August 24, 2006

Friends talking about books

At one of the busiest circulation desks in the state, you don't get much time to talk about books, as Nancy Sforza and Susan Marks are doing. If patrons are in line, even though as we would like to, we can't take much time to make recommendations or hear what people liked or didn't like.

That's why we're installing RFID self-check stations in the new Darien Library, so there will be time for conversations like this. And to make sure we provide the best Reader Advisory services possible, we've already begun providing training for staff, two years before the move.

It's been suggested that libraries will lose more than they save with self-service. We are absolutely committed to making sure that the opposite will be the case -- more customer service will result when there are less books to push across the circ desk, and more time to talk about our services and resources.

And there's another point. Frank Mussche of Libramation tells the following story: he was in Western Canada making a presentation about his company's RFID system, and afterwards someone he describes as a "little old lady" came up to him and said: "Let me get this straight. If I want to take out a book on sexuality for women over 60 I don't have to take it up to that desk and ask a young whippersnapper to check it out for me?" When Frank said, yes, she could check it out herself, she said, "Well, I am SO in favor of that."

Posted by Alan Kirk Gray at 03:45 PM