Description: In higher education, the word ‘customer’ continue to provoke much discussion and debate around its relevance and appropriateness. For some, the idea of having students as customers is completely inappropriate whereas for others it fits in very well. The changes that are informing this more positive perspective are globalisation, more competitors and the importance attached to the student experience. University libraries have not escaped this environment and increasingly words and phrases like ‘engagement’, ‘student satisfaction’, ‘User Experience’ (UX) and ‘patron driven’ are being heard.
In the United Kingdom, many university libraries (including Queen’s University Belfast) have sought the Customer Services Excellence (CSE) award to demonstrate the high level customer care they deliver. CSE is owned by the UK Government Cabinet Office and involves organisations being assessed against 57 criteria relating to customer care. These are grouped into 5 broad areas: customer insight, culture of organisation, information and access, delivery and timeliness/quality. The purpose of this workshop is to explore the relevance of CSE procedure and process for Irish university libraries.
