How to Give Your Users the LIS Services They Want

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In these turbulent times, with the challenges of a constantly changing job market, shifting information-seeking behaviour and a vast array of new resources continually being produced, library and information services need to constantly keep one step, or more, ahead of their users. The benefits of analysing user behaviour are self-evident: better strategic planning, cost benefits and better use of budgets, better marketing, satisfied customers, satisfied management, and a library or information unit that is central to the needs of your parent organization. However, paradoxically, user needs, and levels of expectation, including those of remote users, are often not fully explored. This accessible text goes back to the basics and asks: Why do you need to learn about your users better? How should you assess user behaviour? What information may already be held by your organization? Does it help to think out of the LIS box? How should you categorize users: students, business and technical, baby boomers, silver surfers, netmums, lifelong learners, etc? How can online data help? How can you make use of partnerships? What are suppliers offering that mayhelp? What training might your users need? And, what are the lessons learned? This book evaluates the impact on your organization. This book will help any library or information professional anywhere to take a fresh look at this important area and to tackle it in their organization, so as to ensure that their users will always obtain exactly what they want. Webmasters and knowledge managers will also find much to interest them.