My thanks to Francis Stocker, Principal of Kestrel Info Services, for highlighting this innovative idea in her most recent issue of “Hawk’s Eye On Public Libraries”.

“This month, I’ve been struck by the simplicity of an innovation made by Glen Carbon Centennial Library (GCCL) in Illinois (see p. 6), which has received Library Journal’s 2010 Best Small Library in America Award. In the LJ interview, director Anne Hughes explains how GCCL has instigated a ‘No to Yes Log’, and every time a staff member has to say ‘no’ to a library user, he or she logs the event. The management team regularly reviews the log to see if there are ways to change a “no” to “yes” in the future. This is  a great way to capture opportunities for improvements in customer service. Staff at GCCL has authority to make changes on the spot, “to use their best judgment to serve the interests of the patron.”

“Where it isn’t possible to authorize on-the-spot improvements, a No to Yes log could still be used to extend staff self-reliance. Bay adding a space in the log for the staff member to suggest ways to fix the problem, he or she can become a full partner with managers in turning recurrent situations around.”

For more information on the GCCL and the award, see the Library Journal article at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6716260.html

To subscribe to the excellent “Hawk’s Eye On Public Libraries” go to http://www.kestrelinfo.com