Defusing the Angry Patron: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians and Paraprofessionals (How to Do It Manuals for Librarians) - Softcover

Rubin, Rhea Joyce

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555703720 ISBN 13: 9781555703721

Publisher: Neal Schuman Pub, 2000

Synopsis

How do libraries deal with angry comments on their websites, blogs, or social networks? Does having a security staff actually help defuse angry users? How can library staff members best respond to frustrated users who get angry in a chat reference setting? Here, renowned library consultant Rhea Rubin deals with these questions and more in Defusing the Angry A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians, Second Edition. New technologies for service delivery have ushered in new venues for frustration. To help librarians know how to react in the face of patron anger, Rubin adds five new coping strategies to the 20 basic ones she introduced in the first edition. All of them have been updated them in light of key changes, including virtual reference service and the Web 2.0 phenomenon. A whole new chapter addresses anger in the digital landscape. This very practical how-to shows how effective staff training and intentional behaviors can positively affect patron behavior, minimize altercations, and ease the stress of public services staff . Library staff members looking for effective ways to prevent and handle anger-driven confrontations with their patrons will find Rubin's revised text an exceptionally useful, applicable, and enlightening guide.

About this title

Reviews

If you work in a library, you sometimes deal with difficult and angry patrons. Rubin is a library consultant who also gives workshops for library staff on learning how to handle angry patrons; her book is ideal for front-line librarians and paraprofessionals. An overview of types of anger is followed by steps staff can take to prevent anger in the first place. Rubin explains 20 basic coping strategies including learning to breathe and relax before speaking, treating the patron with respect, avoiding red flag words, using a "salami" technique to tackle multiple complaints in one outburst, disagreeing diplomatically by using a "fogging technique," using and observing body language, and arranging for a resolution within a specified time. She especially focuses on listening techniques since most of us only have a 25 percent listening efficiency. When an angry patron is on the phone, verbal communications become even more important because there are no visual cues to help and only 14 percent of a message is conveyed in words. Rubin includes sample exercises, self-tests, and write-in spaces. Rubin also believes in looking at policies that make patrons angry to see if they are outdated and can be replaced for more satisfactory customer service. Used in tandem with Anne M. Turner's It Comes with the Territory: Handling Problem Situations in Libraries (McFarland, 1993) and Mark Willis's Dealing with Difficult People in the Library (Professional Media, LJ 10/1/99), this is recommended for paraprofessionals and library managers.
-Marie Bruni, Huntington Memorial Lib., Oneonta, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Neal Schuman Pub
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1555703720
• ISBN 13: 9781555703721
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 99