priorities for engaged forward-thinking information & library services

Andy Priestner

Whatever we might think, 99% of people still think we just ‘Stamp, Shelve and Shhhh’ – we must seek to

dispel traditional perceptions and expectations at every turn

We should be talking about the library as a boundary-less service rather than just as a physical space

However good a single act of apparently game-changing advocacy, the default view reasserts

itself rapidly, so constant marketing is essential

We are living in ‘the age of the individual’ so we must respond with a highly tailored service

Our approaches to customer service must incorporate choice & flexibility, as they are now the expected norm

Users expect greater personal control, so where we can we must allow them to have that

Most users now expect to self-discover and will only ask for help when they are desperate – this is why

we must be as visible and approachable as possible

We should be grabbing user attention with ‘wow’ images: ‘a picture tells a thousand words’

We can learn a lot from tabloid newspapers, in terms of content hooks and headlines

We need to be more realistic about attention spans and write more concisely than we are predisposed to

We need to get better at selling a few planets (relevant service components) rather than the whole

galaxy (every possible service a user might need)

We should continue to develop true awareness of the real needs of our users rather than

assuming that we know what they need

We should actively listen to our users at all times, providing as many opportunities as

possible for feedback and discussion

We must target as much communication as we can to specific users/user groups and avoid generic emails

We should seek out and test new technology,developing a reputation as new media experts

always in the know about ‘the next big thing’

We need to be present on each and every communication platform, as all the individual

communities add up to our user base

We must offer seamless access to services wherever our users are and whatever device they’re on

Broadcasting does not lead to engagement but to users switching off – we must have conversations instead

We should regularly take statistics on everything, to offer proof of value and in readiness for

factual defence of our services (the time WILL come)

We should constantly evaluate our activities, identify tasks that add no value and drop them

We should never be afraid to experiment - we must try new ideas, tools, and initiatives, even if we’re

not initially sure of their relevance and value

As teaching preparation takes a long time, we should plan to repeat sessions, repurpose content

and share it beyond the classroom

When we are teaching, we must tell stories in preference to delivering facts

We should promote end results and success, and avoid database names and library jargon

Our services should always be delivered at point of need, and at the user’s convenience not ours

• .

Offering a responsive, agile service is key - it maycreate expectation, but it also creates engaged users

We need to ‘embrace the informal’ – if we dress too formally it promotes the impression

of barriers and discourages interaction

Humour, fun and ‘cute’ start conversations that you wouldn’t otherwise have and also demonstrate our

humanity, but we must keep the ratio in check

Our content should make an emotional connection with our users in order to foster learning, prompt them to think about us and engage with us more

We should always seek to innovate and improve our services, for the sake of our users and our reputation

We must seek to create ‘moments of truth’ when customers are delighted, ensuring their return

(and ideally their advocacy)

We need to align our service with the goals and objectives of the institutions we work for

and regularly demonstrate that we are aligned

Our number one priority should be spending time building relationships with our users