Snippets from OCLC symposium

• What if instead of “hiring” people, you thought of it as “selecting” them? What if you listened to them in the interview and made it a point to remember what they like so that on their first day you can make them feel welcome; have senior administrators take part in their orientation; celebrate their anniversaries?
• Can, and do, your staff articulate your message, make emotional connections for your patrons? What if you said “Hi, I’m Elizabeth, how can I help you?” when someone came up to the Reference Desk?
• Charlotte/Mecklenburg PL has “Director of Library Experiences”
• Train your reference and circulation students to create a good public service brand for your library: for example, could they think about how to make sure patron has a "fond farewell?" if that is what you think is important?; do they know and act on your core values?
• Cross train, and use your professionals only for specialized services. Create a one stop shopping approach, “JAM” desk: “Just ask me!”
• Interesting: consider the strengths of your staff when deploying them. A “triage” desk may require people who love to problem solve, not those who are emotional connectors, who may burn out working at such a busy service point