[Publib] 50 things...
Jillian Lashmett
jlashmet at cumberland.lib.nc.us
Thu Nov 5 12:58:32 EST 2009
I also wondered why no one mentioned answering the phone and putting someone on hold.
I base my decision on the awkwardness level. It is very awkward to have someone waiting on the phone while you look for something with 3 people standing in front of you. If I am on the phone when someone walks up, I will acknowledge them and then promptly, as promptly as possible with some of the long winded, ask the person on the phone to hold or take their number and get back to them. I hate to hold the phone up to my face and try to make small talk while searching for someone. This is awkward so I offer to call them back. In the meantime, I can search for the answer intermittenly while helping the people in front of me.
I also think it is also awkward to let the phone ring while you are talking to someone because it is so disruptive, and we are all trained to pick up a phone when it rings. I have to restrain myself sometimes to not pick up a phone because it drives me crazy. If someone was helping me and the phone was ringing and ringing, I would hope they would pick it up just to shut it up. I would answer it and immediately put the person on hold. I think one should be able to sense what is appropriate and what is not.
Library staff (or any customer service staff) should never offer no answer or make no effort.
________________________________________
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Kevin Okelly [KOkelly at minlib.net]
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:29 AM
To: s shoar; ghelfrich at aclsys.org; vmarsh at oldhampl.org; publib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Publib] 50 things...
Perhaps I missed something, but I don't recall anyone writing or even
implying that they didn't answer the phone and put the caller on hold....
Kevin O'Kelly
Reference and Community Languages Librarian
Somerville Public Library
79 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
(617)-623-5000
-----Original Message-----
From: s shoar <sshoar at ualibrary.org>
To:
ghelfrich at aclsys.org,vmarsh at oldhampl.org,publib at webjunction.org,KOkelly at minlib.net
Cc:
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 14:24:49 +0000 (GMT Standard Time)
Subject: Re: [Publib] 50 things...
> <html><body><font size="3" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"
> color="#000000"><span> </span><BR />
> <span><SPAN style="COLOR: #0000ff" mce_style="color: #0000ff;">A lot
> of work is done over the phone; in fact it is<BR>encouraged by many
> organizations. Libraries would like poeple to come<BR>in so that
> they have a chance to become aware of and familiar with
> different<BR>services the library offers. While I agree the
> person standing there has<BR>priority, nothing should stop us from
> taking a minute and putting the caller(s)<BR>on hold. A ringing
> phone can be very distracting both to the librarian and<BR>the
> patron<BR><BR>Shahin Shoar</SPAN></span><BR />
> <span> </span><BR />
> <span> </span><BR />
> <span>On 11/4/09 9:19 PM, Kevin Okelly wrote:</span><BR />
> <span> </span><BR />
> <span>> When I work the reference desk a person physically standing
> in front of me</span><BR />
> <span>> always has priority. They took the time and made the effort
> to come into</span><BR />
> <span>> the library, therefore they come first.</span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>> Kevin O'Kelly</span><BR />
> <span>> Reference and Community Languages Librarian</span><BR />
> <span>> Somerville Public Library</span><BR />
> <span>> 79 Highland Ave.</span><BR />
> <span>> Somerville, MA 02143</span><BR />
> <span>> (617)-623-5000</span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>> -----Original Message-----</span><BR />
> <span>> From: Gair Helfrich</span><BR />
> <span>> To: Vicki Marsh , "publib at webjunction.org"</span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 15:10:29 -0500</span><BR />
> <span>> Subject: Re: [Publib] 50 things...</span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>> > Vicki,</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > This is probably my biggest pet peeve. Why does the
> phone get</span><BR />
> <span>> > preference over the person standing in front of the
> you? Especially</span><BR />
> <span>> > when you were helping that person before the phone
> rang. My practice</span><BR />
> <span>> > was always to tell the person on the phone I was with
> someone else and</span><BR />
> <span>> > give them the choice of holding on or having me call
> them back. And if</span><BR />
> <span>> > there were 5 people waiting at the desk when the phone
> rang they all</span><BR />
> <span>> > got served before the phone patron got called back.
> (And, I warned the</span><BR />
> <span>> > phone patron it would be a while before I could call
> back.)</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Gair</span><BR />
> <span>> > __________</span><BR />
> <span>> > Gair Helfrich, MLS</span><BR />
> <span>> > Supervising Librarian</span><BR />
> <span>> > Information and Technical Services Manager</span><BR
> />
> <span>> > Atlantic County Library</span><BR />
> <span>> > 40 Farragut Avenue</span><BR />
> <span>> > Mays Landing, NJ 08330</span><BR />
> <span>> > 609-625-2776 ext. 6313 Fax: 609-625-8143</span><BR />
> <span>> > ghelfrich at acmail.aclink.org</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > -----Original Message-----</span><BR />
> <span>> > From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org</span><BR />
> <span>> > [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of
> Vicki Marsh</span><BR />
> <span>> > Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 2:40 PM</span><BR
> />
> <span>> > To: publib at webjunction.org</span><BR />
> <span>> > Subject: Re: [Publib] 50 things...</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Never interrupt a transaction with the patron at the
> desk to answer the</span><BR />
> <span>> > phone and help the phone patron!</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Vicki S. Marsh</span><BR />
> <span>> > Branch Manager</span><BR />
> <span>> > South Oldham Library</span><BR />
> <span>> > 6720 W. Highway 146</span><BR />
> <span>> > P. O. Box 365</span><BR />
> <span>> > Crestwood, KY 40014</span><BR />
> <span>> > Office: (502)241-9017</span><BR />
> <span>> > Fax: (502)241-1108</span><BR />
> <span>> > Email: vmarsh at oldhampl.org</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Message: 5</span><BR />
> <span>> > Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 08:42:38 -0600</span><BR />
> <span>> > From: "Tom Cooper"</span><BR />
> <span>> > Subject: [Publib] (no subject)</span><BR />
> <span>> > To:</span><BR />
> <span>> > Message-ID:</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"</span><BR
> />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > I saw this on Yahoo! this morning, a list of 50 things
> restaurant</span><BR />
> <span>> > workers should never do. It is a great primer in
> customer service, and</span><BR />
> <span>> > many of the tips could easily apply to libraries -
> such as 'never</span><BR />
> <span>> > acknowledge one customer more than another,' or 'do
> not let anyone</span><BR />
> <span>> > enter</span><BR />
> <span>> > the restaurant (library) without a warm greeting.' I
> thought it would</span><BR />
> <span>> > be</span><BR />
> <span>> > fun if we compiled our own list. If you're interested,
> let us know your</span><BR />
> <span>> > top two or three favorite peeves and things to avoid.
> I'll keep a tally</span><BR />
> <span>> > and put them all together.</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Here's the restaurant list from Yahoo!:</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> >
> http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108071/100-things-restaura
> </span><BR />
> <span>> > n</span><BR />
> <span>> > t-staffers-should-never-do?mod=career-work</span><BR
> />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > I'll get the ball rolling with a few of
> mine:</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > 1. Never wait until the copier or printer runs out of
> paper to</span><BR />
> <span>> > refill it. Check it at the beginning of your
> shift.</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > 2. Never say the word policy when telling a patron
> about a</span><BR />
> <span>> > library</span><BR />
> <span>> > policy.</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > 3. (Yes, stolen from above) Never let anyone enter the
> library</span><BR />
> <span>> > without a warm greeting.</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Tom Cooper, Director</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Webster Groves Public Library</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > 301 E. Lockwood Avenue</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Webster Groves, MO 63119-3102</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > (314) 961-3784</span><BR />
> <span>> > tcooper at wgpl.org</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Do not judge beliefs by their plausibility, but by the
> harm they may</span><BR />
> <span>> > do.</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> > Nassim Nicholas Taleb</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> >
> _______________________________________________</span><BR />
> <span>> > Publib mailing list</span><BR />
> <span>> > Publib at webjunction.org</span><BR />
> <span>> >
> https://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>> >
> _______________________________________________</span><BR />
> <span>> > Publib mailing list</span><BR />
> <span>> > Publib at webjunction.org</span><BR />
> <span>> >
> https://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib</span><BR />
> <span>> ></span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>></span><BR />
> <span>> _______________________________________________</span><BR
> />
> <span>> Publib mailing list</span><BR />
> <span>> Publib at webjunction.org</span><BR />
> <span>>
> https://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib</span><BR
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