meet Needs of New Customer Expectations

Empower users to self serve Prepare before people come in Teach Merchandise Use your website

We can also learn from the company philosophy of customer service of a Seattle shoe store that has grown into a diversified chains of store in the U.S. – the Nordstrom Store

(source: http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/6022693/0~2377475~6022693

The 8 Management Principles of America’s #1 Customer Service Company are:

1. Provide Your Customer With Choices

2. Create An Inviting Place for Your Customers

3. Hire Nice, Motivated People

4. Sell The Relationship: Service Your Customers Through The Products And Services You Sell

5. Empower Employees To Take Ownership

6. Dump The Rules: Tear Down Barriers To Customer Service

7. Encourage Internal Competition

8. Commit 100% To Customer Service

What ever the type of reference service a library is providing, the best guidelines that we can model our services from are those coming from the Reference & Users Services Association (RUSA) of ALA.

Model Reference Behaviors Checklist

APPROACHABILITYSmile Makes Eye ContactGives Friendly Greeting Is at Eye Level

COMFORTSpeaks In Relaxed Tone Goes With Patron

INTERESTMaintains Eye ContactMakes Attentive CommentsGives Full Attention

LISTENINGDoes Not Interrupt ParaphrasesClarifies

INQUIRINGProbes Verifies

SEARCHINGFinds Answers in First SourceSearches Other SourcesKeeps Patron InformedOffers Referral

INFORMINGSpeaks ClearlyChecks If Answer UnderstoodCites Source

FOLLOW-UPAsks "Does This Completely Answer Your

Question?"Asks Other Follow-Up Questions

Handling Inquiries

DirectionalStaff provide directional assistance to patrons whenever necessary.

Staff participate in developing signage to be posted throughout the library to aid patrons in finding and using equipment, resources and facilities.

When necessary and appropriate, staff should accompany patrons to the appropriate area of the library.

Ready Reference

- Ready reference questions (phone numbers, addresses, names, etc.) are answered during all open library hours.

Answers are given as quickly as possible.

Patrons at Public Services desks take precedence over patrons who phone in and can ask as many questions as they choose

• Each telephoning patron is allowed a maximum of three ready reference questions per call.

Staff must avoid reading lengthy passages from materials over the telephone in response to phoned-in questions.

Information from City Directories will be given out over the telephone.

General Reference (Specific Search) and Research Questions

- General reference questions, those requiring more work than ready reference but less work than research questions, are answered in as timely and efficient a manner as available resources allow.

The staff attempts to answer research questions for which staff determine the library has the appropriate resources.

Public Services staff do not provide in-depth research (gathering of comparative data, analysis, etc.), but will instead attempt to locate sources from which patrons can obtain the information they seek.

1. Patrons with school assignments

- Patrons are seeking assistance to help them actually complete assignments:

answering algebra questions, outlining plots, etc).

2. Students phoning in for a lengthy lists of references for a particular topic.

How would you handle the following situations:

3. Patrons seeking personal opinions of products or interpret ratings and evaluations for the patron.

PROACTIVE LIBRARIES ARE MANAGED STAFFED BY PROACTIVE LIBRARIANS!

Proactive readers’ & reference services are managed by proactive librarians.

Service friendly librarians will be the most powerful designers of the information and research landscape of tomorrow.

Source: Dr. Susan E. Higgins The Theory of Human Caring and Service Friendly Librarians

“The academic library can become a place for experiences. It is not just for research and reflection, but also for creation, collaboration, design, and display. The library functions as a workshop, a gallery, a museum, a canvas, a stage, a lecture hall, a platform, a case study, and a showcase of student work.

The future of libraries isn’t simply about digitizing all of our collections, but rather, it is about providing, encouraging, and staging new types of learning encounters.

Instead of using marketing to try to persuade students to use our services, the library becomes the natural setting for academic activities--an environment where scholarship happens.”

Source: Brian Mathews, The Ubiquitous Librarian…it’s all about participation!

Cited References

1. Bernstein, Mark P. “Am I Obsolete? How customer service principles ensure the library’s relevance”. Available at: http://www.aallnet.org/products/pub_sp0811/pub_sp0811_Obsolete.pdf

2. Nelson, Sandra. “The New Planning for Results: A Streamlined Approach.” Available at: http://www.placonference.org/2008/handouts/1013_21Hoffman_Lynn__11

6147_Apr09_2008_Time_023549PM.pdf

3. Collins Cobuild Advanced Dictionary of American English. Glasgow, Gt. Britain: Harper Collins, 2007.

4. Webster’s New Explorer Encyclopedic Dictionary. Springlfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2006.

Cited References

5. Hickok, John. International Best practices of Service-Friendly Libraries; Fresh perceptions from a Year-long Comparative Analysis of U.S. & Asian-Pacific libraries.

6. Gould, Cheryl. Customer Service in a Self-Check World. Summer-Fall 2007.

Other Resources consulted

7. Bopp, R.E. and L. Smith (2001). Reference and information services: an introduction. 3rd ed. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited.

8. Melling, M. and J. Little. (2002). Building a successful customer-service culture: A guide for library and information managers. London: Facet Pub.

9. http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/6022693/0~2377475~6022693