Monday, January 02, 2012

What Do You Call Those People Who Use Your Library?

I just started reading Listening to the Customer (2011) by Peter Hernon and Joseph R. Matthews.  The book opens with a discussion of what to call those people who use your library in some way - in person, online, etc.  I tend to call them users (I think a lot about our library webpage and its usability) or just students (or faculty or staff).  I understand the argument for "customer" but it feels so business world-y.  I know their tuition pays for the library and all, but it feels so strange to call them customers. 

What do you call them?  If you call them customers, does this change how you view them?

2 comments:

Brian said...

"Customers" drives me crazy - people that use libraries are "patrons" (or "users" are okay too because that's an accepted word for computer users [but also drug users, which I don't like]). I still want to write a dissertation on this.

Kate said...

"Patrons" feels very public library to me (which is where you are, so that makes sense). I almost never call my library's users "patrons." But I just don't think I'm ready to jump on the "customers" bandwagon. I think librarians can think about the importance of providing great service without changing the name. That would be quite the dissertation topic....