Strategic Readiness Book

A short but significant introduction to customer service in libraries (especially public libraries). Matthews' main idea is to focus library customer service, even operations, from the outside-in to consider library audience as well as the audience's needs. The beginning suggests considering library audience in terms of the customer's needs and wants, and how the library responds to those needs and wants. By intentionally creating a desirable experience where a customer can easily navigate and use the library, Matthews suggests that the library will create a "WOW!" experience and create an advocate for the library. Matthews certainly hammers home the "outside-in" philosophy, but I see the idea as having very useful implications for libraries, which as Matthews asserts, are frequently inward-focused. While there may be skepticism to having the library so intensely service-focused, in truth that is a predominant function of contemporary public libraries, and the library as an organization (including staff) can benefit from adopting Matthews' suggestions.