Running head: DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS

Angry Patrons at the Library: A Review of Literature for Evidence-Based Best Practice for Dealing with Difficult Customers in the Library Melissa Hisel Emporia State University LI 810 December 9, 2011 Professor Andrew Smith

DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS Abstract

The challenge of dealing with difficult or problem patrons in public libraries is well established, and ample literature exists describing the nature of this challenge. Less frequently written are descriptions of best practice for coping with individuals in problem scenarios. The objective of this report is to suggest best practices for librarians encountering angry or upset patrons, undergirded by published evidence. Examination of the library and information science literature does indicate a lack of research-based practice in this area. That which does appear in the LIS literature is generally non-research, but rather is largely made up of observational and comparative articles written with an emphasis on well-trained staff and appropriate library policies.

KEYWORDS: angry patrons, communication in library science, evidence-based practice in libraries, public relations in libraries, library service

DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS Angry Patrons at the Library: A Review of Literature for Evidence-Based Best Practice for Dealing with Difficult Customers in the Library Introduction and Overview Problem patrons have always been an issue in public libraries. Specific problematic behaviors change over time, in response to changing trends in culture, technology and library service, but the problem patron is consistently defined as a person whose behavior either

impedes upon other patrons ability to enjoy the library or upon library staffs ability to perform their duties. This behavior includes actions that are offensive, annoying or otherwise inappropriate, and sometimes that which is criminal. The most extreme examples of problem behavior occur infrequently; however, it is still essential that librarians and staff are prepared to cope with a range of inappropriate behaviors should they arise. Examples of such behaviors include patrons who are very angry, who leave children unattended, sleep in the building, have bothersome hygiene problems, or who suffer from mental illness and present at the library with worrisome symptoms. The most serious problem behaviors include acts of theft, vandalism, drug use and violence. This report reviews the literature concerning patrons who are angry, rude or demanding. Patrons who express anger and frustration can be quite stressful for staff, and if improperly handled, such situations may escalate into more difficult or explosive conditions. Customers who are rude or excessively demanding are unpleasant for staff and may make it difficult for them to perform their role. Also, the reasons that patrons are dissatisfied should be considered as part of regular evaluation and improvements to the quality of library service. Changes in information technology and the mainstream adoption of electronic books represent unique challenges for public libraries trying to remain relevant. One way libraries can survive is by

DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS providing good customer service and satisfactorily serving as many customers as possible. Examination of the literature indicates an alarming lack of original research in this area, and while application of research from other fields may be useful, this is an area of LIS that could

benefit from future exploration. Happy customers will be essential to the survival of the public library.

Methods Using current standards for good research practice, this review analyzes five of the better articles concerning difficult customers in public libraries. The articles have been published in academic journals of library and information science over the past ten years. The articles focus on determining optimal approaches to real-life scenarios in which patrons present in a state of anger or volatility. Each article applies relevant knowledge developed in other disciplines (including Buddhism, business, nursing and psychotherapy) to professional practice in library science. The most notable deficiency in the literature is the lack of research-based writing, which is not uncommon in the LIS field.

Results The conclusions made by the authors of all five works share common elements including an emphasis on librarian perspective, well-trained staff, and implementation of policies and procedures to support staff when difficult situations arise. The following table and discussion summarizes the hypothesis, methods, analysis, and findings of each article: .

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STUDY
Jackson (2002)

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METHOD
Comparative review of literature in the field of business.

HYPOTHESIS
Libraries should borrow strategies from the business world when dealing with difficult customers and complaints.

ANALYSIS
The article explores a different aspect of dissatisfied customers: the need for legitimate opportunity for patrons to complain. Concerns with originality and quality. This article frames the issue of difficult patron behavior through wider lenses and effectively correlates a problem in LIS with theory from another field. However, it lacks specific details about the nature of the original research in nursing, making it difficult to fully evaluate.

FINDINGS
Libraries need to have procedures in place for users to issue complaints about library service and provide follow-up to those complaints. Library staff should be trained to respond to dissatisfied patrons. Target responses to problem behavior at the level at which the behaviors originate. At the library level, this means countering problems with appropriate policies, seeking to understand the needs of patrons and training staff to identify the source of a problem and apply appropriate solutions based on library policy.

Ferrell (2010)

Research in the field of nursing translates to LIS, and librarians can frame encounters with problem patrons at three levels community, library, and individualand make decisions about appropriate responses to difficult behavior according to the norms of the level that frames the behavior.

Comparative review of the research in the field of symbolic interactionism in nursing and applied results to LIS.

McGuigan (2002)

Insights about customer service from the private sector can be directly applied to LIS.

Quinn (2002)

Psychologists regularly encounter patients exhibiting difficult behavior, and techniques utilized in psychotherapy practice can be applied to LIS.

Comparative review of literature in the field of business and related conclusions to LIS. Comparative review of literature in the field of psychotherapy and relation to LIS.

This article provides useful tools for dealing with angry or hostile patrons. It is entirely observational. This article very effectively defines clinical terminology and applies it to LIS. Provides concrete suggestions for best practice.

Librarians should watch for misunderstandings, protect themselves from negativity while listening and show empathy for angry patrons. In some cases difficult patrons may be pathological in their negative behaviorsand may obtain gratification by being difficult. Librarians can utilize containment function, modeling and kinesics, staff involvement, and self-care to cope with difficult patron interactions. Librarians can also use these interactions as opportunities for self-improvement. The librarians perspective is part of the challenge of dealing with difficult patrons. Utilizing Beginners Mind can lead to a more positive outlook and better solutions to a patrons problems.

Toot (2002)

There is a difference between problem patrons and difficult patrons, and principles of Zen Buddhism can be an effective means of coping with problem patrons.

Author applies principles of Zen Buddhism to case studies of challenging patron/librarian interactions.

Provides interesting perspective to the problemthere is no indication as to whether the case studies are authentic.

DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS Ferrell, S. (2010). Who Says There's a Problem?: A New Way to Approach the Issue of "Problem Patrons. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(2), 141-151.

Shelley Ferrell compares the notions of problem patron and problem patient in LIS and nursing literature, and uses the similarities to hypothesize that social interactionist theory from nursing literature can be applied to best practice in the library and information science field. The method utilized by the author was simply an in-depth review of the literature in both disciplines related to difficult patrons or patients. She describes the labeling of patrons as difficult as having a detrimental, stigmatizing effect upon the patron and negatively impacting future patron behavior. She explains that a librarians ability to best respond to those persons to whom they have assigned the label of problem or difficult may be limited by the negative feelings about the patron. She concludes that social interactionist theory can be used to help librarians appreciate the underlying causes of human actionsin other words, librarians should seek to develop contextual understanding of normative behavior and address the behavior in the appropriate context. Ferrell specifically instructs librarians to view situations at three levels: community, library organization, and staff-patron interaction. Taking this into account, libraries can then construct meaningful mission and vision statements and build policies and procedures around those intentions. Staff who are then well-trained to make judgments about the context of troubling behavior and follow appropriate procedures will be better able to handle difficult situations, perhaps leading to fewer incidents overall. This article identifies an area of existing research and theory (symbolic interactionism) and compares it to a common concern in the library field. The author develops a usable series of questions and suggested actions to help practitioners apply this theory in the field. While clearly a comprehensive piece of work, this comparative sort of research lacks specific details as to the methodology or backstory on the original research in nursing.

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McGuigan, G. S. (2002). The Common Sense of Customer Service: Employing Advice from the Trade and Popular Literature of Business to Interactions with Irate Patrons in Libraries. Reference Librarian, 36(75/76), 197-204. Glenn McGuigan proposes that popular business literature can be directly applied to library and information science and provides an overview of some insights as examples. The first point he highlights is the importance of positive patron relations for the overall health and longevity of libraries. He cites research that indicates that most angry customers are not simply angry but instead confused, and evidence that unfamiliarity with technology, borrowing policies and classification systems may cause people to feel paralyzed. Using non-technical language and attempting to empathize with the patrons problem, he suggests, can diffuse an intense situation. To remain calm in difficult situations, the business literature suggests that remaining detached and professional while still employing empathy can help the employee focus on solving the problem rather than getting emotionally involved in the interaction. Listening and allowing the person to fully communicate their problem will allow staff to understand and solve the problem, as will serving as an outlet for the patrons rage. McGuigan concludes that librarians need not confine themselves to the LIS literature when searching for solutions to problems within the field.

Jackson, R. (2002). The Customer Is Always Right. The Reference Librarian, 36(75/76), 205-216 Rebecca Jackson posits that practice developed through research into business-world customer behavior and attitudes can be insightful and applicable to the work of librarians dealing with challenging customersparticularly as it relates to customers who are dissatisfied with

DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS service. Jackson asserts that because libraries depend on the good will of their patrons, they should seek to provide the best customer service possible. A collection of user complaints are evaluated from the supposed perspective of both user and library staff, and the author explains that each difficult situation should be considered from the perspective of all involved. She

describes how business models for managing user complaints can be implemented in libraries by offering users an opportunity to complain and preparing staff to handle these complaints in a user-driven manner. The conclusion of this article is that a best practice for libraries with challenging customers is to focus on training, policy, and fostering a customer-driven spirit amongst staff.

Toot, L. (2002). Zen and the Art of Dealing with the Difficult Patron. Reference Librarian, 36(75/76), 217-233. This article hypothesizes that half of the problem in incidents involving difficult library patrons is the perspective of the library staff members involved, and that if librarians would utilize core principles of Zen Buddhism (including Openness, Mindfulness, Compassion and Beginners Mind), the interactions can shift the focus from the difficult nature of the patron to the nature of the problem that needs to be solved. The author utilized case studies that may or may not have been based upon real-life scenarios to illustrate the application of Buddhist tenets to library practice.

DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS Quinn, B. (2002, June) How Psychotherapists Handle Difficult Clients. The Reference Librarian, 36(75-76), 181-196.

This article relates the difficult patron to the difficult patient in clinical psychotherapy, because difficult psychotherapy patients are frequent occurrences and therapists use their sophisticated understanding of difficult behaviors to successfully handle them on a very regular basis. Quinn asks if the methods by which psychotherapists define, cope with, and treat difficult clients and techniques psychologists use in working with them can be effectively implemented in a library setting. The author presents a view of the psychology of a difficult person as someone who uses abrasiveness to defend against closeness with other people who might harm them, and who may be hypersensitive. Therapists utilize optimistic perseverance and other techniques such as dressing and talking informally and relating the clients difficulties with their own; this could translate to libraries through staff with a positive outlook and an ability to solve the problem at hand, avoiding jargon, and having empathy for the difficult patron. Librarians can also cope with counter-transference reactions or denying their own negative feelings about the patron, by internally recognizing their true feelings and utilizing the containment function by affirming that they are there to assist the difficult person with their problem and not become emotionally engaged. Quinn suggests that librarians should seek to discern but whether there is a real need for library help that is being obscured by the difficult persons obnoxious behavior. Ultimately, Quinn concludes that the best strategy to manage difficult behavior is to accept it.

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Conclusion Historically, works about difficult patrons have focused on the nature of the problem patrons emphasizing the types of persons that cause problems for librarians. More recent articles reflect a clear change in perspective, with an emphasis on problem-solving and more acceptance for diversity in patron populations. These articles represented the best and most scholarly work on this topic I was able to uncover in my research drawing on the research from other disciplines, they provide a framework for dealing with angry customers. The authors combined knowledge from other disciplines with the existing LIS literature and proposed procedures relevant to library practitioners who face angry or upset patrons. Each paper provided a good examination of relevant research and made a coherent argument for best practices for a real problem.

Recurrent themes across all the literature comprise: Patron-centered libraries and progressive understanding of diverse patron populations requiring that librarians reexamine their definitions of the problem patron. Consideration of and empathy for the various perspectives involved in each situation. Carefully planned policies and procedures for consistent service Well-trained staff that can confidently follow procedure and adhere to policy.

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References Ferrell, S. (2010). Who Says There's a Problem? : A New Way to Approach the Issue of "Problem Patrons". Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(2), 141-151.

Jackson, R. (2002). The Customer Is Always Right. The Reference Librarian, 36(75/76), 205-216.

McGuigan, G. S. (2002). The Common Sense of Customer Service: Employing Advice from the Trade and Popular Literature of Business to Interactions with Irate Patrons in Libraries. Reference Librarian, 36(75/76), 197-204.

Quinn, B. (2002, June) How Psychotherapists Handle Difficult Clients. The Reference Librarian, 36(75-76), 181-196.

Toot, L. (2002). Zen and the Art of Dealing with the Difficult Patron. Reference Librarian, 36(75/76), 217-233.