More Customer Service

Okay, a good story to counteract the previous one.

A youngish man (late 20s, early 30s) was using our Workforce computer station to apply for a job.  He had rudimentary internet skills and worked on the application for a long time.  Finally, he came to the desk and asked about printing it out.  I walked over with him -- to see what kind of document it was and how many pages.  Turns out it was 18 pages long, almost 3 dollars to print, and we don't take plastic at the printer, or have an ATM in the building.  He has completed some of the pages, but wants to print it out & complete the rest by hand, then return to type them up later.  If he leaves to get cash, he'll lose the document -- his terminal will log itself off from lack of activity before he could return.  I could just print the document and ask him to come back and pay us on a future visit -- I've done that before in similar situations.  But instead I ask him if he has anyplace he could print the document if we saved it on a USB drive.  He says yes, his wife would be able to print it out for him.  Eureka, problem solved because:

Our regional library system recently got a grant to help job seekers.  Part of the grant pays for a job-seekers database where you can write, store, and get advice on resumes, link to job listings, write cover letters, get encouragement, etc.  A small piece of the grant went to providing about 25 USB drives to each library -- for librarians to give out as they see fit.  I hustle back to the service desk and get one of those flash drives.  Returning to the patron, I stick the drive in, show him how to save something to the USB drive, and how to access the drive -- and the saved application -- from any computer -- and I pull the USB drive out & hand it to him, saying "This is for you to take with you."  When he says, "But don't you need me to pay for it?"  I am able to tell him that it's free because of a grant we received.  His face lights up with pleasure at this problem solved, and he leaves the library a happy customer.  One who may even sing our praises, or at least won't bad-mouth us. 

I didn't like or dislike that man.  But he was polite and respectful while we found a solution to his problem.  And I was polite and respectful in return.  He didn't demand that I perform an expensive service for him for free; he just asked me to try to help him.  I like to help patrons solve problems and answer questions.  Most public librarians are librarians because they like to help others.  [It didn't hurt that he said "Thank you" to which I was able to reply "You're welcome, I'm glad I could help,"  and mean it.]  Those are the interactions that keep me from chucking it all in & going farming full time.