[Publib] Management question: patrons and staff

[A B]

Thanks to all who replied.  May excellent points were raised, as usual on
this list.

I concur that when a patron is irate, talking with that patron in a private
setting is best.  However, for less-than-irate patrons, I'm thinking that
upholding the library policies in the presence of the staff member makes
good sense.  That sends a message to the staff member that I will back them
up, and to the patron that we're not pushovers.

There ARE times when the battle, if won, would be Pyrrhic at best, but in
general, for the cases that don't involve raving
patrons/customers/passengers/users/guests (I like "patrons" btw, with
connections to "patronage"), I'll continue solving issues in the presence of
the staff member.

Saludos,

AB

On 3/10/07, Karen Mahnk <kmahnk at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I agree James - I find most patrons  - even teens respect consistant,
> evenly applied rules. Unfortunately there are occassionally the
> loosely tied, irrational  patrons distinguishable from the
> "foot-stomping , spoiled" patron that intentionally creats a ruckus
> for the sole purpose of bypassing the rules.
> Karen
>
> On 3/8/07, James Casey <jcasey at oaklawnlibrary.org> wrote:
> > Naturally, there are some patrons who will huff and puff and accuse in
> > order to get someone to lift the fine as a means of appeasement.
> > Sometimes staff members take umbrage at supervisors who "give a pass" to
> > patrons who are especially belligerent and dismissive to staff members
> > who are simply trying to enforce board approved rules.  Staff often
> > appreciate supervisors who "back them up" and in turn, become the second
> > object of the patrons wrath.
> >
> > When I am called upon to deal with an "irate patron", I try to get some
> > background information on the circumstances before going into the fray.
> > If I come into a situation where the patron is raising her/his voice, I
> > might start by asking that they lower the decibel level or even ask that
> > they sit in a corner area where we can talk in private.
> >
> > James B. Casey --- My own views.
> > Director of Oak Lawn Public Library
> > ALA Council Member -- candidate for re-election
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
> > [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of A B
> > Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 1:29 PM
> > To: publib at webjunction.org
> > Subject: [Publib] Management question: patrons and staff
> >
> > Hi to the List,
> >
> > I have one of those "How do you manage" questions.
> >
> > I see my role as a manager to bring patrons what they want in a
> > courteous and friendly fashion (I'm in a public library, btw) AND  to
> > support my staff in a variety of ways.
> >
> > Sometimes these two goals are seemingly at odds, which leads to my
> > question for you:
> >
> > If a patron is clearly upset with one of your staff members at a
> > public desk and you go over to intervene, do you:
> >
> > 1.  Calmly and politely ask the patron what the problem is, and try to
> > resolve it without even mentioning how the staff member may or may not
> > have "misbehaved?"  And then, after the patron is gone, calmly and
> > respectfully try to find out what happened by talking with the staff
> > member?
> >
> > And then there's this scenario:
> >
> > 2. What if the patron clearly wants to make an issue of how he or she
> > was treated by the staff member?  Do you then say to the patron: "
> > please let me try to help you (fill in the blank:  resolve your fine,
> > get your book, get your article, etc.)?  And I will definitely
> > discuss the matter with the staff member."  ?  Then calmly and
> > respectfully try to find out what happened with the staff member,
> > after the patron is gone?
> >
> > My thinking in case 2 is that you want the patron to know you take the
> > alleged staff misbehavior seriously (hence you say: "I will definitely
> > discuss this with the staff member"), but you don't want to embarrass
> > or humiliate the staff member by airing possible dirty laundry in
> > front of the patron (hence you discuss it later on, after the fact).
> >
> > Any thoughts on what has worked for you, your philosophies in
> > situations like this, are most welcome.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > AB
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Publib at webjunction.org
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> >
>
>
> --
> Karen Mahnk,
> Reference Librarian
> Lake Park Public Library
> 529 Park Avenue
> Lake Park, Fl., 33403
> 561 881-3330 Fax: 561881-3336
> kmahnk at lakeparkflorida.gov
> www.lakepark-fl.gov
>
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