Personas enable the ability to look at library services and products from the outside in. Personas get at the important issues of motivation, discovery, expectations and relationships. Without the input from the users and non-users themselves, one can only speculate. In this three-part series of articles, the first task was to cover the basics, which we have done with part one in the August issue of OneSource. This article focuses on the role of personas in establishing service level standards and getting a perspective from non-users. Our last article will look at how they are used to define new and improved products (virtual and physical ones).

Those who have read a transcript of a talk they have given often find themselves stunned by the repetitive phrases or words imbedded throughout such as “ah,” “um,” “actually,” etc. Without reading the transcript, the speech giver is usually quite ignorant of the choppiness in delivery. An even more vivid reflection on delivery occurs when one is videotaped. Of course professional athletes are used to this – as are their observers. Instant replays highlight errors and winning points. Game reviews help to identify changes to make in response to other teams’ players, and to establish priorities to focus on with respect to individual improvements. The video image and sequencing help to identify what the players cannot identify by themselves, i.e. how their behavior looks to the outside observer. Unlike a self-assessment or survey designed by the sports team, the video removes the player’s perspective and leaves only that of the observer. The results are often unexpected, and once addressed, lead to significant improvement in outcomes. Ask any tennis player who has been videotaped during a tennis match – they are shocked, and amazed at what the video does to help change the ball toss, position on the court, etc.

Certainly this article does not suggest that libraries be videotaped 24X7 with managers checking up on employee behavior or customers providing comments on their interactions in response to an instant replay. There are legal and social limitations to such actions. What we know, though, from our work on personas is that the narrative shared by user and non-users of libraries’ products and services provides the independent assessment that one might observe through a translation or a video review.

In our work with SirsiDynix, TKG Consulting LLC was asked to capture the relationship users of libraries had with their public libraries. By using open-ended, non-direct prompts that elicited both the positive and negative experiences public library users had, their descriptions (vs. opinions) of customer satisfaction, libraries services and products, and library staff provided a ripe set of attributes to consider when establishing a set of service standards. Their narrative led to characters, issues and problems, actions, and behaviors that highlighted their observations. In fact, on a pure mathematical basis, the emphasis on service interaction vs. collections points to a need to focus on the relationship librarians have with users, as well as the relationship users have with books, DVDs, or other borrowed materials. For the users, the public library is much more than a collection. Yes – it is a collection with tremendous value as a free resource available to everyone, but more than this, it is a community center and the library staff is the embodiment of all they expect from one.

So what were some of the observations emerging from the user narrative that would be considered in setting a standard of service? In terms of service quality, the user expects the following:

• Easy access using their library or government issued ID
• Friendly conversation with a library staff member who knows how to help them
• Materials found easily where they are expected to be, including easy access online
• Use of as many items as needed
• Collection and building in good physical condition
• Web site that is easy to use
• Lots of choices, including diversity in format, language, and topics
• Awareness and advisement of upcoming events
• Friendly, personable staff

Given these expectations, then service level standards are required in terms of library staff (friendliness, knowledge), Web sites (ease of use, accessibility, access to collections), collections (subject coverage, physical condition, languages) and physical layout (building condition, traffic flow patterns, proximity to parking). Checking the standards with current users would help to determine what is and isn’t an acceptable level. Some, of course, are obvious. Friendliness is a given, but the specifics around easy use of a Web site would require further investigation. The specifics would make the service levels measurable and, therefore, a “contract” with the user – one that sets the standard both user and staff understands.

This same line of thought can be applied to non-users. However, the issue may be more one of informing or changing expectations rather than meeting them. By understanding expectations, the library can identify what services, and service levels would be needed to attract broader participation. Recently TKG Consulting LLC ran a series of workshops in upstate New York focused on identifying and meeting library user and non–user needs. Rather than bringing non-users to the library building or Web site to hear their interpretations of what libraries mean or do not mean for them, the emphasis was on going out to where the non-users are and interviewing them.

Participants discussed some of the ways they were already doing this – at shopping malls on weekends, at community fairs, in schools. Other ideas included becoming part of non-library centric online communities or speaking at local business events. The range of possibilities for collecting non-user observations on their own information use, learning, and community event attendance (key reasons for being of all libraries) ranges from the more direct (such as using digital records to gather feedback) to the less direct (such as the use of ethnographic techniques). By understanding the motivation and expectations of the non-user behavior, the library can determine what role, if any, it can play. For example, one idea to meet non-user expectations was to embed the library Web site in a key youth online community and offer the following:

·          Selection of library materials on-line

·          Sending selected materials within 24 hours of the request in a return-postage package

·          Sending materials in the future according to a pre-determined service cycle based on the users queue

This sounds amazingly familiar to service standards such as NetFlix. The key here, though, is to understand user expectations in their own context (i.e. how they use information, how they learn, how they participate in their community), decide on what is reasonable to provide based on the capabilities and capacity of the library, create the service contract, and measure success in meeting it.

Personas provide a means to understanding user and non-user behavior in meeting information, learning, and community needs. When developed independently of expert bias and assessed by the user or non-user, they provide insight to service expectations. Like a video or transcript, they often provide a view on what libraries cannot see themselves and make a huge difference in focusing on those items that matter most to the user and non-user in terms of service levels. As a cornerstone in today’s information-based society, the ability to assess service and to define the service contract becomes increasingly complicated with new models emerging. Personas are one method that can be used to determine which model makes sense for the generations of current and future library users and for engaging non-users, so they can benefit from what the library has to offer.

For more information feel free to contact Mary Lee Kennedy at marylee@tkgconsult.com