The Brookfield Library
Policy 120: Customer Service Policy


Mission Statement
The mission of The Brookfield Library is to make available a broad range of library materials, to provide up-to-date and accurate information, and to offer services and programs desired by the community. In fulfilling its mission, The Brookfield Library strives at all times to provide excellent library services to all customers.

There are two components to quality library service:
1. educated and knowledgeable staff who are ready to assist patrons in finding the materials and services they want and need.
2. staff will make every effort to offer services in a fair manner that treats everyone with courtesy and respect, and asks for courtesy and respect in return.

The Customer Service Policy of The Brookfield Library is the foundation for all staff interactions with the general public. All other library policies should be interpreted in light of the principles outlined below:

• The Library should offer the same quality of service to all, regardless of age, race, sex, nationality, educational background, physical limitations, or any other criteria which may be the source of discrimination.

• Patrons should be treated as if they are the most important people in the world. They are.

• Judgment calls should always be made in the patron's favor. If staff makes a mistake, it should always be to the patron's advantage.

• Patrons should never be left without an alternative if a staff member is unable to comply with their request.

• Staff members should be familiar with and able to articulate library policies, as well as explain the rationale behind them.

Demeanor
Demeanor is defined as: the way a person looks, speaks, and acts; one’s manner of behavior toward others; a personal mode of expressing attitude. Non-verbal demeanor conveys attitude via the facial expression and posture, just as tone of voice and choice of words affect a message.
In public service institutions such as the Library, it is imperative that every staff/patron interaction is a positive one for the patron. A friendly helpful demeanor can often ensure a positive experience even when the message conveyed is not a pleasant one.

Staff members are expected to act in a friendly, helpful manner which will ensure that the patron will walk away feeling that their experience with the Library has been a positive one.

Each staff member, while at work, acts as a representative of The Brookfield Library to each person or group with whom she or he comes in contact. The impression made on the patron profoundly affects the library’s image and on-going support.

Positive Operating Procedures
1. Greet the patron. Acknowledge a patron’s entrance or presence by looking up, making eye contact, and greeting the person verbally. Smile.

2. Look up and around periodically. Being helpful to customers takes precedence over paperwork or other duties. Customers should not be led to think otherwise. No patron should be left waiting in line at the Circulation Desk unless all staff members are busy assisting other patrons. When there are no patrons who need assistance, staff members should work on shelving, reserves, filing, shelf-reading, or special projects.

3. Don’t point to direct patrons to an area of the library. Unless there is a line of patrons waiting for service, escort the patron to the appropriate area. This reinforces patrons’ awareness of the library as a service organization.

4. Limit conversation with other staff members to work-related topics when in public areas of the Library. Personal conversations between staff members should not take place in public areas during work hours. Staff should remember that, although the temptation to discuss or share difficult transactions at the public desk is great, such discussions should be limited to the Staff Lounge or private offices; details of patron transactions are confidential.

5. Conduct transactions in a helpful, pleasant tone of voice. Keep any impatience, annoyance, or implication of customer ignorance from your voice. Pretend it is the customer’s first visit – if you don’t, it may be his/her last. It is always better to presume that the customer is unfamiliar with the Library.

6. Unless there is a specific discipline problem - in which case the police should be called – never reprimand or scold customers.

7. Give the customer your name if follow-up is required. The personal touch is always nicer and more efficient. Staff should wear their name tags (either full name or their title) when they are in public service areas.

8. Don’t use library jargon when talking to library customers.
- Avoid library and computer jargon or abbreviations, which may be meaningless or threatening to the customer (i.e. delinquency, manual fine, ILL, etc.)
- Explain to the customer what procedure you will be following if it is not readily apparent (Since we don’t have the book you need, I will be contacting another library to borrow it for you. It may take 2 or 3 weeks for it to arrive. When it does, we will notify you by phone.)

The Spoken Image: Telephone Procedures
Communication between staff and customer is the foundation upon which all library service is built. Telephone conversation is as important as a personal interchange. Let your tone of voice convey your willingness to help.

1. Smile. A smile can be heard as well as seen.
2. Answer all incoming calls by identifying The Brookfield Library, and follow with "May I help you?" This response links our name with our function.
3. Answer interdepartmental calls on the intercom by identifying the department and giving your name.
4. Do not tie up phone lines with extensive reference questions. It is better to take a customer's name and phone number and offer to call back.
5. Transfer calls to the appropriate person or department, using the following procedures:
- Use the telephone to transfer a call rather than walk to other areas of the building to let someone know there is call for him/her. Before you transfer a call simply state: “Who may I say is calling?” When you transfer a call, inform the caller of your intention: "I will transfer your call. Please hold." Transfer the call, but stay on the line until the person picks up the telephone. Tell him/her which line the call is on and who is calling.
- If the person being called is unavailable (i.e. in a conference or on the telephone), the caller should simply be told that “Mr. or Mrs. ___ is not available.” It is not appropriate for the caller to be told where the staff member is, how long he/she will be away from the library, or any other information or comments of that type. The thrust of the conversation should be to determine whether the caller would like to leave a voice mail message or not. Never simply say, “She/he is unavailable. Please call back”.
- When a caller wants to leave a message for a staff member who is not available, offer to put the caller into voice mail. You can transfer the call directly to voice mail without ringing the staff member’s desk first. Simply push the button directly above the transfer button, push the button for the person’s extension (i.e. Director) and hang up. The caller will be transferred immediately to voice mail. Please use this procedure instead of taking a written message, unless the person calling specifically requests otherwise.
- If the call is for the Reference Department and the Reference Librarian does not answer the intercom buzzer within 30 seconds, inform the caller that the Reference Librarian is assisting another customer. Ask for a name and number and assure the caller that the Reference Librarian will return the call as soon as possible. Leave the telephone message on the Information Desk.

Remember, the manner in which telephone calls are handled has a direct bearing on the public's impression of the library as a whole.

Ethics
The needs and requests of library patrons must always be taken seriously and treated with respect. Equal consideration and treatment will be given to all users within established guidelines and in a non-judgmental environment.

All interactions and transactions between a library patron or group of patrons and the Library will be considered confidential and will be discussed only in a professional context. (Such matters include, but are not limited to, registration information, materials selection, loan transaction records, reference questions, patron card status, etc.).

All requests for information will be considered confidential and such requests will never be discussed with a third party, except with another librarian for the purpose of answering the question. (See the Library’s policy on Confidentiality of Library Information.)

Staff members will respond to inquiries with the best factual information available, but will refrain from offering personal opinions or advice in response to queries. In particular, library staff may direct patrons to sources of consumer information, but they will not recommend products or services.

Library staff recognize the confidentiality rights of library patrons. As a result, library staff will not reveal the identity of people using library materials to a third party, nor will library staff reveal the items checked out on another person’s library card.

Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees, May 8, 2000; revised 9/24/03