Remote Library Users—Needs and Expectations - Abstract

Library Trends, Summer, 1998 by Rosemarie Cooper, Paula R. Dempsey, Vanaja Menon, Christopher Millson-Martula

Banaghan (1997) reports that, among Internet service customers, technical support has become increasingly important in that 60 percent of users believe that twenty-four hour help desk support is important. Are library staff ready to provide this level of support? One possibility would be for library and information technology staff to share help desk responsibilities.

Providers of remote banking services have learned that the right mix of products and services offered at the right price are key to success. However, of equal, if not greater, importance is a variety of distribution channels and means of access (Fredrick, 1995). According to Fredrick, consumers desire not only the distribution channel of their choice but also the ability to switch distribution channels and use the most convenient access method. Thus, access becomes critical so that it will result in greater convenience for customers. It may be that remote customers actually define service in terms of accessibility.

Remote service providers have also found that remote customers are likely to have relatively few interactions with their employees. These customers have become, in effect, invisible. Thus, the challenge for remote service providers has become one of maintaining and strengthening their relationships with customers who may never step inside a bank, store, or library. Because remote customers attach such importance to the method of access, this has major implications for customer loyalty to the service provider or vendor. As technology tends to depersonalize service, so too does customer loyalty become weakened ("How Do You Maintain Service Quality ...," 1993). In a remote environment, offering a high level of customer service remains the sole way of building up customer trust and loyalty.

NEEDS OF REMOTE LIBRARY USERS

Remote access is not a new phenomenon for libraries; staff have long communicated with their users in writing or via telephone. What is new is the rapidly increasing number of library customers who access resources from remote sites exclusively or in conjunction with on-site visits.

Until relatively recently, libraries' principal experience with remote access users involved OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogs). With modems, users were able to dial in from buildings on campus as well as from off-campus sites.

Kalin (1991) characterized remote OPAC users as individuals with high expectations whose appetite has been whetted by the convenience of remote access. As a result, they may tend to become somewhat impatient as they demand constant access, user-friendly systems, no breakdowns or waiting, and speedy document delivery. Kalin found that remote users expect a customer-business relationship with the library and view an OPAC as a product that should perform as advertised.

deKock (1993) found that remote OPAC users encountered new problems and formulated new queries. These, in turn, required staff to develop new skills in the areas of technical support.

Remote OPAC users tend to encounter two categories of problems: (1) those involving the technology required to provide access; and (2) search protocols and OPAC interfaces. The former requires the user to master equipment and telecommunications software in order to deal effectively with situations such as line noise, telecommunications problems, and incompatibility of equipment or software. The second category involves more traditional problems such as system structure and commands. These categories also apply to the full range of electronic information resources that users of all types of libraries are using to a greater degree. While the second category often has online help available to assist the user, the first category requires either technical support from a staff member or the user's own resourcefulness to resolve problems. One key fact to remember is that problems of the first type--i.e., relating to technology--often are due to factors beyond the library's control. This is an area in which library staff need to communicate clearly to users the extent of library responsibility. Doing so should diminish the likelihood of users forming unrealistic expectations or holding the library responsible for their dissatisfaction.