Assessing Service Quality: Satisfying the expectations of library customers

Technological progress has meant that the old measures of service quality no longer apply. If libraries are to succeed, they must see themselves in competition with other institutions and sources of information, especially the Web, and make customers feel welcome and valued. This classic book is brought fully up to date as Peter Hernon and Ellen Altman integrate the use of technology into the customer experience. They offer solid, practical ideas for developing a customer service plan that meets the library's customer-focused mission, vision, and goals, challenging librarians to think about customer service in new ways, including: distance education; use of library websites; partnerships and consortia for electronic collections; and ways to effectively embrace change for continuous improvement.

Peter Hernon is a professor at Simmons College (Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Boston) and the principal faculty member for the doctoral program, Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions. He was the 2008 recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries' award for Academic/Research Librarian of the Year, is the co-editor of Library & Information Science Research, and has taught, conducted workshops, and delivered addresses in ten countries outside the United States. He is the author or coauthor of 55 books, including Reflecting on the Future of Academic and Public Libraries. Robert E Dugan is the dean of libraries at the University of West Florida (Pensacola, FL). Prior to assuming this position, he had been at Suffolk University, Boston; Wesley College, Dover, DE; and Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He has also worked in state and public libraries during his nearly 40-year career. He is the coauthor of eleven books. Joseph R Matthews is a consultant specializing in strategic planning, assessment, evaluation of library services, customer service, use of performance metrics, and the balanced scorecard. He is the author of several books, including Reflecting on the Future of Academic and Public Libraries.