WFPL Service Model and Principles
Wichita Falls Public Library
Service Model and Principles
SUMMARY
This Service Model and Principles is a set of goals, values, priorities, and actions to enable the
staff of the Wichita Falls Public Library to best serve the users of the library, the citizens of
Wichita Falls, and the public at large. The service model and principles is implemented to fulfill
firstly the library’s mission to address the educational, informational, recreational, and cultural
needs of all members of the Wichita Falls co mmunity, and secondly the city government’s
values of excellence, integrity, accountability, transparency, and innovation.
GOALS
● Increase user base by bringing in new users and retaining existing users.
● Increase use of library materials, resources, and se rvices as reflected in increased
circulation, program attendance, database usage, and door count.
● Create lifelong library users by fostering library use in children and strengthening it in
adults.
CORE VALUES
● We should provide an excellent experience for every library user. Know and promote
the library’s services and resources. Help the library user with a goal -oriented focus. The
needs of every library user should be taken seriously and treated with respect.
● All library users should be treated with fairne ss and integrity. Neither the library user’s
nor the staff member’s personal opinions, beliefs, or appearance should influence the
quality of service provided. Good service to and the rights of one library user do not
trump good service to and the rights of another.
● We are accountable to the library user. Treat every person in the library as a welcome
guest and a paying customer. The public library belongs to the public and is not ours to
only hoard or protect. The value of our materials is in service to li brary users.
● We should never lie to, confuse, or deceive library users, but always provide service in a
transparent way. No wall of separation through authority or jargon should withhold
resources or services from library users.
● We should never allow the service model to limit our ability to serve our library users.
We should strive to be innovative in our approach and flexible with regard to the ever
changing needs of our users.
2 November 2017
PRIORITIES
● Service to the library user takes precedence over other duties.
● Acquisitions, cataloging, processing, circulation, and shelving are all in service to getting
library materials checked out, returned, and checked out again to another library user.
Our priority is not to keep books neatly on the shelf. We are not here for a quiet,
secluded, undisturbed work environment.
● Help the user in the library first. You may take down telephone callers’ contact
information to call back when you aren’t helping people in the library.
● No effort should be made to determine whether a library user is entitled to a library card
before help or access to services is given. The only exceptions are circulation of library
materials and use of a guest computer.
ACTIONS
● Be positive. Use language that focuses on what we can do for our library users instead
of what we can’t.
● Be efficient. Provide quality service while being respectful of everyone’s time. Don’t
provide poor service in the name of fast service. Don’t let one library user monopolize
your time to the detriment of other users.
● Be proactive. Don’t be pushy, but be prepared to help. Look for opportunities to be of
assistance. Ask open-ended questions such as “What can I help you with?” or “How can
I help you?” rather than “Can I help you?” Discover what the library user needs and what
they hope to accomplish in their visit. Go beyond just answering their first question.
● Sell the library! Put books in hands, log users into databases, hand out program fliers.
Urge users to place items on request. Either hand out interlibrary loan and pu rchase
request forms or show library users the online forms.
● Take ownership. If you can answer the library user’s question accurately or meet their
need satisfactorily yourself, then do so. If you don’t know the solution to a problem,
personally take the library user to someone on staff who does. If the expert on staff is
out of the building, you are responsible for following up.
● Be considerate. If other library users are waiting, acknowledge them, but help the
person in front of you first. Call for backup when you have 3 or more people in line or if
you feel that the person you are serving will require more time.
SAFE HARBOR
Staff should feel confident that when they use the service model and principles, they will not “get
in trouble” with co-workers, their supervisor, or Library administrators. Use your best judgment,
keeping our goals and values in mind.
CONCLUSION
Remember that the staff of the Wichita Falls Public Library is all one team working to serve the
public in the best manner possible. Consistency of service is to the benefit of both the library
users and the staff. We create the image of the library every day, and how library users view us
will determine how they view the library.