I was asked recently are the key performance indicators doing enough for public libraries?
My answer was an honest one, yes for the people who need to know i.e. the government, the local authority, as they see things a bit differently from others.
The others being the people that use our library. How do we showcase these people hidden among all the numbers?
I would like to shine the spotlight on all our library patrons for just a second.
In public libraries we have Key Performance Indicators.
We have targets within our public library strategy that we need to reach. For example, the number of My Open Libraries (MOL) we wish to have nationwide.
These are our issues, the number of visits, the huge amount of events, and most importantly, membership.
As testimonials go they are great, and we feature them in our 5-year strategic goals and they are vital when we need to consult with our community to identify the needs of our users, and most importantly trying to locate our non-users.
However, is there a way we can capture how we the library staff see this daily feedback? The things we see everyday at the library desk.
The wonderful smiles and enthusiasm of the children for Summer Stars and Storytelling events. How they need to be able to check out their books at the self-service machine with their own library card. How they will run to the library desk and ask about all the books with pigs in them, or donkeys or whatever animal or topic interests them at that very moment. The delight when you find them a book and they clutch it with fear that someone might take it from them.
The amazing book chats we have when someone pops up to the counter with a book you truly adore and can’t believe they get to read it for the very first time, and having them come back in looking for you so they can tell you how much they loved it.
The sheer delight from adults coming to collect a book they have reserved and it is finally in, and it is Friday and their weekend is sorted.
The chap that comes into the library to use the computer every day so he can message his daughter who lives in England, and then stops to tell you she is doing well.
The elderly man who lives in residential care nearby is the first at the library doors every morning and has the first pick of all the newspapers, and gives you the cheery wave as he leaves for the day.
This is the measure of success I want to capture, because all those individuals make my day so much fun, and make my job the one I truly love.
So thank you library patrons, you are fab.
Déise Librarian 