Library customer services
Our staff are helpful and well informed and are here to answer
any questions you may have. Whether you need help with using the
online facilities, such as the library catalogue, computers or the
Internet, or with finding books and resources, our staff are always
happy to assist.
Our Customer Service Standards
Developed in partnership with customers, partners and staff,
these set out our commitment to providing excellent customer
service:
- We will make it as easy as possible for you to find what
you need in your library
- You will be able to identify our staff by their uniform and/or
ID badges
- Our staff will be helpful and courteous
- When you visit you should not have to wait more than 5 minutes
to be served
- We will treat all our customers fairly
- We will give you the information you need about our
services
- You will be able to understand the information we give you
- We will tell you how to make comments and complaints about the
service
- We want you to be satisfied with the way we deal with
complaints
- Your library will give you access to other services, including
other parts of the Council: health services; online banking,
shopping, holiday booking; learning opportunities; local/family
history
- Where we charge for services we aim to give you value for
money
- Your library will be a safe and welcoming place
- We measure our performance against them in our annual survey,
and the latest results can be found here.
Public Library Service Standards
These are Government standards, covering everything from making
sure libraries are near where you live to how many new items are
bought each year. During 2007/08 we met 7 out of 10 (subject
to official confirmation). Once results are officially verified,
we’ll make them available. Please watch out in libraries and here
on the website for further information.
Surveys and consultation
Your opinions help us develop services to meet your needs. We
use a variety of methods to consult with customers, including
surveys. The national Public Library User Surveys (PLUS) for
adults and children are held every three years. The most recent
results are here:
Library policies
In order to meet high standards of customer service, we have a
range of policies, which you can download below.
Comments, compliments and complaints
We encourage and welcome customer comments – positive or
negative – as they help us to improve the service we offer. Please
talk to our staff about any concerns you might have, and they’ll do
their best to put things right straight away. If they can’t,
they’ll pass on your comments to the right person and you’ll be
kept informed of progress.
We hope that most complaints can be resolved at this stage.
However, if you are still not happy with the outcome you can make a
formal complaint by following the council’s
complaints procedure.
You asked, we listened
- We’ve now rolled out the Netloan computer booking system to all
libraries. This means you can book a PC in advance, for a time
that’s convenient for you. You can also extend your time, if you
find you need more, as long as we’re not too busy. Please just
speak to a member of staff.
- We increased the number of times you can renew your loans
online or by telephone before you need to bring them into the
library.
