Customer Service
As our profession contemplates the future of libraries, a recurring theme surfaces: that the public trust and faith in the institution is not so much about information retrieval or document management as it is about the intangibles—the relationships, the place, the environment for learning. It is top-notch customer service that will sustain and grow libraries. Explore here the resources on communication, creating patron-focused spaces, customer service practices and dealing with difficult patrons.
Self-paced courses and webinar recordings on this topic are freely available in the WebJunction Course Catalog.
Most Recently Added
Homelessness in Small and Rural Communities: Libraries Can Help!
Webinar / Last Modified: 08 March 2018
A webinar hosted in collaboration with ARSL on how small or rural libraries can provide services to community members experiencing homelessness, especially with limited access to resources, like a social worker.
From Facilities to Trauma: Disaster Planning and Community Resiliency at Your Library
Webinar / Last Modified: 08 March 2018
This webinar will provide you with guidance on how to prepare your library to respond to the next disaster or crisis and to support community resiliency.
Resources on Libraries and Homelessness
News / Last Modified: 06 March 2018
A collection of resources, webinars, courses, video, and articles on libraries and how they serve the homeless in their communities.
Understanding Compassion Fatigue in Your Library
Webinar / Last Modified: 14 February 2018
Archive and related resources for a webinar presented on May 31, 2012 by Linda Bruno on compassion fatigue and how it affects you and your working environment.
Technology, Road Rage, and Customer Service
Document / Last Modified: 01 September 2017
Frustration with technology can make us cranky, which can spill over into our customer service interactions. Tips for curbing tech "road rage" in the bud.
Interesting Patron Questions
News / Last Modified: 07 June 2017
The reference desk of a library is truly one of the most interesting of places. Through an October poll in Crossroads, we asked WebJunction members to share the most interesting patron questions they had received, and the response was amazing! While ...
Approaching Conflict as an Opportunity for Growth
News / Last Modified: 06 June 2017
Before the webinar "Growing Through Conflict: Healthy Workplace Communication," was even over, the participants were already asking for more! WebJunction's own, Anna Shelton shared techniques and skills to approach conflict in our lives. Be...
Leaving Fort Ref: Frontiers of Embedded Librarianship
Webinar / Last Modified: 06 June 2017
This webinar explores new approaches to reference that embed the librarian in the community, answering questions at the point of need, and growing community connections.
Difficult Patron Behavior: Success Stories from the WebJunction Community
Document / Last Modified: 05 June 2017
From policy to principles, and from chicken soup and comic relief: how WebJunction members handle difficult patron situations.
What Libraries Can Learn from Bookstores
Document / Last Modified: 05 June 2017
Chris Rippel of the Central Kansas Library System offers a thoughtful, sometimes provocative comparison of libraries and their retail cousins. In the spotlight are sounds, layout, staffing costs, and even smells.
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