Diane Zabel
Lorraine J. Pellack, Guest Columnist
Print version (Adobe Reader required)
In her inspirational article in the Winter 2008 issue of RUSQ (“A Personal Choice: Reference Service Excellence”) Marie Radford reminds us that reference service excellence begins with the initial patron interaction, whether it is face-to-face or virtual. In this guest editorial, Lorraine J. Pellack reinforces the importance of first impressions formed by patrons. Coincidentally, Pellack’s point mirrors the message contained in Susan J. Beck’s inaugural presidential column (“This is Our Time to Shine: Opportunities in a Recession”) contained in this issue.—Editor
Every library that I have worked in over the last twenty-plus years has had at least one staff member grumbling about how often they have to give directions to the restroom. They grumble about patrons who need lessons in reading signs and architects who evilly plan library buildings with invisible restrooms or restrooms far from the entrance. My question is this: Why grumble? This is our chance to shine, to invite people in. While it’s true that any trained monkey could point in the correct direction, I would like to believe that human beings aspire to be a bit more helpful than this. In the current economy, with declining numbers of reference transactions and dwindling budgets, every patron encounter is important. These are not just people in need; every one of them has potential. They are potential Nobel Prize winners, potential legislators, potential parents of eager readers, potential library enthusiasts, children with future academic potential, and maybe even future library supporters.
Put yourself on the other side of the desk and rethink why someone might be asking a particular question. In the case of questions such as “where’s the restroom?” most likely the person has never been in the building before. Yes, you’ve answered the question a bazillion times, but most people only ask the question on their first visit. Despite many efforts to the contrary, we are still fighting librarian stereotypes of cantankerous old ladies who shush people. Here is a golden opportunity to make a positive first impression, be welcoming, and influence a new person about the helpfulness of library staff. These interactions, in turn, affect the eagerness of visitors to return in the future.
Patrons frequently ask for directions even when the person they are asking is standing right next to a sign that gives the answer. Clearly, some people prefer to ask a human being rather than take the time to read building signs. Habits of people in a new environment often include asking directional questions first because they are less threatening. If they do okay, and feel comfortable, they work their way up to more complicated questions later on. Directional questions may seem mundane, but they can be the first step toward answering future needs and instilling confidence in the person asking the question.
Have you ever noticed that patrons working at computers near public service desks often overhear conversations? If you watch, you will occasionally see a nearby person looking up and smiling after a joke someone made at the desk. They might even raise an eyebrow after being startled by a particular comment. Have you ever wondered if that person sitting near the desk is too shy, or too embarrassed, to ask a question? Could it be they asked a simple question in the past and were affronted by a less than enthusiastic staff member?
Working at a public service desk can definitely get tiring after a while. Repetition can wear down almost anyone, and many libraries have put in an “information desk” to siphon off directional questions to ease the burden on other public service desks. While this may seem to help relieve repetition among a number of desks, the bulk of the repetition goes to a smaller number of individuals who are likely to wear down faster. Very few people can manage cheerful countenances on a constant basis, especially when faced with recurring questions or for a long period of time. Each staff member has a breaking point of a maximum number of hours beyond which they cannot be expected to retain their sanity, let alone be welcoming. If you seem to reach your breaking point too often, maybe it is time to cut back your public contact hours or take a long overdue vacation. Remember, all patrons are important—even ones that are “just” asking directional questions. They are the reason we are here.
I recently read an advice column in Managing People at Work (a newsletter published by McMurry) that recommended pretending each staff member is a volunteer to ensure we show appreciation more often. This can easily be applied to many service desk encounters. Pretend each person is your mother, the next Louis Pasteur, or the library director’s spouse. The question is important to them, or they would not have taken the time or effort to ask it.
Library desk staff regularly can, and do, affect visitors’ first impressions. Try coming through the front door of your library and pretending you are a first-time visitor. Go visit a nearby library and see what reaction you get when you ask a few simple questions. Which library staff make you feel at home and why? Do any of them annoy you enough to not ask questions in future? Why? Use this information to rethink how patrons may feel as they enter your library and have a question.
I still get a chuckle out of patrons who ask “do you have a restroom?” They don’t seem to want to know where it is . . . simply whether or not we have one. It has been a long time since a library was built without public restrooms, and every now and then I have to work hard to resist the ornery urge to see their reaction if I say “no.” After all, they are in obvious need, and I am there to help them find their way. If you are tired of hearing “where’s the restroom?” then maybe it’s time to rethink your choice of jobs or how you perform it. Simply put, either stop working at a public help desk or take the challenge to rejuvenate your patron interactions and become a positive face for your library.
Correspondence for Reference & User Services Quarterly should be addressed to Editor Diane Zabel, Schreyer Business Library, The Pennsylvania State University, 309 Paterno Library, University Park, PA 16802; e-mail: dxz2@psu.edu.
Lorraine J. Pellack is Head, Science and Technology Department, Parks Library, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
[...] and listening to the buzz of mid-semester activity at our group study tables, I was also reading First Impressions and Rethinking Restroom Questions in the online version of RUSQ. If you are tired of hearing “where’s the restroom?” then maybe [...]
We were just talking about this in customer service training a few weeks ago. At Disney this is called the 3 oclock question because the most common question asked at Disney is, “What time is the 3 o clock parade?” Apparently cast members get tired of answering this ridiculous question over and over again and so Disney trainers now proactively train cast members to be prepared to answer “3 o clock” questions. We need to look at all of the library’s 3 o clock questions and be prepared to answer those well!
[...] took some restraint to not copy and paste the entire thing. Go read First Impressions and Rethinking Restroom Questions by Lorraine J. [...]
Absolutely brilliant – confirms my suspicion of the tiered reference model (“an “information desk” to siphon off directional questions “) Often “directional” questions mask detailed reference questions from those too modest or unfamiliar with the library to request more. I’ve often said “over there” is only an appropriate answer when directing people to the toilets (restrooms) but I’ll try to make sure I always say it with a smile in future.
Kudos to Lorraine for acknowledging that reference staff members are human! Too often we are taught about the expectations for reference and customer service, without being taught the coping skills that support excellent service. Very few people are bottomless founts of smiles and enthusiasm when barraged with the same questions over and over. This article introduces the skills and support needed in reference service. Humor – it is acceptable to laugh at patrons’ questions behind closed and soundproof doors. Remember the golden rule – how would you like to be treated when you badly need a bathroom and are new to a building? Rest – whether it is a 15-minute coffee break or a two-week vacation, public service staff need rest and relaxation to maintain that welcoming face of the library. Variety – occasionally take staff offdesk and let them hide in a corner and work on a project, which requires no public contact. Co-worker support – in our library unit, we realize that staff members have particular patrons that push their buttons, and encourage staff to ask someone else to step in for that reference transaction.
Thanks for the dose of reality, Lorraine!
I don’t always squelch that urge to tell students we have no restrooms. I once told a student “No, we sure don’t. They make us hold it in all day.” He looked startled and then started laughing hysterically, realizing I was joking. He decided that day the library was OK!
I know it sounds silly, but your article practically brought tears to my eyes. Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I’m not “out front” that often, so I always used to wonder how and why staff sometimes seemed to be so completely burnt-out, but after a four hour shift I have begun doing once a week, now I understand! Nonetheless, I do try to retain the inner monologue of “Remember: you may have answered this a ‘brazilian’ times, but…”, so the really pointed ideas you give are are wonderful!
You should take a look at David Lankes presentation at the Charleston Conference this year. About half way through is a bathroom joke that is absolutely hysterical!
http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/blog/?p=858
paste into browser – the streaming video is on that page – it’s truly inspirational
While I enjoy giving the answers to directional questions, I don’t think the interfacing opportunity justifies the poor design of many library buildings. All too often, library architects or remodellers hide away the restrooms more effectively than the average supermarket! Admittedly, even if there was a flashing red sign and glowing footprints leading to the loo we’d have to tackle that question repeatedly; but there’s no excuse for making it more difficult.
P.S., depending on how often someone uses a building, and how confusing it is, it’s not always just the first time someone uses the building– or even uses the restroom in that building– that they need to ask for directions.
I remember after I was hired at a library but before my start date, I went into the library to get a feel for it and the staff and I asked the lady at the reference desk where I could sign up for the internet. She didn’t even look up, she just pointed and said “at the circ desk” in a rude, dismissive tone. I never forgot this first impression of her and we didn’t get along for the entire 5 years we worked together. I wonder how our relationship might have been different if that first interaction had been more positive. Remember, you never know who you might be speaking to.
Thank you for this motivational and exhortational message. Kudos belong to those of us who also go into the bathrooms every afternoon and tidy up, since the cleaning staff only appears after closing.
[...] } Yesterday’s library link of the day was to an article about first impressions “First impressions and rethinking the restroom question“. It was a reminder to remember that a question that might have been asked of a staff [...]
Your article gave me a good Friday Laugh! Indeed our smile is fundamental, it is actually what will always make a difference with computers. I have rejuvenated the atmosphere in my college’s library and the result is obvious. Students love to come here, many because they love books (easy), more and more because they love the library, and maybe some because they love the librarian
! Each of them count.
Thanks for your post! I agree with you about using the opportunity to give directions as a chance to invite/ welcome people into the library. I get this question every week because at my library there are no restrooms on the first floor. The woman’s room is on the 2nd and men’s is on the 3rd floor. No wonder people ask!
A very thought-provoking article! It really does help to put yourself in the patron’s shoes. And it’s applicable to every line of work. Thanks to reopening my eyes to making the first experience a good one for our patrons/users!
This article really hit the nail on the head as far as library customer service goes. We really need to consider the issue of patron comfort level and questions. Several years ago I was working the adult reference desk at a busy urban library. One day a Spanish speaking lady came in. Very shyly she greeted me in Spanish and I responded in Spanish. I remember giving her a big smile because I was mirroring her smile. This went on for a few days. Finally, one day she asked me where the Spanish language magazines were. It was important that the patron got a feel for me before she felt comfortable asking her question, as simple a question as it was. This was a valuable lesson for me and has stayed with me to this day. I am more apt to consider the patron’s perspective. Yes, I do get asked where the bathroom is a kajillion times a day but I work here and know where it is. This is that patron’s first time here. How is he to know? How would I want someone to respond to me if I asked a question in an unfamiliar place?
Great article. Even though everything you said is textbook Commonsense Public Relations 101, it still needs to be said! Oscar the Grouch lives in a trashcan for a reason. Who wants their library to echo that environment? (Though Oscar can’t possibly have enough room for all of these books in his abode.) I smiled when you said that you are sometimes tempted to say “no” to the “do you have a bathroom” question. I’ve actually said that (no)…but only to an occasional teen. Teens usually have excellent senses of humor, and they ‘get it’ right away, smile, and that’s that. I like showing that librarians can be funny!
I have yet to meet a person who was asking casually – this may be one of the most vital questions you answer that day!
I entirely agree with your column, and would challenge readers to take it one step further. Look the questioner in the eye. Try answering as if it was the first time you’ve ever heard the question, and rephrase your answer periodically so it is new to you. People can also tell when the brain switches off and the mouth runs on autopilot, and making your response personal rather than rote also lets them know that you see them as individuals.
Brava, bravissima! Our first business is human beings and human needs, no matter how great or small. Signage and whatnot can be helpful, but if we lose sight of our core human values (and stop taking care of ourselves so we can deliver those values), we are, professionally, lost.
Leigh Anne
This was a really thoughtful post. Thanks!
I appreciate the reminder that although we tire of questions about the washroom, the questioner is likely a first-time visitor, and it is opportunity to give a positive first impression of our services.
Right on, Lorraine! If we want to cultivate a reputation for being welcoming, we have to be, uh, welcoming–no matter what the question we are asked.
Also, what’s wrong with repetition? Teachers do it every day. After 17 years as an instructor at a junior college, I still begin every semester back where I started the semester before. I repeat, repeat, and repeat some more. As an adjunct librarian, my job is similar: at the beginning of every semester, I must explain to each student who comes up to the reference desk how to print, how to use the copier, where the bathrooms are, etc., etc.
Does this get old? Not really. I know that I’m making the library a comfortable place to be for students–and that, really, is my job. Giving that comfort may begin with explaining where the bathrooms are, and by the end of the semester I may be helping the same student research his/her term paper. In other words, I’ve taken the anxiety out of going to the library.
I remember in my first job, the more I got the same question over and over, the more these people asking them were complete idiots. I should have looked in the mirror – I obviously had it backward. Somewhere along the line, I gained some wisdom and maturity, and I am now not simply okay with answering repetitious questions, but happy to do so. I went from that sullen Circ desk worker someone mentioned above, who could barely be summoned to look up from her work when asked a question, to someone who genuinely loves working with people. Even when these people come with repetitious question…and gas.
I had moved to a new city for Library School and experienced the typical transition challenges, finding a place to live, looking for a job, trying not to get lost in a new city etc. One night at the beginning of my first semester I was so worn out and disoriented I walked up the driveway to the wrong house! The next day I asked a general question at the Library Science Collection Reference Desk. I hadn’t taken a Reference class yet. The M.L.S. candidate-in-training said to me snidely, “Aren’t you a library school student here?” Grudgingly she answered my question. I’ll never forget her attitude. She gave me a lesson in what NOT to do. We never know what personal situations patrons are balancing in addition to their quest for information.
From a practical point of view, a smile and pleasant response is a free gift that you can give out all day long, is greatly appreciated, and it will COST YOU NOTHING. At a time of budget cuts, this is something that we have an unlimited supply of; we don’t have to ask anyone to allot us with the resources. I recently had a student intern with me, and at the end of the term, I advised him to remember to thank everyone whom he met or shadowed in the library. The reason is very simple: it costs him nothing to do that, and the favorable impression he leaves with the people he thanked may help him when he needs a favor somewhere down the road.
I work at the Welcome Desk at our local library. It is a new and grand building which I love to show off. Sort of like showing off your new home or pictures of your newborn baby. I am the first line when anyone comes into the library and I try to keep on a happy face even if my teeth are aching. I do get a lot of “bathroom” questions but realize that if they are new they don’t know where it is. We are a public service corporation and I am here to serve the public. So bring on the questions. I’ll do my best to answer them myself or find someone who knows the answers. I love my job!
[...] First Impressions and Rethinking Restroom Questions [...]
i’ve answered this question 17 gabillion times. golden rule: be nice. the person asking the question may REALLY NEED TO FIND A RESTROOM. FAST! excellent article, by the way.
[...] médiation réussie Je m’étais promis-juré de ne pas parler de cet article http://www.rusq.org/2009/11/28/first-impressions-and-rethinking-restroom-questions/ (qui a fait le tour de la biblio-sphère). Mais j’ai craqué… Alors [...]
[...] First Impressions and Rethinking Restroom Questions By askbcls Put yourself on the other side of the desk and rethink why someone might be asking a particular question. In the case of questions such as “where’s the restroom?” most likely the person has never been in the building before. Yes, you’ve answered the question a bazillion times, but most people only ask the question on their first visit. Read more…. [...]
Thank you for this wonderful reminder. I try to remind myself many times – “How would I want to be treated” and this immediately changes my attitude and response ‘with a smile ‘to the patron – no matter what the question may be.