Patron and staff expectations
In the Library, as in life, we are expected to treat each other with courtesy and respect.
We expect staff to respect our patrons, and our patrons to respond in the same fashion. This does not mean "the customer is always right." Occasionally, when imposing overdue fines or not allowing some material to leave the library, we take legitimate actions that disadvantage patrons; ones they may not like. We expect, however, that all parties will behave in an appropriate way.
Staff members understand that students are immature on occasion, sometimes are sensitive to 'authority' (even when dealing with fellow students), and often operate under a lot of pressure. We understand that civility is less common than once was the case. We make allowances, but we are also careful to bring our Supervisors into uncomfortable situations, before they escalate.
Our Supervisors, in turn, are expected to be problem-solvers. Student Assistants should know that asking for help does not always demonstrate a poor grasp of your work, and should easily turn to full-time staff members for assistance and instruction.
On rare occasions, a situation or a patron constitutes a genuine emergency, causing us in turn to call Security or to invoke one of your emergency procedures. All staff should be familiar with our emergency procedures.
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