The Public Relations Difference

Today I was working on reports and heard the familiar music of our Story Time going, so I glanced over at the cameras to see how many children were participating. What caught my eye, however, was not the children, but the glowing heads of Mindy and Laura as they sang the welcome song. I knew I had to get up and go see what they were doing. I found Kathleen also watching, and she explained to me that they were aliens. As they introduced the letter A, they did mention that alien starts with A. It all became clear to me.

I continued watching for a while as the children happily repeated the alphabet with the ladies and also were quick to pick out the day’s shape – circle, and then watched the short abcmouse.com video on the letter A. All of these new additions (short of the aliens) to our story time are a direct result of surveys taken this past year. Parents wanted to see more “preschool readiness” exercises and more stories in our story times. Our Youth Services team listened and responded.

Meeting patrons’ needs can be tricky, but I think the secret of doing it well is relationship. Mindy and Laura, I know, got MANY more suggestions from their story time survey, but because they knew their audience, they were able to make changes that were of best service to the entire group and actually “doable” as well.

This last week Lisa Robert shared with me a story of one of her Bookmobile regulars. As you may know, our Bookmobile folks have become very adept at choosing items that will meet the reading tastes of their patrons; they are the ultimate “personal shoppers”. However, Lisa had run out of the usual authors for this one patron, so she decided to take a risk and provide a completely new author. What an amazing response she received from the patron who said to her: “Oh, you got my message!” Lisa told her, “No, I didn’t get any message from you.” The patron replied by saying: “I was thinking about you really hard and wanting you to bring me something new to read. You read my mind!”

I won’t go into Lisa’s psychic abilities here, but I do think that because she had developed a relationship with the patron, she had learned to know what she enjoyed reading. This is what customer service is all about – not the mechanical attempt to serve people we don’t know, but the natural outgrowth of service that comes with enjoying real “relationships” with our patrons.

This may mean that you click with a certain demographic of our patrons, while other staff members are able to help and serve others. Yet, even if a person’s reading tastes are different from ours, we can learn how to meet their needs by just getting to know them. This takes conversation and interaction. In our increasingly automated and electronic world, this is where the public library can shine. We hear their voices and respond, whether through a survey, a conversation, or just a feeling…that is what sets us apart and keeps people coming back! 

Promoting Partnerships

This month, Linebaugh has been very encouraged by some of our local businesses. Reeves-Sain Pharmacy came to the library to provide flu shots for any staff members who wanted to get one for the season. Just Love Coffee is offering free coffee for our patrons this last week of September in commemoration of Library Card Sign Up Month and National Coffee Day.

These businesses, along with many others who support us through our Summer and Winter Reading Programs and other special events, are crucial to the library increasing her footprint in the community. Partnerships have to be a win-win for both sides. So, as we receive giveaways or services, they receive free publicity or a tax write-off. However, we’re not just getting “freebies” from our partners, as we also have partnerships in which we offer them a service. In either case, we’re making connections with people who may have known nothing about us until now.

A special prize may draw someone into the library who has never darkened our doors, but the partnership also connects us with the owners and staff of the businesses who also learn something new about who we are and what we can offer to them. The reach of these connections are hard to measure, but they are real.

This is where you come in as a staff member of LPLS. How does it affect you? Library administration can only know so many people. But the other 60+ employees of this organization combined know exponentially more people in our county. Each one of us has a role to play in connecting the libraries with potential partners in our communities.

Think about who you know, whether a business owner, a wealthy philanthropist, a school administrator, or someone who has a specific skill-set they want to share. Each of these and others can be viewed as a potential partnership for our libraries. So, the next time you talk to someone, ask them: “Have you considered partnering with the library? I’d be happy to get you connected!”

It’s as simple as that! Be a bridge builder for library awareness in our community.

Am I Communicating?

At a recent event, I heard Laura Creekmore, President of Creek Content, share about communication. She began with a quote from George Bernard Shaw:

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. 

Gone are the days when a manager or even sometimes director of an organization sits in an office and is able to dictate directives and letters to a secretary or administrative assistant. From the CEO to the low man/woman on the totem pole, every one of us is responsible for our own communication. For some, it comes more naturally than others. Even for the experienced "communicator" the means have changed drastically in the last 20 years, requiring each of us to learn new skills and develop ways to organize our communication.

Though I entitled this piece: "Am I Communicating?", I really want to press home the point of what am I saying about myself in my communication? As Creekmore spoke, I realized her theme of communicating on purpose was key. Simply because today's communication is a 24/7, fast-food reality, I should not find myself as a leader falling prey to the pitfalls inherent in being "speedy", but instead be intentional and even more careful in how I use current mediums to speak to others.

Simple things are important, such as starting with the body of the email before putting the recipient's email in the space provided. Write the message first and read through it before choosing the recipient and hitting SEND. In reading my message, I want to put myself in the shoes of the one who's receiving it. Will they understand what I'm saying? Have I made assumptions and not clarified my stance? Does my tone come across correctly? Taking the extra time to be deliberate in outgoing communications is crucial to how my staff and clients perceive and respond to me (and the organization I'm representing).

Because we no longer have our own personal secretaries, it's important to be the one who sends out the invite for meetings. Emails are helpful to get things started, but the invitations that require responses and can add events to calendars are the best way to confirm and make sure everyone involved has it scheduled. 

Scheduling is a huge adjustment for some, and overbooking or being consistently late to meetings reflects badly on you as a person and also shows the other people involved that you don't value their time. Being intentional means finding a scheduling resource to best suit your needs. Whether it's a held-hand planner or an online app, get started in writing down your appointments and tasks. 

As our number of contacts increase exponentially with technology, it is critical to keep a contact file that gives you instant access to information on those you're meeting, working with and serving. I can no longer remember personal preferences of staff or even friends, so being able to add them to my file helps me to maintain that personal touch that shows I care. It is one more step in showing you respect them as an individual and seek to meet them where they are.

When you look at your communication habits, you may come up with an entirely different list of things needed to help you become an intentional and purposeful communicator. That is fine. We are all different, but each in need of constant evaluation in how we "get the message across" to those who matter. I hope you'll be willing, as I now am, to take a look at yourself for purposeful growth.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Dealing with Complainers

As public institutions, we get a wide variety of comments from patrons. Many are glowing and encouraging, but others can be “downright ugly”, as they say in the South. While we’re happy to respond and thank patrons for the positive comments, we are also responsible for responding to the negative. Criticism is not easy to take, but I like to look at them as “learning opportunities”.

Therefore, how we respond to criticism, privately and via our very public social networks is important and can speak volumes to those watching from the outside. While some comments should be deleted for profanity or slander, others can remain to allow not only the patron but the public realize that we are able to take the good with the bad from those who frequent our facilities.

Here are some basic rules for handling public complaints:

1. Respond with an immediate “short” comment. Whether you dealing with someone in person or on social media, let them know that you regret their negative experience, and you will look into it and talk with them further. Basically, this lets them know someone in authority is acknowledging them.

2. Get the facts. Talk with other staff members who were directly involved (if it relates to an actual incident) and find out what happened. Look at the person’s account as well. Find out as much as you can about what would have provoked them to complain.

3. Don’t handle the entire situation via social media or in public. If you’re dealing with a social media complaint, while you may put some of your response on the site itself, share that you will be contacting them via email or telephone as soon as possible. There is no need to begin a “back-and-forth” on Facebook or Twitter, which may not reflect well on the institution. Quickly move the longer response to a more private space.

If you’re dealing with an irate patron in person, move them to your office or a quieter space (once you’ve done #2), so you can answer their complaint in detail and without further disruption to others.

4. Answer their complaint point by point. Many times a person will have a bad encounter with staff over an issue and then decide to complain about everything else in the library. Begin with the initial complaint and put them at ease about our procedures or desire to serve them. However, do not apologize for other issues that may have just been spoken in anger. If I know that staff did their best to serve the patron, I do not apologize for our staff member’s behavior but tell them how proud I am of the service our staff provide. If they complain about filthy conditions of materials or space, I remind them that we have thousands of people in our facilities each week and we do the best we can in providing a clean environment.

5. Bad attitude does not have to be met with bad attitude. Even if a complaint is ugly and borderline abusive, I do not have to stoop to their level in response. Maintain a positive attitude in responding. Smile (if you’re face-to-face) or keep a calm demeanor. A calm, soft answer actually does diffuse anger.

6. We are here to serve the public. Just as we proudly proclaim as librarians that we provide “free access for all”, we sometimes need to be reminded that this includes “difficult” patrons. They want to use our facilities and check out materials just like everyone else, but can sometimes be demanding in their ways. We must still strive to keep them as patrons and turn them from problem to positive patrons, as we acknowledge their grievances and help them understand our system and policies.

Does this mean we won’t have some who will try to buck the system and always try to get away with things? No, they will always be among us, but as we acknowledge them and continue to positively articulate our rules and procedures, we can have hope that they will eventually turn out to be patrons who will share compliments more than complaints.

So, the next time you’re faced with a complainer – step back, breathe and say to yourself: Here’s a great learning opportunity! And smile.

Don't Be an Intruder!

A colleague recently shared a 2012 Forbes article written by Sean Devlin entitled: “5 Ways to Stop Desk Intruders”. I found the title intriguing, as this can be a common problem in many office environments, and even at our libraries. As we have various roles within our organization, sometimes we forget that what may constitute “work” for one person may not for another. For those who work behind a computer, it is important to remember that it is just that – work. Our lack of walls does not mean that we are free to invade a person’s work space without asking for permission.

I do not want to be accused of being what the writer called one of the “Desk Intruders”. Read his description:

You know the people who somehow figure out exactly when you are at your most productive moment and they intercept it by stopping at your desk (sometimes just to chat), or tap you on your shoulder, or yell your name. They want to see if you got the email they sent earlier or if you can help them later on or if you want to go take a break. Sometimes their requests are important, but mostly for them and without any regard for your current focus. These people are productivity vampires and they come out during the day and they are in offices everywhere.

I can make a confession to you that even on the day of writing this article, I found myself in this category.

1. I walked into the Director's office without knocking, stood by her desk as she was obviously working on finishing an email, and asked her a question about something that was not urgent. (I do this a lot…more confession). What are my options?

• Knock on the door and ask if she has time to talk.

• Peak in the door, and if she’s working, go back to my desk and send a message. 

• Send her an email prior to taking the time to go to her office to ask her when she’s free to talk.

• Send all my thoughts to her in an email.

• Realizing they were in a meeting, I just waived, said hi and left.

• I could have returned to my office and gone back to check on them later.

• I could have sent an email to say, “I saw you and Laura were busy. Just wanted to say good morning.”

I think any of the above would be appropriate, but when I look at productivity for both the Director and myself, I think the best choice is to send her an email with what I need to tell her. She can then make the decision whether it is necessary to have a face-to-face.

2. As a supervisor, I walk around the library each morning to check in with those for whom I’m responsible. When I went to the Youth Services Specialist's office, I noticed that she and a co-worker were hovered over a large calendar, obviously discussing a program plan.

I don’t think I killed their productivity with my quick hello, but as I write this article, I see that there could have been other options that would have prevented interrupting their work. I wanted to share those thoughts, because it’s good to know we’re all guilty of this from time to time. If you are one of those who is frustrated by frequent interruptions, here are some suggestions from the Forbes article:

1. Use a signal.

When you’re in the zone and absolutely do not want interruption, put a sign on your desk. I know that some Tech Services staff at Linebaugh have adopted this practice, and our Director does it when she’s busy with things like budgets, so I encourage everyone to be aware of signage when you go to approach someone working at their desk or if you want to start using this yourself, notify your colleagues, so they will be on the lookout for the “no interruption” times.

2. Establish communication pipelines.

How many times have you chatted with a colleague about something that could have been addressed with a short email? If this persistently happens in a way that keeps interrupting your work flow, tactfully talk with them about how to best communicate with you.

3.  Put up walls.

While this can be difficult at every location, there are ways to at least put some kind of barrier between you and potential intruders. Always get your supervisor’s permission first.

4. Schedule office hours.

Establish times when you have “open-door” opportunities for colleagues and when you need to be left alone. I know for some of our front desk staff at Linebaugh, it is easy to say that the “back of the desk” tasks need to be uninterrupted to enable them to finish the required work in a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, these can become some of the most interrupted periods.

5. Don’t desk intrude!


As with my above confession, I realized that I do this as much as anyone, and I am sorry to all those I’ve interrupted without considering the value of your time. We are each hired to be productive. Let’s encourage productivity in each other by respecting each other’s time and space.