R ecently, I read an editorial that really got me going. I wrote a

letter in response but never sent it.After thought, I became convinced thatthe writer would need to hear directlyfrom professionals currently working inlibraries to gain additional perspective.

There are some who think using a third party to help recover overduematerials/fines is the unthinkable forpublic libraries. The main reason theyusually feel that way is because of thereputation of traditional collectionagencies over the years.

It is true that using a traditionalcollection agency to collect overduematerials and fines is not a good solution. Based upon my discussionswith many library professionals, mostagree on that point. They do not wantto alienate their patrons. Maintainingpatron goodwill is critically importantto most. Also, it is important thatlibraries take the appropriate and necessary steps to recover most over-due materials themselves. And mostlibraries do an excellent job.

This article is not news for theapproximately 400 library clients in the United States and Canada to whichUnique Management currently pro-vides material recovery services. Theyhave already learned that UniqueManagement offers a new solution tohelp them recover overdue materials in a gentle way using third-party lever-age. This is a completely differentalternative to using a traditional collec-tion agency. Our solution isimplemented only after the library has done all they can reasonably do.We help put materials back into circula-tion and maintain patron goodwill atthe same time. The library maintainscontrol and flexibility in working outarrangements with patrons throughoutthe entire process.

Here are some specifics relative

to overdue library materials that I hearfrom library professionals regularly:

A. Even if a library does every-thing right, some materials will not bereturned. Most libraries have a verylow loss rate relative to materialschecked out but not returned whencalculated as a percentage of circula-tion. However, the actual dollaramount of materials not returned is

usually a large number when looked atby itself.

It is common for UniqueManagement to help libraries recoverthousands of dollars worth of materialseach year. At very large libraries, it canamount to as much as hundreds ofthousands of dollars.

B. If a patron does not respond totwo or three contacts from the library,he/she probably will not respond tofive or ten. Usually something newneeds to happen to create additionalurgency to cause the patron torespond.

C. Most libraries would rather usetheir budget dollars to buy the latestand most popular materials available toadd to circulation and meet patrons'desires rather than use those same dol-lars to purchase replacement materialsnot returned. If budget dollars arereduced, it becomes even more impor-tant to keep materials circulating thatthe library already owns.

D. Many times materials notreturned are those, most demanded by

patrons. When the materials are notavailable, it significantly affects patronsatisfaction. Patrons who have beenwaiting for the opportunity to checkout an item often ask what is beingdone to cause the patron to return the item.

Too often there is discussion about the possible negatives of pursu-ing non-returned items with lessrecognition regarding the significantnegative impact on patron/customerservice when items are not available.

E. The public is very knowledge-able. Most people understand that if materials are not returned, they, as taxpayers, will end up paying forreplacements. Libraries are finding that the vast majority of patrons expectlibrary boards and management to takeaction to recover materials as part oftheir financial responsibility.

Libraries now have access to asolution that can help them recoverlong overdue items, maintain patrongoodwill in the process, recoverenough cash with the materials to paythe cost of recovery service, and notexperience additional paperwork orlibrary staff time. Our clients typicallyrecover between $4 and $7 for every$1 spent. That is a pretty goodreturn on investment.

F. Many times library circulationstaff become frustrated with patronswho do not return items after manyattempts to encourage them to do so.At that point, it is often easier to main-tain patron goodwill by having a thirdparty gently nudge the patron.

Let me point out something aboutcredit reporting. Unique Managementdoes not credit report accounts untilwe have had them for at least 120 days.This does not count all the time thelibrary sent notices/bills, etc. Mostpeople take care of their overdue bal-

Volume 4, Issue 2 Spring 2001Library Specialists

MATERIAL MATTERSU N I Q U E M A N A G E M E N T S E R V I C E S , I N C .

From the PresidentBy Lyle J. Stucki

(continued on page 5)

“ Most people understand that if materials are not returned, they,

as taxpayers, will end up paying for replacements.”

MATERIAL MATTERSPage 2 MATERIAL MATTERSPage 2Page 2 MATERIAL MATTERS

Top TenBy Kenes BowlingDirector of Customer Service

R ecently, I had the opportunity toobserve a customer’s branch staff

meeting, in which the branch managergave an intriguing report on a trainingexercise just completed by the staff. They had divided into two teams, posing as customers. Their mission wasto experience and evaluate the quality ofcustomer service at a large, retail book-store. Each team’s task was to enter thestore, approach the counter, wait forassistance, and then ask the sales personfor out-of-print books with obscuretitles. The aim was to see how they weretreated after requiring the sales clerk toput forth more than the usual effort tomeet the customers’ needs. The twoteams had remarkably different experi-ences.

Team one reported a very positiveexperience. The clerk greeted them asthey approached the counter, welcomedthem with a smile, and seemed eager to help. When confronted with theteam’s request, she diligently attemptedto locate the volumes. When she couldnot, she apologized and offered alterna-tive titles as well as alternative sources.She appeared genuine in her desire tohelp and promised to call the teamspokesperson following further research.She followed up that afternoon with aphone call.

Team two, on the other hand,

reported a polar opposite experience.They were not greeted as theyapproached the counter and had todemand the attention of the clerk whogave every appearance of consciouslyavoiding them. The team’s request forthe obscure titles was met with pre-dictable anxiety and a clear message totry someplace else—anyplace else! Eachmember of team two left the store frus-trated and disenchanted with the store.

The clerk who served team one cre-ated a customer for life. The clerk who“served” team number two will not seethem again in this lifetime, or at least notin that bookstore.

Same store, different outcome, and a very good example of how little thingscan make big differences. Those are thelittle things we manage every day as weserve our customers. A smile. Sincerity.Willingness to go the extra mile. A clerkwho understands the importance of acustomer in a competitive world.

So, in recognizing that little thingsdo matter, we offer the following top tenthings to help customers feel appreciatedduring those moments when their con-cerns are in our care:

10. Smile! Even in the midst ofchaos, a genuine smile can soothe thebreasts of savage beasts.

9. Go the extra mile. Or even anextra inch. Little extras speak volumes

about your intent to make the customerhappy. Look for ways to provide value-added service.

8. Offer options. It shows that youare thinking with the customer andactively pursuing solutions to the cus-tomer’s need.

7. Smile!6. Treat your co-workers as

customers. The attitude is perfectly contagious, and in short order, an atmos-phere of professional caring is created.

5. Treat each customer as the mostimportant part of your day. Narrow yourfocus to stay in the here-and-now witheach customer. Let them understand thatthey are not simply a number in the mid-dle of a daily routine.

4. Express empathy. If there is aproblem, a single statement that demon-strates reflective listening lets thecustomer know you understand.

3. Smile!2. Be timely. The more immediately

you meet the customer’s need, the morelikely it is that the customer will returnto the library. A follow-up phone call ore-mail, in a timely manner, is a tremen-dous way to show you care and to buildtrust.

1. Smile! Whether on the phone orin person, it is still the best way to beginand end any transaction with your cus-tomer.

Client Technology Spotlight - Focusing on EducationBy Melissa FentonAssistant Director of Customer Service

The San Diego County Library offers customers a wide varietyof educational assistance with only the click of a mouse. The

website receives thousands of hits per day and offers services toboth in-library and remote access customers. Elementary agechildren have the ability to receive homework help in a variety of subjects ranging from California history to science. In addi-tion, children can find information on local historical sites andmuseums. Teenagers can gain access to help on general and spe-cific homework assignments as well as link to several researchsites. “For Teens” includes links to sites that help students pre-pare for standardized exams, obtain college applications, andsubmit applications for federal financial aid. The web site offers awealth of information that, in the past, may not have been easilyavailable to students. The web site, which offers information forcustomers of all ages, can be accessed at www.sdcl.org (pictured).

MATERIAL MATTERS Page 3

o Please make corrections to my name and/or address information as shown below.

o Please add the person listed below to your mailing list for this newsletter.

o Please send the person below more information about your material-recovery service.

o Please send me more information about your material-recovery service.

Name:

Title:

Library:

Address:

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MATERIAL MATTERS Page 3

We hope you enjoy

MATERIAL MATTERS

A newsletter designedand produced for library

professionals.

If you have comments or sug-gestions please don’t hesitate to

call us at (800) 879-5453.

Or send e-mail to:lyle@unique-mgmt.com

It begins first thing in the morning. You wake up andpour yourself a cup of coffee. Conveniently, the coffee

was ready and waiting, because it has an automatic timer.You make your way to your PC and log on. At the click ofa mouse, you have the headlines that matter to you. Howdid your stocks trade the previous day, or how did yourfavorite team make out the night before? You even take aminute to check out the local paper fromyour hometown a thousand milesfrom where you now live. Youprobably take a look at yourschedule for the day, which iselectronically organized onyour computer. As you headout the door for work, youmake sure you grab your PDA thathas been exchanging information withyour PC. You clip your tiny cell phone to your belt, andyou are on your way. As you enter the library, you pass thecirculation desk, with its scanners and computer monitors,and then pass by the computers your patrons use to searchfor materials. You might feel a little nostalgic about thatbig card catalog you relocated to some lonely corner of thelibrary.

The way you live your life and conduct your business is dramatically different than it was ten years ago. Althoughsome may complain about learning a new system, youunderstand the benefits that all these new technologiesbring to your business and your personal life.

David Drnek of La Porte County Public Library in La Porte, Indiana will tell you himself that technology haschanged his personal life forever. Several years ago, Davidwas a single father of a teenage son. David’s son, namedTom, is a bright young man, and David realized it wouldsoon be time for his son to go to college. David began toconsider finding someone else with whom he could share

his life. David’s need for emotional support grew as heexperienced personal tragedy in his family. Recently, Davidlost his sister, Rose, to a serious illness. Before losing theclosest adult relationship in his life, David told his sister, “I don’t want to wind up alone.”

Several states away in Oklahoma, Melanie was surfingthe web and came across a web site titled oneandonly.com.

The web site offers subscribers a chance to postpersonal ads along with their e-mail

address. As Melanie read through theads, one of them sparked her inter-est. It was an ad that David hadplaced four years ago. AlthoughDavid had received some response

from his ad, nothing had ever comeof it – until now. David said, “Melanie

passed up the ad a couple of times, butsomething told her to go back to his ad.” She e-mailedDavid on May 6, 2000. The two immediately hit it off.They had so much in common, including Melanie’s twentyyear old son whose name is David (that makes two Davids).They decided they should meet and did so that very monthon Memorial Day. The two quickly fell in love and decidedthey should be married. On May 6, 2001, one year to theday after Melanie sent that first e-mail message, David andMelanie were married.

David’s story is very special, and he is happy to share itwith all. The technology that has changed all of our lives inso many ways has brought David true happiness. Two peo-ple, who would have otherwise never met, found eachother on the Internet and are now sharing their livestogether. The world is shrinking. Things are moving faster.No matter what technological advances come in the future,or how much time we spend in front of a computer moni-tor, the most important things in life will never change.

Technology Changing LivesBy Kristy StephensSenior Customer Service Specialist

“ No matter what technological advances come in the future, or how

much time we spend in front of a computermonitor, the most important things in

life will never change.”

Page 4 MATERIAL MATTERS

Please visit our newsletter online at

www.unique-mgmt.com

A Friendly ApproachBy Ed SiewartContact Center Manager

Remember the frustration whenyou went to check out a book

from the library only to find outthat it was not on theshelf? You knowthe scenario;you search invain to findthe perfectbook thatwill help yourresearch or forsome good readingmaterial, only to discover thebook is already checked out. Well,this time as you walk in doubting theavailability of a book you really want-ed to check out, something uniquehappened. THE BOOK WAS ONTHE SHELF! That could be because

of the wonderful person thousands ofmiles away who reminded a patron toreturn the book.

It is amazing what a friendly callcan accomplish. With approximately2000 calls per day, the contact centeris alive with an exuberant staff ofContact Specialists. Why are theycalled specialists you may ask? It isbecause they specialize in friendly,informational calls to patrons withlong overdue materials. Each special-ist is carefully selected and trainedbefore they make their first call. Wecan say with confidence that they arevery specialized. We are not telemar-keters, and we do not refer to

ourselves as collectors. We areContact Specialists!

Since we are amaterial recov-

ery service,our calls dif-fer greatly

from the tra-ditional

collection agencyapproach; our calls are

gentle and informational. When wemake our recovery call, people areoften actually happy to hear from us.Many patrons see the trouble we aresaving them and realize that theyneed to return the materials aboutwhich they have forgotten. Not everypatron is bubbling with joy to hearfrom us, but they accept the factsand hang up with no hard feelings.The contact center prides itself onkeeping the patron relationship withthe library a positive experience. As avoiced representative of the library,we realize that people are willing toget the books back on the shelveswith the help of a friendly reminder.And isn’t the goal to get the bookswe all want to read back on the shelf?

“ It is amazing what a friendly call can accomplish. With approximately

2000 calls per day, the contact center is alive with an exuberant staff of

Contact Specialists.”

¦ The Rio Grande Valley LibrarySystem is the largest public librarysystem in New Mexico. It is a con-sortium of the City of Albuquerque,Bernalillo County, and the City ofRio Rancho.

¦ Americans make some 3.5 billionvisits to school, public, and collegelibraries each year – about threetimes the attendance at movie the-aters.

¦ Of all words in the English lan-guage, the word “set” has the mostdefinitions (192 definitions accord-ing to the Oxford EnglishDictionary)

¦ The word “news” came from thefirst letters of the words North,East, West, and South. This wasbecause information was being gath-ered from all directions.

¦ Americans spend nine times as muchon home video games as they do onschool library materials for theirchildren.

References:http://www.publiclibraries.com/newmex.htmhttp://www.bow.k12.nh.us/conanNET/Lib.Tidbits.htmhttp://www.corsinet.com/trivia/j-triv.htmlhttp://www.njla.org/trivia.html

Did You Know?By Melissa FentonAssistant Director of Customer Service

MATERIAL MATTERS Page 5

From the President(continued from page 1)

ances so they are not credit reported. After seven years ofproviding material recovery services just for libraries, I amnot aware of the first situation where a patron has beenrefused credit or had to pay a higher interest rate because of being credit reported solely for an overdue library balance.Creditors typically just require that the overdue amount beresolved before credit is extended.

Unique Management has strategic alliances with epixtech,DRA, CARL, Gaylord and Geac. Alliances are being pursuedwith other library software vendors as well. The purpose ofthe alliances is to use technology to make it easy for librariesto submit data and report updates in an automated way tominimize library staff time required. Interfaces have beendeveloped so data can be transferred electronically when alibrary is using software from most of the major vendors.One of the key benefits of having electronic interfaces withlibrary software is so updates are received quickly whenpatrons respond so we stop contacting them when it isresolved.

There is one other point about which I just have to saysomething. Some believe libraries should have more lenientpolicies to accommodate the poor. I grew up poor, so Ibelieve I can relate with people who don’t have many worldlypossessions. However, my parents taught me the value of

obtaining an education. I have spent hundreds of hours inlibraries reading and studying. It is my opinion, that the poorare not deprived because a library expects people to returnitems checked out when they are due. If the poor do not usethe library, they are making the choice to deprive themselves.I know this from personal experience.

It is my belief, we are not doing children a favor to let them check materials out and not expect them to bereturned on time. That does not teach responsibility. Peoplecan learn a lot, but if someone does not learn responsibility,they will have a hard time in this world.

I can understand how some could feel the way they doabout outside bill collectors. Traditional collection agenciescan be harsh, overzealous and unforgiving. There is a betterway. Libraries do need to do their best to keep materials cir-culating. However, even after all that libraries do, there is aneed for gentle third-party involvement to help recover over-due materials. Unique Management has developed a solutionthat works not only in recovering overdue library materialsbut in maintaining patron goodwill in the process. We havehundreds of clients that will verify that our gentle nudgeprocess works to greatly benefit their library and the patronsthey serve.

The following is an excerpt from our Migration White Paper found on our website at www.unique-mgmt.com.

Migration Considerations

The most important action that a library can take toensure a smooth migration should occur within days or

weeks of the decision to procure a new automation system.It is essential that any request for proposals (RFP) or similardocument include detailed specifications for a collection agencymodule. Unique Management can provide these specifica-tions in electronic format so they may be incorporated into the RFP or other document detailing the library’srequirements for a new system. Vendors must understand the library’s expectations at the outset.

Most of the major vendors offer a module. Some of themodules meet all of our specifications, allowing us to offer thelibrary our best price and our budget neutrality guarantee.Some modules do not meet all of our specifications, howev-er, resulting in more effort for library and Unique staff.Libraries that use these modules are not eligible for ourbudget neutrality guarantee and will incur higher costs forour service.

In addition to specs detailing the inclusion and qualityof the collection agency module, the RFP or other docu-ment should include requirements for data conversion, as it may impact accounts that have been listed with Uniqueprior to the migration. If previously submitted accounts arenot migrated successfully, there is a significant cost to thelibrary, as Unique will have to close accounts that are inprocess and accounts that have been credit reported.

It is incumbent on the library to make it clear to the vendorthat the software must be able to continue to generate updatesfor previously submitted accounts and the updates must accu-rately report activity on the account, including a breakdownof the value of material returned, amount paid and/orwaived, and any new charges. To ensure that previously sub-mitted accounts remain in collection, the following mustoccur:

· The account data for all previously submitted accountsmust be migrated to the new system.

· The data must include all detailed information about

(continued on page 6)

Page 6 MATERIAL MATTERSUnique Management Services, Inc.515 Michigan AvenueJeffersonville, IN 47130

Library TriviaBy Melissa Fenton

Assistant Director of Customer Service

Q: Who is the patron saint of public libraries and catechists?

Q: What was the first free, tax-supported library in the state ofNorth Carolina?

Q: What is the safest relative humidity at which to store mostbooks?

Q: What was the first American novel to sell one million copies?Q: What book holds the record of most advance orders?Q: What was the first county library established in New Jersey?

References:Linebaugh Public Library System, Murfreesboro, TN

Durham County Library, Durham, NChttp://collectbooks.about.com/hobbies/collectbooks/library/weekly/aa080800a.htm

http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/k-triv.htmlhttp://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/record_catagories/

http://www.njla.org/trivia.html

A.St. Charles BorromeoA.The Durham County Library in Durham, NCA.50%A.Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabinpublished March 20, 1852A.J.K. Row ling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firereceived 5.3

million advance orders in 2000.A.Burlington County Library, which was established in 1920.

Migration Considerations(continued from page 5)

the account, including patron information; the date,amount and description of each individual charge orblock; and the titles of any outstanding items.

· The new system must tag each account so that the col-lection agency module will recognize it as a previouslysubmitted account and provide updates as futureaccount activity occurs. The previously submittedaccounts must not be selected as new accounts the firsttime the module is run.

If there is any possibility that any of the above condi-tions might not be satisfied, the library is encouraged tocontact Unique immediately so that the financial loss thatthe library would incur may be calculated and taken intoaccount in the decision-making process.

If patron account numbers will change as a result of themigration, Unique must be notified in advance, and the newvendor must provide Unique with a conversion file contain-ing the old and new account numbers and patron name.

These have been a few of the issues to consider. Pleasevisit our website at www.unique-mgmt.com to considersome more issues related to migration.