This cite comes from the 08-19-09 issue of Current Cites.

Metropolitan Library System, . "Best Practices For the Customer-Focused Library"  WebJunction  (27 August 2008)(http://www.webjunction.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=8052623&name=DLFE-1830002.pdf). - Considering the recent discussion on library email lists and blogs about calling library users 'members' rather than 'customers', this analysis of library patrons by a retail consultant, phrased in retail terms, may irk some, but it is a very useful document for librarians wanting to understand their users. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Library System, the study looked at customer behaviour in four Chicago area libraries (public and academic). Use of the library was measured by tracking customers' movements within a library, by questionnaires and by video tracking of traffic flow, wait times and transactions times. Some results are surprising - 56% of people spent less than 10 minutes in the library and two-thirds did not know what they wanted before they arrived. The first half of the report outlines these and other key findings in brief paragraphs, and the second half contains best practice solutions, including suggestions for libraries with no budget, low budget or high budgets. Whether they use the terms members, patrons, users or customers, there is no doubt that libraries can learn a lot from the hard-nosed data collection and analysis that the retail industry has spent years refining. Supporting data from the consultants, and implementation plans from the library directors of the target libraries can also be found on the WebJunction site. -