Reviews for Buying and Maintaining Personal Computers : A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians with Companion Web Site

The average rating for Buying and Maintaining Personal Computers : A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians with Companion Web Site based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-07-28 00:00:00 Peter Gratten From the first page of the preface: ”Libraries report that issues around using the computer are still the number one problem causing patrons (and staff) stress and anger.” Pg ix Yeah, that’s where I work, front line at the public library’s most stress-prone point of contact. I picked this read up because it’s a constant struggle to provide adequate service with limited resources and materials to people with minimal or non-existent computer skills and knowledge. Good thing my co-workers and I are up to the challenge. Go team! Defusing the Angry Patron provides some solid suggestions. Let’s break it down: One of the many ways that librarians can prevent conflict is to have strong preventive measures. ”Whether patrons arrive at the library content or discontent, we should take action to prevent angry encounters. We can keep the first type of patrons calm, and can avoid escalating a frustrated patron into a furious one, with good customer service skills.” pg 9 A list of these, also from pg 9, include: welcoming behaviors, positive approach and language, non-verbal language, (patron friendly) policies and procedures, appropriate signage, staff attitudes, staff training, managing patron expectations, and monitoring patron feedback. I’d say my library does a pretty good job, especially since the remodel, of providing adequate signage. I think we could bump it up on the staff training side, but we’ll have that chance now that the dust has settled from the constant changes of the past eight months. Defusing the Angry Patron gives practices and examples for all of this- it’s actually a rather nice little workbook in that regard. ”One way to assist staff in changing and monitoring their attitudes, and to teach staff new techniques for defusing anger, is training… Such staff training should be mandatory… (and) at least once a year. Training topics should include: Customer Service, Telephone and Online Behavior, Listening Skills, Cross-Cultural Communication, Library Security, Anger Management, Communication Skills, and Emergency Procedures. pg 20 Another part that I resonated with: "A few extra words on that ubiquitous nonverbal signal- the smile- are unfortunately necessary. Some chain grocery stores which require their checkers to smile at customers have reported that some male customers misunderstand the smiles from females, misinterpreting them as invitations… This is one area in which each staff person must make a personal judgment call… A nod can be a suitable substitute, as can nonsmiling soft focus eye contact." pg 16. My co-workers and I struggle with that exact issue, at times, perhaps we are simply too attractive (haha, but seriously). It was nice to have it addressed with realistic responses and solutions. Some suggestions on how to solicit patron feedback (in addition to surveys after events): "Some service-oriented libraries use feedback cards- both in paper and electronic form- that are distributed… on a set schedule to every patron in the library or on the website (e.g. during one week each year). These forms encourage positive comments as well as negative ones. Also, they often ask specific questions of the patrons about their experience, rather than the open-ended questions implied by a blank card." pg 23 Then, the author provides examples of these feedback cards. Handy. After the preventive measures section, the author goes into practical ways to lower the stress level during conflicts that may occur. She gives 25 different strategies to employ when/if the situation elevates. I think that this the most valuable section of the book. I won't list them all here, but the ones I thought were the best: Assume Good Intentions, Concede a Minor Point, Disagree Diplomatically, and Involve Colleagues. Next, there’s multiple strategies to cope with your own anger, which I think is an overlooked portion of the process in many how-to manuals. "What is the one constant in every exchange you have with an angry patron? You. We may not be able to change all the library’s stress points or all the users’ behaviors, but we can work to change our own responses. The only real control we have is self-control." pg 95 Preach. Two more methods for helping defuse patrons, that I’d love to implement on the job, are: Stress Point Identification and Social Worker in the Library. "Every library has certain policies, procedures, equipment, and so forth that consistently cause outbursts from patrons… think about your library and what seems to aggravate your patrons. Record your thoughts… (have) everyone in the department do (the same) before discussing the questions as a group at a staff meeting." pg 103. Solid suggestion. The other one, Social Worker in the Library, is self-explanatory but the small library that I’m at doesn’t have the resources to keep this person on staff. Maybe, we could coordinate with a local non-profit to provide this service on a weekly or monthly basis for the folks who come into the library and staff, to handle the fall out of any consistent or reoccurring problems. If you read Defusing the Angry Patron for your professional development, you may also want to read The Black Belt Librarian by Warren Graham or Thinking Outside the Book: Essays for Innovative Librarians by Carol Smallwood. I found both of those books to be useful.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-10-16 00:00:00 Carly Wurzhuber A good, practical approach to handling patron issues - not just at the time of conflict, but how to cultivate policies that avoid making problems in the first place.