Family Man Librarian

[Update: I forgot, dumb me, to link to the original post. Fixed.]

In a Slashdot posting read this a.m., entitled “Why Everyone Loves Apple,” I found some words that I think are very relevant to libraries, technology, debates about Library 2.0, Web 2.0, you name it. Here is the particular sentence I found to be so “right on the mark”:

“It’s regrettably amusing that Apple competitors are working hastily to develop iPod clones to reap in success, but what many of them fail to comprehend is that it’s not necessarily the iPod that makes Apple successful, but rather its customer service.”

Moving this into the library realm, what this basically is saying is, It’s all about customer service, folks! We can (and I think we should) investigate and implement relevant new technologies in libraries as much as possible. But if these new technologies or technology services don’t really enhance customer service, then we are deluding ourselves. Sure, it is cool and hip to have iPods available for checkout, or to encourage gaming, or to develop RSS feeds for everything. But are those things really, truly enhancing customer service? In many cases, I’m sure the answer is, Yes. But not in all cases. Library users aren’t all dissatisfied and turned off about technological backwardness, poor OPACs, or whatever. Don’t forget the users who use libraries for, um, books. Print books. Print journals. Print newspapers.

Let’s not forget that while the energy and excitement currently displayed in the biblioblogosphere (boy, I hate that word) over new technologies is generally very positive, it needs to be critically assessed in light of local library user needs.

Oh, and by the way, there are many people who don’t like Apple. And Apple has not done everything right; they’ve made many big mistakes. But I think libraries can learn from the Apple lesson that libraries are largely about the user experience, and that the single most important factor in user satisfaction is the perceived level of service they receive.