Responding to Customers about Pride Programs

Criticism of Pride Programs at libraries can be so intimidating that many library systems decline to observe a Pride on a whole. Rather than join the nation in celebrating LGBTI accomplishments and contributions, many libraries let the month pass without any acknowledgement. Sometimes the conversations are controversial. Most librarians seem to be conflict avoidant and would prefer just not create the circumstances that elicit criticism. As a librarian of the twenty-first century, the mission remains the same: Present information without personal values being promoted and facilitate the encounter of information to interested people. The LGBTI community is an overlooked and often underserved community. Libraries can easily provide confidential and non shaming services to the LGBTI information seeker through the collection and programming.  At San Antonio, the library designed a month of events that are relevant to information seekers. It was well prepared for forging partnerships with community organizations to present information, shared experiences, and connect community to resources.

Here are ways to organize your library program to demonstrate the value of LGBTI centered events at the library.

Determine your outcomes. Set reasonable and achievable goals and outcomes. Some may include raising awareness of LGBTI resources both in the collection and community. Another may be to demonstrate the library's role as a relevant city service to the LGBTI segment of the community. Yet, another may be to increase the knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding the LGBTI community. It is hard to stop a successful program that is meeting its goals, however so many systems forget to demonstrate why the programs are being planned. When confronted with such a question, the librarian has the answer. 

Collect data. Attendance demonstrates that there is interest and that the marketing strategies were successful. Attendance is not the only measurement of engagement. In a social media environment a library has new avenues of feedback and engagement to measure success. Empirical data that shows people are engaged with the information helps justify most library programming. Get customer responses through surveys, online feedback, or comment cards. Note the number of time the event is shared. Collect feedback in the location comments. Yelp and Foursquare ask for reviews and comments when individuals check in.  They can be valuable resources for feedback. Empirical data supports the repetition and rescheduling of events and programs.

Collect the number of complaints. Libraries are still in a time where nothing goes without complaints.  Just as the public has a right to criticize your collection, they can criticize your events and programming. The point being that there will be complaints, prepare for them.  Create a process for taking in complaints and evaluating programs rationally. I advise to respond to complaints after two days. Sometimes complaints are irrationally and emotionally charged; it is prudent to respond to them with a level and rational composure. Always let another person edit or read your responses. Complaints help put everything into perspective. Three complaints in a service population of one million needs to be approached with consideration to rationality. You would never remove a book from the shelf based on a single complaint, rather a process ensures that everyone interested is served. How many complaints are too many? That too requires professional study and analysis. Say a program has fifteen attendants, yet twenty complaints in a city of five thousand. during the planning of an event one might think this is a noble endeavor, but if there are complaints, one must review and reasonably edit the program.  Maybe this was not the most prudent topic to discuss at the  library. What could have made the event more relevant as demonstrated by greater attendance or lower complaints?The librarian's responses should rationally address the customer's concerns. Quite frankly, some customer feedback also does not require response.

Attached to this blog are examples of letters sent to complaining customers.

Dear Resident:

Thank you for sharing your point of view. We respect your perspective and your thoughts.

The City Public Library is the library of all residents of the city and the surrounding area. Among a public library's responsibilities are reflection and acknowledgement of the diversity of the community, and offering a variety of resources, activities, and materials from many perspectives. The mission of a public library is to provide open access to information of all types, and a public library is a place where ideas are openly exchanged between all members of our community.

Pride Month is a nationally recognized month that appreciates the contribution, work, and participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex Americans in our culture and society.  You may be interested in the following statement about Pride Month from another library’s website:

The Library’s numerous collections contain many books, posters, sound recordings, manuscripts and other material produced by, about and for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. The contributions of members of the LGBT community are preserved as part of our nation’s history, and include noted artistic works, musical compositions, and contemporary novels. The Library’s American collections range from the iconic poetry of Walt Whitman through the manuscripts of the founder of LGBT activism in Washington, D.C., Frank Kameny. The Library’s month-long celebration demonstrates how Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans have strengthened our country, by using their talent and creativity to help create awareness and goodwill.

The library being referenced is the Library of Congress, and this was written by James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress.

It is important to emphasize that Pride Month is a celebration of cultural achievement by a segment of our population who contribute to society and culture in profound ways.   Individuals are encouraged to select for themselves the best materials from rotating subjects in book displays.

And another:

Dear Resident:

Libraries have always played a role in disseminating all types of information, including information about the cultures, heritages, and viewpoints in their community. Specifically we tend to focus on areas which the public may not have mainstream access to or awareness of.  A recent example is Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month (just last month), in which over 1,000 residents chose to attend a library program to learn more about that culture.

We assist families and individuals in guiding their usage of the library through accurate and thorough marketing of our programs and collections. The programs are intended to educate audiences about new experiences and cultures they are interested in learning more about. If a family or individual is not interested in a particular type of programming or it is not in line with their family’s values or planning, the marketing of that program or collection should clearly indicate to them the content so that they can make the choice that is right for them. You’ll notice all Pride Month activities are marketed as such, and this should help you decide whether the programming is right for you.

Library programming has a wide range of scope. Hopefully there is something for everyone.  The library has not highlighted mainstream ideas because they are readily available and easily accessible. If you need assistance in finding such resources please feel free to consult your librarians.