The University of St. Thomas

Service Philosophy for Student Workers

Service Philosophy

We serve in two kinds of roles:


Educator

Teaching library users to use the library and the information it holds in the most effective ways.

Service providers

  • In many ways similar to other service organizations such as restaurants, retailers, and other places you may have worked.

    Meaning of good service
    Involves performance (in other words, it is something that happens at or in the moment, not something that is produced in advance as in assembly line work
    Requires quick thinking, good listening, and the ability to anticipate problems
    Helps to make time spent here by the user as productive and efficient as possible

    Principles of Service:
    Show respect for your customer or co-worker and the questions they ask.
    Acknowledge your customer or co-worker by making eye contact.
    Watch for people who appear to be having trouble and offer assistance.
    Never say "no" to a patron without checking first with your supervisor.
    Respect individual differences: personalities, levels of stress, background or education. Every transaction will be different because every customer is different.
    Respect the privacy of library users.