Putting Your Best Foot Forward!

No, this is not another posting about those librarian shoes – although we could talk a bit about some of those funky leisure looking outfits some people insist on wearing—I mean really there is casual and then there is SLOPPY!

I am talking about presenting the best image possible of your library – to both patrons and staff. We spend a lot of time talking about marketing the library and targeting the right audience with our notices and programs. We spend hours reading through review journals selecting the proper books, reference tools, and periodicals for patron use. We evaluate and reevaluate database use each month. We check our circulation policies and hold staff meetings about customer service. But, have we taken a good look at our bathrooms lately?

Seriously, especially in times of budget cuts and personnel shortages, some areas of our libraries are being very neglected. Perhaps our tables are not cleaned each evening, our carpet is starting to show stains, and our bathrooms are dingy, not always clean, and showing great signs of wear. Maybe it is not just the patron areas, perhaps (and most often) it is the staff lounge or private washrooms.

If you go to McDonalds and you use their washroom, you have perhaps at times come out and thought (well, first, “Why did I just eat here?”), “They must not care very much about my business if they are not taking care of things like this!” What do our patrons think of us? That we do not respect them enough as individual people to offer them clean and fresh looking facilities? What do out of town visitors think of urban libraries showing dirt and neglect? That we are not an inviting place to visit?

Perhaps the public areas of the library look fine, but your staff areas are sad. We need to remember that it is stressful for librarians to spend many hours on the floor dealing with the public, and we need to offer them a calming clean place to escape to momentarily. If you are trying to get coworkers to be enthusiastic and take ownership of library policies you need to show them that you also are thinking of their needs, no matter how basic.

Some argument may arise that will say the patrons (or staff) do not take care of the library as “place”. I say that the better we make it for them, the more they will learn to respect it. So, when figuring out this year’s budget, make room for a few new coats of paint, some repair, or even some pleasant air fresheners. Perhaps you could even get staff to volunteer for a clean up day by rewarding them with a great staff thank you party!

The bottom line is you really can’t put “lipstick on a pig” and dress it up much. Clean up your house before inviting more people over!