I Want To Hear From You
November 03, 2011
Not long ago, I was thinking about how much I like working at the library. For many years, I've told people that I love library work because I am able to look myself in the mirror every morning and know that I'm making the world a better place. I love library work because we help people think critically. We help children learn to read and to be successful in school. We help people acquire knowledge. We help people navigate and understand information. In short, we help people improve themselves. Why wouldn't you feel good about that?
But, despite all the positive feelings that I have for the job that we do at the library, I thought I really need to talk with our library customers more frequently. The library belongs to everyone. I am just the library's caretaker. I need to connect with the people and to know how they feel about the library. I need to know what people think about eBooks and our other online services. I need to hear about programs that people like. I need to have the opportunity to have a conversation with library customers and to learn more about how people feel about their library...good, bad, or otherwise.
Starting this month, I am holding one hour Director's Listening Posts at several libraries. Honestly, I don't expect this to be our most popular program. There is no way that I can compete with Mr. Stinky Feet! However, if I can have a conversation about the library with a handful of people, I will consider it a success.
Please come visit with me. The next few "Listening Posts" are listed below.
Antioch Branch
November 4, 2011 - 10:00 a.m.
Blue Springs South Branch
November 29, 2011 - 2:00 p.m.
Lee's Summit Branch
November 29, 2011 - 7:00 p.m.
This is only the beginning. I promise you that I will continue to schedule these "Listening Posts" in the future. If you can't visit with me in person, feel free to send a message to me by email or call the library at 816.836.5200. Or, you can always tell your comments to your local branch manager. All of our managers are very good about sharing public comments of all types.
Steven V. Potter
Director of Libraries
Comments
self check on phone
I love the self check method on my mymcpl app. It is very handy when you forget your library card.
Lori.
Self-Check on Phone
Thanks for the comment. I have to confess...I use the self-check on my smartphone all the time. I thought I was the only one! :-)
I'm glad that you're using the mobile app and finding it useful. Thanks for using your library.
Steve
Silence is golden
I thought libraries are supposed to be quite! I was in the Claycomo branch today just before noon, there were 4 staff members talking loudly about personal issues...how are the children supposed to respect the golden rule if the staff doesnt?
Silence is Golden
Thank you for sharing your comments. I forwarded this to our North Regional Manager and our Claycomo Manager. I also forwarded the previous message in this thread for their consideration.
First, I need to say that we really are at a disadvantage in terms of the architecture of our buildings. Our buildings weren’t designed to help us manage noise. For instance, our community programming space in most of our buildings is separated from the rest of our space with a fabric curtain. Ideally our programming space should be separate through a moveable partition (like we installed at Platte City and Smithville) or be a separate room (like we have at Antioch, North Independence and Raytown). In some of our more recent buildings, we have been able to build quiet study rooms to help facilitate this need, as well.
Second, our libraries are changing in purpose. They really are no longer quiet warehouses of books. Instead, they are becoming places for community, collaboration, cooperation, and consideration. In our preschool storytimes, our libraries even serve as a place to teach children about social interaction. There will be noise in our libraries. However, determining the appropriate level of noise and regulating the noise level is a sliding scale that can best be determined by the management at each building.
Libraries are a lot louder today than they were when I was young. Public libraries are almost always louder than school or college libraries. However, even with that said, there are appropriate and inappropriate noise levels at our libraries and I rely on our onsite management to address these concerns.
Thank you very much for your comments.
wasted money
I believe the libraries are funded with tax dollars...in my opinion, it would seem apporpriate in these tough financial times for the branches to look at their staffing costs. I was in the Claycomom branch on 4/12 and there were four people SITTING behind the desk talking about their personal lives. Doesn't seem like the best use of tax dollars. I was sitting at the computers for an hour and other than a few check outs, they did nothing but sit there and gossip. I think I would like a refund on my tax dollars to the library!
Wasted money
Please see the comment above.
http://www.mymcpl.org/blog/i-want-hear-you#comment-32084
I did send your comments to our branch manager a while back.
Thank you for your comments.
On a brighter note...
I've been a patron of the MCPL since moving to the area, almost ten years now. I have been consistently pleased with the services provided by this system, especially compared with the library systems I've previously visited. The fines are incredibly low compared to what I've paid elsewhere and I get to keep books longer.
The ILL has been one of my favorite services for a long time, it was a lifeline when I needed sources for papers. The wait times (sometimes three or more months) weren't great, but I figured that it was unavoidable lag inherent to the service. Much to my surprise, I've noticed a drastic change in the ILL service recently, I've noticed fewer rejections and things I've put on hold through ILL get to me significantly faster. I recently placed an ILL hold and had it within a week and a half. I went home and asked my wife, "This wasn't that book I asked for last week was it?" That was my first indication of the change and since then it's been progressively more consistent and much speedier than I imagined possible.
I'm also very impressed with some of the recent changes to the collection. The available selection of anime has been increasing, and where before I had not considered the library a viable source for anime, the titles that are now available are not only impressively varied, but very much up to date as well.
Even if some recent changes have been unpopular (as evidenced by other comments in this thread), I feel like there have been a number of recent improvements that have made the library a bigger and better part of my life.
A big thank you to the MCPL as a whole (and especially my ladies at Parkville!)
Evin
On a brighter note...
Thank you very much for your comments.
As an avid user of WorldCat and our interlibrary loan (ILL) services, I've also been very pleased turn-around time and the efforts of our department to meet the very diverse needs of our public.
I am a big believer that you have to continue to grow, to try new things, and to embrace change. Frankly, if you don't embrace such things, you run the risk of becoming irrelevant or being so far behind that you can never catch up. I'm very pleased with the efforts over the past several years.
Again, thank you for you comments. They are very much appreciated.
Steve
REALLY?
Yea right!
Claycomo employees
I noticed some one posted a question about a break room for employees; I would be curious to hear your response. I was in the Claycomo library on Sat 12/17 and two different employees used foul language while talking about their private lives behind the desk. Seems to me this would be more appropriate in the break room if they have one. Wouldn't you agree?
Claycomo Employees
Thank you for your comment. I think I did address this question in the post Claycomo Questions. Please take a look at that reply. Thank you very much.
Steve
Destination Libraries
My sister works for MCPL. She has said that you will be adding destination Libraries. My understanding was that Genealogy, North Independence, and Woodneath are going to be these libraries. I was wondering if you would add more and if they would have Sunday hours like Genealogy. Thank you, Maggie
Destination Libraries
Thank you for your question concerning Destination Libraries. I understand the want and the need for Sunday hours at the library. In fact, there is an earlier post that talks about this topic more generally.
I was talking with our Finance Committee about our long-term financial strategy last week and this topic came up, too. What I told them was that I believe that we are in a financial position to be able to open the new Woodneath library on Sundays. Part of that is because the new library will be much more efficient to operate due to green building principles, and a few other strategies.
When we open Woodneath and it has Sunday hours, I think we should have a library (other than the Midwest Genealogy Center) open on Sunday in Jackson County. Considering the facility alone, the most clear choice at this point would be North Independence.
All of this has much more to do with our financial ability to provide expanded hours. So, as things stand today, your sister is 100 percent right.
Thanks for the question,
Steve
I have noticed that many of
I have noticed that many of the responses to this blog have been from disgruntled employees. You state that this is not the appropriate forum for voicing such complaints, but I'm not sure there's an appropriate one out there.
The truth is that employees are the public on their off time. They request materials, use the library's online resources, attend programs. They also have the benefit of interacting with non-employees on a more personal level than administrative staff ever do. It's the nature of the beast.
It's impossible to satisfy everyone, and any decision will upset someone. The trick is to do the greatest amount of good with the resources MCPL is allotted or obtains through grant writing and other activities.
MCPL is funded by taxpayer dollars, and must remain transparent and accountable.
I think a lot of people have been quick to complain, but it's wonderful that you're opening yourself up to critique like this. It's something I haven't seen in the past, and it's definitely commendable.
That being said, I was downright shocked to here about what's going on at Blue Springs South. As MCPL strives for efficiency, it seems to be veering dangerously in the direction of "impersonal."
Machines are cold, pre-programmed, and not very good at adapting to changing circumstances. A large number of patrons don't prefer to use the self-check machines. They want the human interaction they get from staff. For some, this is their daily human contact. It's a shame to think we might be robbing people of that. I hope MCPL rethinks that particular initiative.
I think there is evidence that administration can listen when the public complains. Anyone remember the 2-week checkouts? People were outraged, spoke out, and caused that decision to be rescinded.
Times are tough right now and sometimes the public doesn't understand every aspect that must be considered when changing things up (and I think we can all agree that change is necessary to some extent for libraries to remain relevant). Still, I hope you'll listen to the people who use the library, whether or not they work for MCPL. They need kindness and personal assistance along with access to information. And they need that things that just don't work won't be pushed just because someone somewhere is afraid of being wrong.
Comments
I really appreciate your comments. I think they are very thoughtful. Thank you very much!
Those of us working for the library have a unique relationship with our institution. We are employees. But we are also library users. And we are also library taxpayers.
I do want to address the question about the "appropriate forum" for discussion employee complaints. MCPL has been working very hard to create a more open culture and to improve communication. I know that there is always room for improved communication. But we have mechanisms like the staff intranet for communication. Every employee has an email account. We have managers in each department that should be open to hearing comments and criticisms. The creation of performance management should create an environment where conversations about library services should be natural. I have been working very hard to make sure that the senior administrative staff employ both a figurative and a literal "open door" policy. Since becoming Library Director, several staff members have called me directly, sent a message to me, or visited me to discuss concerns or problems. Finally, over the past several months, I visited every branch and attended a staff meeting. This was supposed to be much like the public listening posts, but for staff. They were a lot of fun and I had a lot of good input from those meetings. I really got so much from them that I intend on visiting a branch staff meeting one or two times every year. I feel any of these mechanisms would be more appropriate for a staff-to-staff conversation.
Again, thank you very much for your comments and for all that you do!
Steve
Listening Posts
Out of curiosity, how was the turn out at the in-person Listening Posts?
Listening Posts
Hi,
I was a little disappointed by the first two in that no one came at all. In fact, the whole reason that I wrote the blog post was to encourage more visits during the listening posts.
Anyway, in answer to your question the first one was November 3 at Platte City and no one attended. The next one was November 4 at Antioch and no one attended. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find that people started to interact with the blog post almost immediately.
The next one was at Blue Springs South on November 29 in the afternoon. Two members of the public came to talk to me but we also had four or five staff members there. The final meeting was also on the evening of November 29 at Lee's Summit. If I remember correctly, there were five members of the public there and about five staff members, too.
The Lee's Summit meeting wound up going for nearly two hours. We talked about nearly everything and anything that you could think about, including comparative heating costs of buildings, eBooks, live programming, the library of the future, favorite books, and many other topics.
Thanks for asking!
Steve
Satchels Not Working!
I have worked at MCPL for many years, and found that it truly doesn't matter what the staff wants when it comes to the sweeping changes that are forced on us. If it doesn't work, it doesn't matter. They're still going to do it.
Even with all that, the satchel bags and self-everything make a joke out of everything the library stands for, and the people I know at the Blue Springs South branch tell me they feel humiliated now. If you pull this kind of stuff at our branch, it won't work any better.
-D.J.-
D J
I sure hope that you have not used your real initials. You are risking being black balled you know.
Satchels not working
Hi,
I really don't feel it is appropriate to have a "staff to staff" conversation in this forum. I understand that people frequently feel safer by using a method like this. However, it is virtually imposstible for me to understand the problem as you see it, to address an issue, or to explain our motivation. If you would like to talk with me about your concerns and offer some ways to address our challenges, I would like to invite you to meet with me.
I would like to comment on a few things that you said for the benefit of our public that may be curious. First, I'm not sure what "the satchel bags" are. Second, I've been in close contact with the management at Blue Springs South and several staff members. This is the first that I've heard that the staff feels humiliated, although I will follow up on that. Third, I don't believe that you can evaluate any new process in less than a standard cycle (at minimum). When we change, we have to leave the change in place for a while before we tweak it or abandon it. Finally, I will say that there is little evidence that our new circulation methods aren't working very well. I understand that some people may not like some of the changes, but not liking something and something not working are two different things.
Steve
Claycomo Comments
Thank you for your comments about Claycomo.
We have installed new equipment at our smaller locations that provide computer management of printing and computer allocation. We also installed self-check software on those devices. So, the new equipment serves three functions. When we install new models for work that was previously done manually, it takes our staff a little while to become used to the "new normal." Typically, in a pretty short amount of time, our branch managers reallocate staff to projects and programs that we very much need to do, but haven't been able to do, like school visits, business outreach, and the like. What I'd like to ask is that you give us a little time to adjust to our "new normal."
Nearly all of our libraries have a library staff workroom and breakrooms. Speifically, Claycomo has both. I am going to make sure that the branch manager sees these comments. That way, she can make sure that all our staff understand the importance of being present and aware of the needs of our customers and our impact on your library experience.
Thanks,
Steve
Book Clubs
My book club's been using the library for years. We love it. But we like to do a classic or two every year and 2011 is the first year I haven't been able to find a single classic with 8-10 copies available. I use reading group guides.com a lot. MCPL doesn't have multiple copies of any of the books on their most discussable classics list. There aren't any (one or two maybe) classics in the separate booktalk collection either. If anybody's going to read the classics these days its a book club. If you don't provide them, my group and others I'm sure, simply won't be able to do the classics anymore. It makes me sad.
Book Clubs
Thank you very much for your comments. I think you are pointing out something we really should invesitgate. I know that a few years ago, we had several "classics" book discussion kits. But, after several years, we had to remove them from the collection becuase they weren't being used and we needed the storage for other book club kits. With that said, I think our classics collections may not have been the types of titles that you're talking about.
Could I ask a favor? Could you contact our Adult Services office and talk to them about the titles you're looking for and discuss the website you use? I think our selectors could benefit from your insight. Feel free to contact them at 816-836-5200 or email to mboggs@mymcpl.org.
Thanks.
Classic books
Another idea for the classic books is downloading them. Many classics are available to download for free through Overdrive. They can be downloaded to eReaders, computers, tablets and many smart phones. Hope this helps!
Tobi K., Antioch Branch
Classic Books
Tobi,
I forgot about Project Gutenberg and all the titles available that are currently in the public domain. Thank you for the input!
Steve
editing notes
And now you edit what I have to say ? Jo Ann Gippner, Raytown
Agree with Jo Ann
I also submitted a comment about Blue Springs branch and changes I did not like and my comment never made it to the blog. I was not only edited, I was deleted. MCPL does not care about the patrons anymore it is about what you want and not us. I also agree when it comes time for any new tax votes for you I will vote no since you do not listen to anyone. I am sure this will also not make it on the blog either. Listen to the people!!!!!!!!
Editing of Comments
Hi,
When I read this post I was very concerned. We created these blogs to encourage dialogue and conversation. If we weren't willing to hear the good with the bad, then this wouldn't be what we were trying to achieve.
We do have people look over the postings before they are made publicly available. This is called "publishing." I asked those individuals about your comment. They confirmed that some editing occurs.
One of our publishers said, "We "publish" their comments because of the HUGE number of spam comments we get. Sometimes we get hit with 100 spams and only two legitimate comments overnight. Obviously our customers don't want to see those 100 spam comments. The only way to prevent this is for us to approve and "publish" each posting."
And our other publisher said, "Occasionally I do have to do some editing. That's usually when someone has used some profanity. When that happens I have to take it out. I also have to edit when someone posted too much personal information like their phone number. That doesn't happen very often though. For the most part the comments are untouched."
It was important for me to look into this and to ensure that we are not selecting only the good content or that we aren't editing the content before it is published. I hope this offers assurance for all our customers.
Thanks,
Steve
lack of labels on books (mystery, western, romance, etc)
Why have you stopped putting the genre on the spines of your new books ? It makes me unhappy. I appreciate being able to walk up and immediately know if I am interested in any one book. I do not want to read each book to find mysteries. That is a gross waste of time as far as I am concerned. Am I the only one who dislikes this change ? Jo Ann Gippner, Raytown
Also how do I get this to post ?
Genre Labels
Hi,
Thank you for your comment. The issue of genre labels is something that is becoming more and more complex as genres morph and combine. What sticker do you put on a love story that takes place in Amish country that also includes vampires? As I understand it, such a series actually exists and is very popular!
We are working to come up with a workable solution and I hope to have something out there very soon. I am sorry that the original ideas that we had to lessen the impact of removing the labels didn't make it out in time. Take a look at the response that I posted below for a little more explanation on this process. The important "take away" is to know that we are working on solutions and hope to have something together pretty soon.
Thanks for you comments,
Steve
staff
I have noticed the staff at the Claycomo library spends more time sitting behind the counter, some with their feet up on a cart now that there is self check out.
talking
Do you provide a breakroom for staff? The staff at the Claycomo library spend a LOT of time talking about thier personal life while at the desk. It makes it hard to work on the computers when they are talking loudly about their marriage problems, weight loss prolems and many, many other things....just wondering.
Customer Service from my side of the counter
My job at the library is more secure as customers have access to self-checkout. And I find my job is more meaningful. How? Now I spend time scheduling classes - FREE classes - for customers to learn how to enter the 21st century (beginning computer skills) and for customers already equipped with technology skills to learn how to use our research databases. Personal, one-on-one attention is offered through reserving an hour with one of us to discuss the catalog, word processing, book read-alikes...one simply calls and we will work out a time! Friendly attention at the checkout counter is only one way we help your pleasant experience at the library. We are actually attempting to expand access to everything your library offers.
This is a management post.
Do you really think people are this stupid?
RE: My Side
This all depends on which branch you are at.
cataloging tv dvd
Why are tv series shelved in three or four different places? For example, the Midsomer
Mystery series is found in three different locations. Really doesnt make much sense.
So much easier for the customer if they were all in one place.
DVDs
Thanks for your comments. It is confusing when things aren't together when you think that they should be. At least, it is confusing for me.
When I looked at this series I saw that copies that we purchased first had a full "Cutter number." That is the second line after the Dewey Decimal Number. More recently purchased titles have a Cutter number that is the name of the series. We started using this alternate way to classify DVDs because people told us it was easier to find them and keep them together if we used the name of the series.
Because we are in transition, there are DVDs in two locations. Over time and if we have the opportunity, we will try to correct the older copies so they are all in the same place. I am sorry about the current state of things. I know that the new way of classifying the titles is better and that everything will be joined together in time.
Thanks!
Steve
RE-SOMETHING TO SAY
In reference to the posting "Something to Say". I couldn't agree more with the comment.
I've been reading this blog with interest for some time. It's always been apparent that MCPL really doesn't care what the patrons think about the changes being implementing. MCPL is going to move ahead regardless. The approach here reminds me of our government...makes no difference what the people want...we'll "shove it down their throat" anyway.
This move to self check etc. is only being done to ultimately reduce headcount in the branches, and overall, minimize the "personal touch".
Several days ago I read your comments concerning discarded books and the implication was that selling the books resulted in more money to be spent on materials. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that over the last few years, there are fewer and fewer books on the shelves. It also seems as if there are fewer people working in the libraries. So, I'm asking myself where is this extra money going?
Anonymous
I wonder if our opinions on
I wonder if our opinions on customer service would carry more weight if MCPL wasn't automatically funded from our tax dollars...just a thought.
Library Employees/Raytown
The employees (Several) need to be more courtious and efficient for sure, and not so short with the the customers. They don't get the information right and then want to argue with us when it is them who have made the mistake in the first place. Also, do not let us finish our story and just keep insisting they have already made a change which we did not even request, which cost me three extra days (short) of my renewal. Senior Citizen or not, deserve respect. Nine times out of ten when renewing anything a second time is alright, but not the third time, even if no one has re
Raytown
Hi,
Thank you for posting your comment. I really can't comment on this specific situation, but I will make sure that the management for the Raytown Branch sees your comments. I would suggest talking directly with Susan Haley (at Raytown). I think she will be in a much better position to understand the nature of the comment and to be able to correct the issue.
Thanks,
Steve
Something to say
I have been keeping track and reading everything that is being said on both sides. I love MCPL. The staff at the branches I use are wonderful people and I love being able to talk to and engage with them. I think it is a mistake to try to take that away and replace them with computers. And what is it....I think Blue Springs South maybe that is doing all computers for self checkout at the desk...I really do not like that for many reasons. That is horrible its like eliminating the point of having a job for the people that work there. Computers cannot do everything and they don't always enhance customer experience. In retail yes, but the library is not a retail business. I am a tax payer. The money I work so hard for in this time of economic atrocity is paying MCPL's as well as yours and the people that work for you paycheck. So I don't think it is smart, and I don't appreciate money being wasted on something people are hating.
We should have a say and be asked what is it that we want and what we like and do not like. It seems you are trying to keep up with a fast changing and technology driven society and there is nothing wrong with that but when most of the comments are negative and people are clearly having negative responses to changes doesn't that matter at all? Some changes are good but clearly some of them are not working. Like the people walking around. I agree with the opposing...if I need anything I will go and ask most times. They end up having to go to the desk to use the computer anyway. Really that makes no sense. With the way that you, Mr. Potter have been responding I don't feel what we have to say matters at all. You are try to make what you are saying sound good, but give us some credit. All the fancy phrases and bigs words make it all sounds good but it really isn't. Our opinions and what we are saying is being brushed under the rug and since we are clearly not being heard so what is the point of this blog?
I actually planned to come and see you speak next week at the Lee's Summit location, but I don't feel like it would be a productive customer service experience judging just by your given responses already said here on the blog.
Something to Say Threads
Hi,
I want to start by saying that I'm very sorry that you all are disappointed with us. I want to reply because I think this dialogue has become very enlightening to me and I do appreciate it.
Going back over the thread, I think I have explained the reason that we are trying the new checkout model at Blue Springs South. I'm not sure that it would be beneficial for me to recount that in this message.
I do want to clarify something. What I want to clarify is that just because we haven't changed the checkout model at Blue Springs South does not mean that we don't hear your comments; far from it! I do understand that our new checkout model at Blue Springs South is not perfect and that it is not fully refined. That is why we set it up as a trial at one location. We need time to evaluate how it is working, what needs to be changed, improved or even eliminated. It will take us time to learn these things.
Thank you for your comments,
Steve
Friendly, Human, Customer Service
I hope you don't mind me linking these three together and turning them into one subject. I'm trying to have a little fun. I want to thank you for taking time to post your comments.
I think that everyone is experiencing very rapid change in nearly everything that we do. Rapid and constant change seems to be the only constant in the 21st century. For better or worse, the library world is no different. We've been working very hard to adapt and to take advantage of changes. Some of our changes have worked and some have not. With that said, we are constantly working to tweak our service model to make it more effective and efficient.
We've also been working very hard to help people navigate and negotiate change. Our efforts around emphasizing customer service work toward that end. Ultimately, we want make changes to enhance the human element and improve customer service. Taking people from behind the desk and from out of the workroom helps to put our most valuable resource in the best position to serve our community. I feel that these efforts allow us to be proactive and allow us to be in the best possible position to serve the public.
Again, thanks for your comments.
Steve
Holiday Hours
It would be helpful if Holiday hours were posted prominently on the library's home page, or maybe I'm just missing it?
Holiday Hours
You can locate holiday closing information on the About Us page. Once on the About Us page, click on the Holiday Closings link in the menu on the left (http://www.mymcpl.org/about-us/holiday-hours). I hope this information helps.
Human Touch
Continue to upgrade the library system with the latest technology but keep the human touch. The human touch is an important factor!
Customer service...
It is very disappointing to see how MCPL seems to to be hearing/seeing many concerns about customer service yet they plan to keep going ahead with their predetermined plans. It appears that MCPL wants customer service as they define customer service...not as customers would want it. Many of us don't like to be bothered while we look around for stuff at other stores and the library is definitely moving in that direction. It also comes across as if we being stalked. We're smart people and if we need help we know where to find help.
Let me just say up front that
Let me just say up front that I work for the library. I can assure you that everything that is going on at the library is for our customers. Give me a good reason and it's easy for me to go along and try something different. Working for the library more than 20 years I have seen many changes. Looking back it is easier to see the reason and progression for everything. The best thing to happen is the transparency that is going on now. And if something doesn't work the library is willing to look at it again. Change isn't easy but often necessary to keep up with the times and stay relevent in any climate such as the economic climate we are living in right now. Trust us. Have we ever steered you wrong? We look forward to seeing you!
Management post
:-) Like
Management post.
Really???
Friendly Service
As a person who has been coming to the library for many years I am truly saddened by this apparent move away from the personal, friendly service we have always known there. We feel we have come to somewhat know many of the workers at the library and that they know us as well and part of the enjoyment of the library experience is in interacting with those workers. Now they are all out wandering around and we, as the customers, find ourselves experiencing, once again, the Walmart, QuickTrip, drive-through bank experience that removes the personal interaction and offers instead the impersonal, do-it-yourself trip in and out of the place as quickly as possible scenario. Yes, times change and technology makes more and different things possible but not all of those changes and so-called improvements really make things better. Why fix something that is not broken? I, for one, hope you will reconsider this shift and allow us, the tax-payers, to continue to have a place where people actually talk to people and interaction is the norm instead of finding one more place where impersonal interaction with machines and lack of human necessity appear to be becoming the standard.
Truly diasppointed.
Changes in the Library
I do not like some of the changes in the libraries. First I have been a customer for years and have worked in the library. I am now working again for the library. We have a lot of customers that are going to Trails Regional Library, for they like the friendly service. For some people that was their big out going to the library.
I do not like going to BS Library anymore. It is very discourging to me and since I work for the library I hear the customers concerns. I check out lots of books but I'm thinking of going some where else, for the customer service. I don't want to for I want to be able to stand behind Mid-Continent. Let's keep it a library with friendly service, not like a book store.
Customer Service
I am sorry for the delay. I've been out of town.
I agree that customer service is very important and a big part of why people come to the library. People frequent places due to the service that they receive. We are committed to providing a friendly, welcoming and good experience for people. I think that freeing our staff from working behind the desk or from spending significant time in the workroom will put our staff in a better position to provide great service.
Thank you for your comments.
Steve
Various
Why aren't patrons allowed to purchase discarded books "at a fire sale" any longer. I've heard that the Library is selling these and the donated books to Amazon. As a tax payer who helps support the library and pay for books, etc. I would be interested in your reply.
The same is true for magazines. Patrons used to be able to take discarded magazines. I for one always took advantage of that. Again, I've heard that MCPL pays someone to pick up and take away the old magazines rather than give the patrons an opportunity to take them.
Anonymous
Book Sales
Thank you for your comments. I actually saw the posting a couple of days ago, but I couldn't respond until the comment was "published" on our website. Sorry for the delay.
MCPL used the "book sale" and "sale table" methods for discarding old materials for many years. We had two problems with these methods. First, they are very costly. The last times we had book sales, we spent more in equipment rental and employee salaries than we made in the sales. Second, these methods weren't very effective. The last few sales that we had resulted in only selling about a third of the items we needed to sell. Likewise, the "sale tables" never moved enough surplus and our warehouse was always full of discarded books.
We use a reselling partner named B-Logistics. They market through several sources, including Amazon.Com. When we signed up with B-Logistics, they were able to set an appropriate price for each book that we sell, maximizing our profits as well as more effectively moving the discarded items. The last report that I had from them indicated that they didn't sell anything for less than $1.00. I think the highest price that they got for one of our items was about $125.00. Both sides of that range are much better than the $0.25 per book that we used to earn.
The money that we earn from selling surplus material goes back into the library book budget. This allows us to stretch the taxpayer's investment in the library even further. I am a "book buyer" myself. I love to add to my personal collection. While I understand how attractive it is to be able to buy our books at $0.25 a piece, I think it is better stewardship to maximize the value of the discarded items and generate more money for more new materials.
As far as magazines go, I don't think that we specifically pay people to take them away, unless you are referring to our recycling/trash services. The problem that we had with this practice was an aesthetic problem. In order to effectively "move" the discarded magazines, we had to put them in "high traffic" areas in the branches. Given the nature of the items, it created a very messy and cluttered look. I am not opposed to allowing people to take discarded magazines. I just don't know how to effectively handle this without making the library look more cluttered and unkempt.
Thank you very much for your comments. And thank you for using your library.
Steve
I went into a branch that I
I went into a branch that I have been attending for years. One day, it was completely remodeled. The front desk seems smaller and when I take my items up there, it seems that both the staff who help me and I are both compacted. The DVDs that use to be in the front are now in the back and it is a major incovenience. Granted, some changes are good. The computers have moved closer and the juvenile section looks good. Why are these changes being made and was the public ever consulted? I appreciate that you are talking to the public.
Branch Enhancements
Hi,
Most of our library branches have been rearranged over the past four years. This is a program that we've called "branch enhancement." Typically it involves reallocation of space, upgrading the flooring and lighting, replacing some of the lounge furniture, and several other building maintenance tasks.
When we started this project, we noticed two things.
First, building layout for most of our branches had occurred in the 1980s and 1990s. Library service has changed significantly since then and we really needed to use our space more appropriately. For instance, most of our buildings were not envisioned with computer use in mind at all. Services like reference and magazines took a lot of prime space in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, while still important, they don't demand nearly as much space or as much prime real estate. Also, we didn't have dedicated programming space in our libraries. Finally, services like DVDs and CDs were typically not available when most branches were designed in the 1980s and 1990s.
Second, most of our buildings had grown incrementally. There was no plan as to why new services wound up where they did. For instance, many times, computers wound up by the front doors because that's where the card catalog had been. The problem? Too much sun glare coming in from the doors and windows! We really needed to rethink our space and use it smarter.
So, looking at our buildings, we undertook the redesign process. Most of the work was taken on by our regional library managers and a couple of non-librarians. This team was created from people that didn't work in the building being redesigned. The idea was to try to arrange the building in a way that made operational sense today. In addition, we tried to lay out the building in a way that would make sense to someone using the library for the first time.
I'm very happy with our branch enhancements. However, we need to be open to improving and tweaking our layout constantly. I have a feeling that we may be considering a new round of enhancements in the next several years.
Thanks for your comments,
Steve
Logging into computers
I'm a college student, and I enjoy the convenience of going to my local library that is 25 miles closer than my school's computer lab. Word, and power point are especially useful when I need to write an essay or make a presentation. However, I think logging into the computers is unnecessarily hard, by having to type in my (16 digit is it?) card number every time I log on. Is there a way the library could make it where those people with MyMCPL accounts(Are the card numbers being tied in with the accounts rolled out yet) could log in using their user name for these accounts? it would be a lot more convenient for me and I wouldn't have to remember my card to remember my user name. Would this be something the library could and/or would implement in the future? I think a lot of people would find it useful(and easier) to remember a user name rather than a 16 digit library number. And then those who have library numbers could just still log in with those, so people who don't want to user name wouldn't have to.
Logging on to Computers
Hi,
You are reading my mind!
Actually, the barcode digits are 14 (not 16) digits, but you are completely right. This is a very cumbersome process. There are many reasons that we have people log on using their library cards. One reason is to allocate resources and to make sure that people don't camp on a computer all day. This is an issue in many library branches. Another reason is that the Children's Internet Protection Act requires that we provide a filtered Internet solution to any library user under 18. Logging in using your card allows us to compare the birthdate in the account to provide this seamlessly. But I'm getting a little off topic.
I think what you're really asking is why can't we capture your library card number in the "MyMcpl" preferences and then pass that to the online systems. This would prevent you having to type in the card number all the time. This was our intent from the start, but we haven't been able to create a single sign-in. We've worked with consultants and with our very bright people here on staff. It just hasn't been possible. We think we may be able to create a new single sign in with our new catalog solution ("Enterprise") but that still may not be the case.
We are committed to creating a single log in that will do what you describe. But so far, it has been very difficult to get all our systems to talk to each other to meet this goal. We will continue to work on this.
Steve.
P.S. -- A mobile app will be coming out in the near future...just FYI.
More e-books
My wife and I own e-readers and of course check out e-books from the library. The problem is the selection and number of copies of what titles there are available. With the recent increase in e-book borrowers due to Kindle now being able to do library lending the wait times have become incredibly long. Long as in projected 6-9 month waits for some popular titles. In terms of title selection the MCPL has only 40 history titles available for e-readers. Most libraries in major cities across the US seem to be far ahead of MCPL in this area. What is MCPL doing to improve this situation?
More Ebooks
Hi,
Thank you very much for your comment. We are very excited to offer downloadable ebooks. We only started offering this service 11 months ago. However, the public has been very quick to take to this new service. Based on recommendations from our vendor, we started building our collection with about $50,000 in content. They expected this initial investment to address our demand from January to June 2011. I don't think we made it to March!
We continued to add funds to the budget and then increased the budget for the current fiscal year to $300,000 to purchase licenses for new downloadable titles. In addition, we purchased access to a couple of collections that have unlimited access licenses. These books are mostly travel books and children's titles. It will take a while to fill up our electronic library, much like it takes time to fill up a physical library. Even with this substantial increase in investment, we still aren't meeting demand.
We employ a similar purchasing ratio to ebooks that we use for our other material. Our goal is to have no more than a three-month wait for books. This would equate to about four requests for every book owned. Ebooks are able to be loaned for shorter periods of time (21 days by default) and people can choose shorter borrowing periods (but most people don't).
The bottom line is that we have to continue to increase resources to this type of content and I am committed to doing so.
Steve
just curious....
First of all, I really like this post. It's something you should consider doing on a regular basis kind of like a letter to the editor. It's great to get feedback from customers that are frequenting the branches. Sometimes policies are made that sound great on paper but they don't always work the way we think they should. Ever seen 'Undercover Boss'? It's a great idea!
I also spend a lot of time in the library. I love the many things MCPL does and offers. I have to agree with the posts about feeling watched. I know that if I have any questions I can always find someone to help and get great customer service. If the librarians are required to provide customer service out on the floor by walking around offering assistance, they may feel as uncomfortable doing that as those who feel they are being watched. I know that some of them look uncomfortable at times because they can tell I don't really need help but they are doing their job. I've been to a few different sized branches and would think that this might be more necessary in larger branches. Is there a way to have them accessible without having them unintentionally make us feel watched?
Just Curious
just curious
Thank you so much for all the positive comments and support. Although MCPL is one of the largest political subdivisions in the state of Missouri (750,000+ people living in our district) we are relatively lean. There are only 5 levels between me and a library bookshelver. I think this is important because our structure makes it pretty difficult for people to get too far out of touch. In addition, we've implemented a lot of participatory management and empowerment in recent years. I'd be very surprised to find an "undercover boss" environment at MCPL...but I could be wrong.
We are working on the "on the floor" customer service. It is pretty clear from the comments that we need to address this. We recently started to trial a new model at Blue Springs South that I think finally gets to the implementation that I'd like to see throughout the library system. It creates more "on the floor" staff but with the right mix of interaction while decreasing some of the negative feelings you mentioned. We're still working on it, though.
Thanks!
Steve
Customer service
I have been to the Blue Springs location this week. There was no one behind the counter to help except a computer for me to check myself out. There is even coin machines to take my money if I had a fine. As a lifetime visitor to this library system, I admit I do not like these changes. It saddens me that this sounds like the future of customer service at your library. I want someone to go to that I know where they will be. Not like at Wal-Mart where you have to walk around to find someone when you need them. I also agree I feel like I'm being watched when I am selecting my books. Also the employees I have seen look like they are wandering around aimsly and do not look very engaged in their job. I hope you make changes to this "on the floor" customer service and listen to the customers that it affects.
Labels on books
Reading over the comments regarding labels on books...I am really disappointed that you have discontinued putting holiday labels as well as foreign language labels on the children's books. This just makes it so difficult to find what we are looking for especially in the JE section but also in the children's non-fiction books. I would really like to see this practice come back.
Grandma
Labels on Books
Just a quick reply...
Thanks for the comments. I think the previous comments on the genre labels talks about your concern. But, thank you for posting this yourself. Hearing something more than once suggests to me that an issue may be affecting more people. I appreciate the comment very much.
Thank you.
Steve
"TechShops"
I've read a few interesting articles about libraries starting to cater to "Makers" and "Hackers". This would be a very good service if you were able to provide space and instruction for those who want to build or tweak electronics and other DIY projects. Makers are a huge community and it would be a great public service to offer others the resources (i.e. 3d printing, laser cutting) for high tech craft projects. It IS the 21st century after all. Here are a few articles on the subject.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/03/is-it-time-to-rebuild-retool-pu...
http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/11/the-public-library-completely-reimagined/
Tech Shops
Thank you for the comment. I've been thinking a lot about libraries in the next few decades. One conclusion that I'm coming to (as much as we may not like it) is that a library in the future will likely not be a building that is full of books. With the increased acceptance of online content, there will come a time in the near future that we will spend more on bits and bytes than on print on paper. When that time comes, what will be the role of the library?
I think you've hit on something that I agree with. A library will become a place for collaboration, for instruction and for building community. Only time will tell, but I think your vision for the future isn't too far off.
Thanks!
Steve
Are you kidding me?
Are you crazy? This is a ridiculous idea.
books
dont you think its time for public libraries to carry mathematical books , ?
thanks
gilbert
Math Books
Hi,
I'm sorry you couldn't find any math books. I did a quick subject search for "mathematics" and came up with 133 titles. I'm sure our librarians at your branch can help you get the right book for you. You may also want to try the online resources section and visit "Live Homework Help." The tutors there are very good at working with people having math problems.
Steve
Lables on books
I noticed that alot of the newer books that come into the Library do not have the lables on the spine identifying a genre. I really loved the lables and it is a little more difficult to find books or identify if it is something I would want to read. If I get a book the more recent times it has been something I completely did not want. Why did you discontinue them?
Genre Labels
Hi,
We were working on several ways to streamline our processes so we could get books out faster. There were actually several things that were supposed to happen to make the lack of labels less problematic. Unfortunately, not all those steps were put in place by the time we stopped adding the labels.
Several of us are trying to determine a way to address this issue while still processing books quickly, accurately, and getting them out to you in a timely fashion.
Thanks,
Steve
Book Labels
I really appreciate the fact that you are working on getting the new books out faster but I do hope that your process will include rethinking labeling the books. It doesn't do me much good to have the books out on the shelves quickly if I have to take two or three times as long to find the ones I want because I have to look through each and every book.
concern
I am not sure what the job description of the librarians are but I am a frequent at the Lees Summit branch and every time I am there...one of the librarians is walking around watching everyone. It makes me feel uneasy like they are watching us waiting for us to do something wrong and I feel like they are hovering. It makes me uncomfortable and I have heard other people say the same. I feel like if i am there working i cant get done what i need to get done because i feel like they are monitoring the right to my privacy. When I am trying to browse and enjoy my time they are asking if i need anything. If i do i would ask. I dont know if this is only for the Lees summit location or if all the places are doing it but I really dont like it.
re: concern
I completely agree it's like when you are shopping and there is someone following you like you are going to shop lift. I have been to a couple of Mid Continents and it seems they are doing it too. I hate it I do not feel it is good customer service as Mr Potter said. They are just a easily available at the front desk which is where I go if I need anything. When I first noticed it I thought they were busy doing work looking for stuff or something, but now I see they are just basically people watching. It's not being looked at from a customer perspective. You probably need to take a survey from us the people who dont work there to see if this is in fact what you think is good customer service is to us instead of assuming it.
Concern
Hi,
Thanks for expressing your concern. It is not our intent or desire to monitor a person's intellectual pursuits at the library. I frequently talk with our staff about the library's role in supporting intellectual freedom and the right to pursue knowledge and information freely. At the same time, we value proactive and effective customer service. Most people equate easily accessible help with good service. For this reason, I encourage our staff to be "on the floor," circulating around the public service area, and in a position to be helpful. I'm sorry if our attempts to be helpful are seen as hovering. That is not our intent at all.
Thank you for expressing your concern. We will work on assuring our customer service efforts don't work in opposition to our value of intellectual freedom.
Steve
customer service
I really appreciate "accessible help" and good service whether I am at the library or at a store. However, I have always felt I had access to both of these by approaching the people at the desk when and if I had a need or question and didn't have to feel as if I was being stalked in the meantime. I'm sure everyone is just trying to help but this really makes me feel as if I am being watched to see if I do something wrong instead of allowing me to just browse and relax during my time at the library.
Cell phones
Is it time for a cell phone policy at the libraries? The occasional tone is not too distracting if the patron then takes the call outside. However, it appears that many carry on conversations that most of us probably are not interested in hearing. Please consider a "no cell phone" sticker on the door.
Cell Phones
Thank you so much for writing to me about cells phones in the library. I have to confess, I am also very surprised at how openly people talk on a cell phone when that person is in a public setting, like a library.
MCPL has conduct guidelines that address this issue. But, rather than banning cell phones specifically, our guideline says, “The following actions are prohibited. Failure to comply with MCPL's established rules and regulations may result in permanent expulsion from the property and/or in arrest and prosecution. Any loud, unreasonable, and/or disturbing noises created by cell phones, electronic devices, or persons.”
We try to focus on the behavior rather than the item itself. People who are speaking loudly, being unreasonable with their cell phone use or who are using their phones in a disturbing way are in violation of our conduct policy.
Cell Phones
I'm with the first guy. I don't always want to get up from the computer to have to go and ask somebody at the desk to ask the person next to me to quiet down or take their pesonal phone call somewhere else. Could you not put up a sign asking people to limit their cell phone use to the lobby if they can't wait until they are through at the library?
Library Hours
Why is it that all but one of the libraries is closed on Sundays? Do people not use the library as much on the weekends and so it's an operational decision? Or is it a way to give all staff a routine day off? Or is it for people who go to church on Sundays? Or a combination of all these reasons? Just curious.
Thanks,
Curious George
Library Hours
Thank you so much for the message and the question. In all the years that I’ve worked for the Library, and considering all the questions I’ve fielded, questions around Sunday hours have been a constant.
The primary reason that MCPL hasn’t expanded hours to Sunday is due to cost. Several years ago, MCPL conducted a survey around Sunday hours. Although the public wanted Sunday hours by a large margin, the public didn’t want us to eliminate hours or increase revenues as a means to create Sunday hours. Historically, if MCPL provided service in one location, we were obligated to have that service in all locations. The last time we looked at this, it would have cost us $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 to create this new service on an ongoing basis.
You are correct that we have one building with Sunday hours. When we were planning the Midwest Genealogy Center, we discovered that many people that visit that location come from outside the Kansas City region. Since we were expanding our genealogy service, we decided to trial Sunday hours there. It has been very successful and did meet the needs of clientele that it was expected to serve.
I am interested in reviewing these practices. I believe it is important for us to be able to serve people in ways that make sense to them. I think that there was a time that Sunday hours seemed like more of a luxury in library circles. I also think that some of our traditional hours may not be as useful today as they once were. At any rate, I’m going to be reviewing our hours in the near future.
Thank you for dropping me a line.
Steve
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