What do libraries have in common with casinos? To succeed, each must keep their customers happy and keep them coming back. Library directors and management can learn how to cultivate happy customers by attending ”Be My Guest: Customer Service from the Best.”
This half-day preconference, offered by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and held in conjunction with ALA’s Annual Conference, addresses what libraries can do to ensure a welcoming and positive library experience for patrons. Using models derived from the hospitality industry, participants will take away a variety of customer service models they can apply to their library to enhance the patron’s experience as a guest of the library. The content is based on a highly successful program previously hosted by the New Jersey State Library in partnership with Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, N.J., and will be presented by Jennifer Babcock of the Trump Entertainment Resorts Human Resources Department.
The preconference will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, July 10 in Chicago. Advance registration rates, available until May 22, are $90 for ASCLA members, $135 for ALA members, $210 for non-members and $50 for students and retirees.
Annual Conference attendees interested in registering for the meeting and institute—or adding the institute to their current meeting itinerary—can do so through Step 6 (“Your Events”) of the online registration form or by calling 1 –(800) 974-3084. Those interested only in attending the preconference (event code AS2) must register using a printed registration form that can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form. On-site registration will be available the day of the event.
Find out the most up-to-date information about this and all of ASCLA’s Annual Conference events at the ASCLA events page.