Serving Online Customers [electronic resource] : Lessons for Libraries from the Business World

ISBN:

9780810887336

Title:

Author:

Barclay, Donald A.

Personal Author:

Barclay, Donald A.

Publication Information:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (233 p.)

General Note:

Description based upon print version of record.

Contents:

Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Ch01. Living in the Market; Ch02. What Librarians Can Learn from the Business Literature; Ch03. Unlikely Sources; Ch04. Understanding the Self-Service Experience in the Online Environment; Ch05. Services for Remote Users; Ch06. Online Education; Ch07. Designing Websites; Ch08. Artificial Intelligence in the Library; Ch09. Assessment in the Online Environment; Index; About the Author

Subject Term:

Electronic reference services (Libraries).

Libraries -- Customer services.

Libraries and distance education.

Libraries and the Internet.

Library users -- Effect of technological innovations on.

Library Web sites.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view book

Publication Date:

2014

Publication Information:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
020.285	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ON-DEMAND	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Before the Web existed, anyone who wanted free information had to use the library. Now, a wealth of information on every possible service is accessible online. To compete in the digital age, libraries must provide outstanding customer service to their virtual users.

In Serving Online Customers: Lessons for Libraries from the Business World, Donald A. Barclay carefully examines business literature to identify the best customer service practices of online companies and shows readers how to adapt these practices to the library environment. Chapter coverage includes these critical areas:

Improving the Self-Service Experience Bringing Reference Service to the Online Customer Adding Libraries to the Distance Education Mix Designing Library Websites for Both Trust and Pleasure Implementing Recommendation Agents and Avatars into Online Services Linking Continuous Assessment to Online Service Improvement

This book will help any library greatly enhance their online users' experience and help bring new users to the library.

Author Notes

Donald A. Barclay is the interim university librarian at the University of California, Merced, where he has worked since 2002. He previously worked at libraries in New Mexico and Texas.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

As competitors in an online-information ecosystem, libraries have much to learn from business writing on customer satisfaction, e-commerce, and assessment of online services. Barclay (interim university librarian, University of California, Merced) surveys business literature for ideas most relevant to libraries. Chapters include what libraries can learn from the pornography business (quickly adapt business models in the face of changing technology) and the information-seeking behavior of Hogwarts students (bring services to customers; they aren't going to come to you). In clear, engaging writing, Barclay covers studies of self-service and the concepts of trust and flow in website design; encourages a role in online education and MOOCs, with library services integrated into online-course management software; and considers the use of avatars and intelligent agents on library websites. Longer on historical background and theory than immediate suggestions, this work will be most relevant for academic librarians and policymakers.--Burcher, Charlotte Copyright 2010 Booklist

Library Journal Review

When designing services for online customers, libraries can learn much from looking both within and outside the profession. A few years back, for example, the ready-to-implement ideas of David Lee King's Designing Digital Experiences helped librarians guide discussions at their institutions around the idea of focusing on the user experience. This book takes a more academic tone with its historical look at problems traditionally plaguing library services and provides case examples of how similar problems have been handled in the business sector. However, most librarians will already be familiar with the ideas provided, such as the benefits of partnering with businesses and nonprofits. While Barclay (interim univ. librarian, Univ. of California, Merced) establishes his expertise in library web design by recounting personal experiences and historical challenges facing web managers in the field, this is really the only section useful to public and academic librarians charged with creating effective online experiences for their users. VERDICT Other than the above-mentioned chapter, this book adds little to the existing knowledge base for librarians.-Kendra Auberry, Indian River State Coll. Lib., Port St. Lucie, FL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.