Wednesday, November 28, 2007

To WOW or to MOM - that's the question...

I love this post from the Annoyed Librarian. I think it brought up some very good points. A good librarian should be dedicated and dependable. A good librarian should be "happy to help". A good librarian should be a "cheerleader" to their clientèle.

I do not agree, however, that we shouldn't market ourselves or that we should be "boring", but I get the point of the anonymous blogger.
Librarians should be welcoming but not too pushy, helpful but not too invasive. Librarians should say, come on in, sit down, have a cuppa, and tell mom what you're looking for.
Read the comments too! Lots of thoughtful feedback.

What do you think?

1 comment:

LisaS said...

I like to think that I do a mix of MOM and WOW. I try to make sure the patron is comfortable asking questions and then I market what we have to help them. Yes, it does involve MOM helping them but I have heard a lot of, "Thank you! I didn't think I could do this." I also try to establish a kinship or friendship with the regulars so that they feel comfortable coming back. After reading this blog I kind of felt that the person writing it was lazy. It's important to market so that you are guaranteed a job because everyone needs your help in some way.