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Back in July I posted an article titled Naked Librarianship. The article got such positive feedback, I thought I would repost it here. For your reading enjoyment:

I recently read Patrick Lencioni’s Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty. Lencioni is the author of numerous books. Many of those books rely on a fictionalized story or fable to make business, management and leadership models or concept clearer.

Getting Naked, is a fable about two different strategies in the consulting industry. It is really a great book, and I suggest you read it. But I want to briefly discuss the Naked model. The Naked model is really about offering exception client (patron) services. At its core, Naked service boils down to the ability of a service provider to be vulnerable–to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness, and transparency for the good of a client. Client loyalty and trust are achieved by overcoming the following three fears:

1. Fear of losing the business
2. Fear of being embarrassed
3. Fear of feeling inferior

This model is totally applicable to libraries. So let’s see what Naked Librarianship might look like (note I am taking a very abridged approach to this model)

Fear of losing the business has a few remedies.

The first solution is to consult instead of sell. Libraries have been striving for this for some time. But I think it’s interesting when we see ourselves as a research, book, information, or life consultant.

The second solution entails giving away the business. In this solution we are called to always err on the side of the client when it comes to fees. How many times do arguments erupt at the circulation desk over a $1 or $2 fine? What is the impact of this fight on the patron? How are other patrons in the library impacted? Is this really necessary?

Fear of being embarrassed

Ask dumb questions is one way of overcoming the fear of being embarrassed. How many times do we engage in a reference transaction when someone refers to or asks about something we have never heard of? What do we do? I, for one, will quickly jump on the Internet to just figure out what ever the topic is. Why don’t I just ask the patron instead? I know that I have certainly made myself look smart by quickly researching and talking about a concept a patron asks about and in the process I make them feel stupid. If a patron asks me how to adjust an onboard serial port in bios, I might ask them what bios is?

Celebrate your mistakes is one of my favorite embarrassment solutions. I believe that every library should throw a failure party to celebrate the risks and lessons learned through mistakes. It is a way for a library to acknowledge the giant elephant in the room, and to insist that perfection and innovation are simply mutually exclusive.

Fear of feeling inferior

Make everything about the client (patron) is a simple and obvious tactic. Naked librarianship focuses attention on the person we are serving. This means no multitasking while helping someone. Moreover, you always defer the credit to the person you are helping. For example, if you two are looking for the next Fifty Shades of Grey and you both find it together you give the credit to the patron.

Do the dirty work is another remedy to the fear of feeling inferior. This might be difficult for naked librarians. When helping a patron, there is virtually nothing beneath you. Demonstrate your dedication to the patron by doing whatever it takes to make them happy (yes, of course there are limitations). If a patron wants you to print something for them, just do it. It will save the time of both of you if you argue and try to teach them how to use your crappy computer reservation and print release station.

In the preceding paragraphs, I boiled a complex model down to a quick couple of bullet points. If any of this interests you, I suggest you read the book. More importantly, I hope that you see how some of these fears affect you and limit the service that you provide. Getting naked really deals with being vulnerable, but in most cases, your patron demonstrated vulnerability first by asking you for help.

May you realize that it’s ok to be vulnerable. May you embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness, and transparency for the good of your patron, and may you strip off the layers separating you from providing exceptional service. May you offer naked library services.

As many of you know, ILEAD U has been a life changing experience for me and many librarians.  I wanted to let you know that ILEAD U has gone national and you may be able to get in on the action.  Here is a blurb from their most recent email.

ILEAD USA Applications Available-“National Day of Application” November 1 The State Library continues its preparations to host ILEAD USA (Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply and Discover): The 21st Century Technology and Leadership Skills Institute for the States. This continuing education initiative will be held at the University of Illinois Springfield on March 25-28, June 17-20 and October 21-24, 2013.  Our partner states in ILEAD USA are Colorado, Iowa, Ohio and Utah.

We are accepting applications until December 14th for mentors, instructors, and participants for ILEAD USA.  ILEAD USA is a competitive, application-only program.  Please consider applying for one of the three components at   http://www.webjunction.org/partners/illinois/il-programs/ileadusa.html.  Applications are currently being accepted for Illinois, Ohio and Utah, and will be available shortly for Colorado and Iowa.

A “National Day of Application” will be held November 1 featuring a live Webinar from 10 a.m. to 12 noon CST.  During the Webinar ILEAD USA project directors will answer any questions about how to complete the ILEAD USA application.

Registration is encouraged but not required to take part in the “National Day of Application” Webinar.  Register at http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=14432.    The live Webinar will take place at http://isl.adobeconnect.com/r15io28cfo0/.  Log in as a guest with your name and state.  No password is needed.  If you wish to test the system prior to November 1, please contact Debra Aggertt at daggertt@ilsos.net or 217-558-1945.

If you do not have an audio connection via your computer for November 1, you may participate via conference call. Please call this conference call number:  888-494-4032,  Access Code: 3886075450.

ILEAD USA is made possible by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant awarded to the State Library by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Contact Gwen Harrison at gharrison@ilsos.net (217-785-7334) or Debra Aggertt at daggertt@ilsos.net (217-558-1945) if you have questions.

My American Libraries Op-Ed

On My Mind:
Library Patrons, Customers, Users, Oh My: What We Call “Patrons” is Important.
By Anthony Molaro

Have you looked around your library lately? Chances are, it’s chocked full of people. Some of these people are staff, some may be faculty members or students, and some are just visitors or an occasional vendor. There is also, however, an even larger group of people which we have significantly more trouble defining.

While recovering from a pretty severe cold, I decided to catch up on some readings I’d been meaning to get to for some time. One of those readings was R. David Lankes’ Work In Progress blog (http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/). Lankes had posted a presentation that caught my interest: “You Must Focus on Connection Management Instead of Collection Management”. In this lecture, Lankes proposes an idea that would forever change my view of librarian/patron interaction. He details a library consultant (Joan Frye Williams) who, in a strategic planning session, decides to end the eternal debate of what we should call library “patrons” by asking the “patrons” directly. The “patrons” responded with an answer that was unexpected. Instead of being called a library “patron”, or “customer”, or “user” more than half of them said they preferred the term “member”. Incredibly, this debate had been ended simply by asking patrons what they preferred to be called.

How we view patrons reflects our philosophical worldview. Much has been written on how “patrons” perceive libraries and librarians, and maybe now is a good time to turn the tables. How do we, as librarians, view our “patrons”? How we perceive “patrons” is reflected in what we call them.

As I reflected on this idea, and blogged about it, several thoughts coalesced at once. First, consider what comes to mind when you think of a:
· library patron
· library customer
· library user
· library member
In my opinion, a worldview that sees library users as patrons is one in which the patron (benefactor) is above libraries. According to this worldview, we should feel lucky that they support our work, and we are forever indebted to them. Some people call this term archaic, while others have no idea what a library patron even is. In the end, the perception is that the patron is above us.

A library customer worldview sees a user as someone who has something that we want (usually money). They are just a number. We don’t owe them anything; on the contrary, they owe us. In contrast to the patron worldview, the perception associated with a library customer is that they are beneath us. The customer needs what we have, but we don’t need them.

A library user worldview sees users as people who consume without creating. This worldview does not acknowledge all that is created inside the walls of libraries. As Lankes states in another talk, computer scientists and drug dealers have users, libraries do not. This term does not really reflect how we view “patrons”. The perception associated with a library user is one in which the user is beneath the library. The user has to have something we have, but we don’t need them. The member needs us, and we need them. This is truly an interdependent relationship.

What does a worldview that sees library users as “members” entail? Membership implies ownership and an active role. Some have argued that members in particular deserve excellent customer service. Moreover, a member’s privileges can be revoked, which is common for someone who has excessive late fines. Most importantly, patrons view themselves as members because they are due-paying and card-carrying persons. The perception of a library member is one of equals.
Membership is social
Dictionary.com defines member as “one of the persons who composes a social group (especially individuals who have joined in a group organization)”. Referring to a patron as a member acknowledges the social role of libraries in the community. Moreover, membership requires action and activity. The library member needs to come into the library, or visit virtually. Whether a “patron” becomes social or active in the library is not a major factor, the important thing is that the library has created an environment in which they can.

This worldview fully demonstrates that library members are co-equals with library staff. Many people proudly join organizations as card-carrying members. They flash their cards, and take pride in their membership. This sociological phenomenon is just waiting for us to tap into.

Preferred Member card
What would libraries look like if we carried this member idea even further? Much like other organizations, institutions, and businesses, libraries should consider implementing a preferred member card program. This preferred member card, purchased through an annual fee, would have perks and privileges. For example, hot new best sellers are purchased for regular patrons and extra copies purchased for preferred patrons. Another example would be no late fines, or extended rental periods. What about an honor roll or special party for preferred members? The preferred member card could be a part of a larger membership and fundraising drive. Much like NPR or PBS, libraries can incorporate preferred membership drives into their National Library Week or National Library card month promotions.

Really, the sky is the limit. The advantages are numerous. Libraries receive a shot of funding, and in this day and age, who doesn’t need a few extra bucks? But the benefits don’t stop there. Both preferred and regular members receive benefits as well. The regular patrons get more materials and services through the funding of preferred members, while the preferred members get rewards for being frequent library users and acknowledgement for being library supporters. Moreover, I know that I would be proud to mention that I am a preferred member of my library, and others would too.

Whether you decide to run with the membership drive or not, it is important to remember that how we view “patrons” impacts how they view us. Your best bet is to ask your “patrons” what they preferred to be called. But keep the term in line with your philosophical outlook. For me, this means a partnership, equals or co-members on the same team. I like the idea that membership is social and active. So I say boldly, that this giant group of people in the library, they are library members with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto.