1st Edition
Personalising Library Services in Higher Education The Boutique Approach
In an economic climate where cuts are becoming the norm, a boutique library service may seem a contradiction. In some academic libraries the trend is still towards centralisation programmes or offering generic services. However, the student as the customer now has an even greater vested interest in the learning process as their financial commitment increases and they are demanding better services. Personalised library services are tailored with a specific clientele in mind and will provide the enhanced service demanded by today's students. These services need not cost more money; but they do require inventive and customer-facing staff. They celebrate and promote collaborative ventures along with excellent communication and marketing. This book unpacks the boutique model and is full of practical advice, supported by a unique set of case studies reflecting international practice including Australian, American and Russian and UK library services.
Biography
Andy Priestner is Information and Library Services Manager at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK. He was Chair of the UK's Business Librarians Association 2006-2010 and regularly blogs about business librarianship and the profession in general as 'libreaction'. Elizabeth Tilley is the Faculty of English Librarian at the University of Cambridge, UK. She has been active in professional library organizations at both national and international levels, most recently for CILIP's CDG Eastern Region group. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
'A really interesting and thought provoking read - this book is a must for all library staff, not just librarians or library managers. It provides some very useful case studies of practical examples on how to personalize library services. But it is not just about "boutique" library services. It provides food for thought on how any library service is conceived, managed and delivered. It highlights the mindset that is required to truly deliver user centric services. I have been providing library services for "a very long time" and undertaken applied research on "customer value discovery", however, I picked up some gems from reading this book. I also liked the summaries of key points or tips at the end of each chapter'. Sue McKnight, PhD. Director, Sue McKnight Consulting ’This easy-to-read, practical book elaborates on Andy Priestner and Elizabeth Tilley’s boutique library model for personalizing academic library services and provides excellent examples, case studies and discussions of topics that may arise when contemplating new service models. I highly recommend it as a useful resource for library administrators as well as front-line librarians to challenge current services and practices and to reflect on the development of genuine user-centered services.’ Lynn Silipigni Connaway, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, OCLC Research, USA 'This book is a very valuable contribution to current thinking on the provision of high value, high impact services at a time when we are all much more conscious of value for money for our users. Available as a Kindle e-book as well as in print, it will be a useful addition to any library manager’s physical or virtual bookshelf.' SCONUL Focus ... provides a wealth of useful tips and advice for all library staff, not just library managers who aim to provide user centred services in any library, and not just those committed to exploring the ’boutique’ service. It is not about overnight, quick-fix reforms but rather about
