"Marketing Mindset," by Karen Wallace

Karen Wallace. "Marketing Mindset: Focusing on the Customer, from Technical Services to Circulation." Feliciter 3 (2007): 126-129.

In this short newsletter article, Karen Wallace makes the point that all library staff should think about their work in terms of the user and how the users' experience is affected by what they do. She states "All library employees, including those who typically have little contact with external patrons, need to understand basic marketing concepts and how what they do on a day-to-day basis affects user satisfaction. These "back-shop" folks, who may erroneously be overlooked in marketing efforts, play a key role in developing library collections and service that can meet user needs and even exceed their expectations" (p. 126).

According to Ms. Wallace, library staff need to understand their users by conducting what in the business world would be called "market research." Information gleaned from customer interactions is one source of this information, and she encourages technical services staff to participate in activities that bring them into contact with their users, including working on the reference desk and volunteering to help with library programs.

Armed with knowledge of users' needs, library staff can begin to anticipate their needs and tailor their work and services to meet those needs. For example, they can prioritize their work to meet user demands; enhance their cataloging by adding local subject headings; customize their OPACs to provide a better interface; and create canned searches for heavily-used materials.

I agree with Ms. Wallace's points about focusing on the user. We need to look at all of our processes with the user in mind. We need to evaluate what we do based on whether we're meeting those needs, and make decisions based on what's best for them. Our goal is to provide faculty, staff, and students with the resources they need in support of the teaching and research mission of the university. Timely processing of materials is part of that equation and should be balanced with providing quality access.