Back in Circulation Again

Rediscovering the Lost Art of Customer Service

Have you noticed that Customer Service has become nearly extinct? This session is your opportunity to learn how to set yourself apart from the competition - by delivering exceptional customer service.

By attending the session, you will:

• Discover 5 steps to reinventing your customer service department
• Learn how to avoid the abuse of technology in your interaction with customers
• Calculate the true effect of poor service on your bottom line
• Unveil rarely-used techniques that will nurture your customer relationships
• And in the rare instance (!) that you encounter a somewhat difficult customer, you'll learn specific steps to take to satisfy that customer, as well as ways to combat the stress that sometimes accompanies those encounters.

Linda Bruno has been helping people grow, both professionally and personally, for over 10 years. She works with universities, libraries, Chambers of Commerce, corporations and other organizations to help them nurture their most valuable resource - their employees. With more than twenty years of hands-on management in positions, she has developed a keen insight into what works in the real world. Linda's experience as a national trainer with Dun & Bradstreet has also expanded her ability to communicate effectively.

Training 2.0: Bringing Order to Chaos

Tired of answering the same questions with each new employee or volunteer? Finding it difficult to schedule time to go over policies and procedures? Learn how to incorporate web-based technology, interactive courseware, and other tools to keep training consistent and manageable. By utilizing an online training program, we were able to reach employees during all hours, even if a supervisor was not available. This program increased training efficiency for everyone involved, brining order to the chaos.

Emily Rogers is the Coordinator of Access Services and Renee Ettinger is the Instruction and Outreach Librarian at the David A. Cofrin Library, University of Wisconsin- Green Bay.

Returning Balance to Your Life

It's the age-old $64,000 question - how do we achieve balance in our lives in the "Daytimer-Palm Pilot-email-voice mail-fax-cell phone-pager kind of world" in which we live? Take time for you and attend this eye-opening workshop, where you'll learn how to take back control of your life. Uncover the time-robbers that have been stealing your most precious commodity, and learn how to deal with them more effectively. Reflect on what is most important in your life and decide how you are going to make time for those priorities. This session ends with an extensive list of ways you can return balance to your life.

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Georgia Library PINES

A program of the Georgia Public Library Service, Georgia Library PINES is the automation and lending network for 270 libraries in 133 counties. Georgians with a PINES card have access to a shared collection of 8 million items that can be delivered to their library free of charge. The Evergreen open-source software was developed to meet the functional needs of PINES libraries in their commitment to sharing materials. Software developers relied on input from the end-user community - staff members working daily in the PINES libraries - to guide their design of the program. The program will focus on the history of the consortium and the unique challenges and opportunities they face.

Elizabeth McKinney de Garcia is the PINES Program Director for the Georgia Public Library Service.

While you were out: Change and constancy in circulation services in the digital age

While our patrons use library services remotely, circulation staff continue to push book trucks, reshelve, and shelf read. Our core professional values remain intact: reliable access, stewardship of collections, patron privacy, and courteous treatment of patrons. Traditional circulation services persist while new services emerge. How do emerging services challenge our core values? When do our core values impact new services? We will examine new circulation services that are emerging in libraries around us and consider the challenge of aligning our values with services our patrons seek.

Brenda Hazard is currently director of Marvin Library, Hudson Valley Community College, in Troy, NY. She recently worked as the Head of Circulation and Media Services at the University Library, University at Albany, State University of New York.

Lutie Sterns and Her Library Legacy

Lutie Stearns was a pioneer librarian from 1895 to 1914 in Wisconsin. Driven by a passion for social justice and sharing information, she single-handedly brought traveling libraries to hundreds of rural communities while working for the Wisconsin Free Library Commission. In this presentation, her story and the larger story of the role of traveling libraries in American history is told through anecdote, primary material, and slides.

Stuart Stotts, author, storyteller, and songwriter, wrote Books in a Box: Lutie Stearns and the Traveling Libraries of Wisconsin.

Staff Engagement

How does staff engagement contribute to a workplace in which clients feel well served and employees feel well valued? What leadership activities from all levels contribute to a climate of staff engagement? This program will review strategies used by the Center for Instructional Materials and Computing to create a joyful workplace. From the white board at the entrance created by the students, to the displays developed by graduate assistants, to instructional programs collaboratively developed by all staff, this emphasis on shared program development has resulted in a client responsive environment. The extension of the CIMC environment to other School of Education agencies will be explored with an emphasis on adapting staff engagement activities to new staff cultures. Consideration of the roles of directors, professional, and support staff in developing a culture of staff engagement will also be explored.

Jo Ann Carr is the Director of the Center for Instructional Materials and Computing, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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To register:

• ONLINE registration - Fill out a form on the Web, pay by credit card, or have your institution billed
• Call the Pyle Center Registration Office: (608) 262-2451
• Print out a registration form and return by fax or mail - instructions on form

Meals

The conference will include morning and afternoon breaks, dinner on September 26, and lunch on September 27. Please notify Anna Palmer (ahpalmer@wisc.edu or 608-263-4452) with dietary restrictions as soon as possible.

Lodging

Rooms are available under group code "CIRC" at the Lowell Center. Please make reservations by August 29, 2008; rooms will be released after that date. Call 1-866-301-1753 to make reservations. Rooms are not included in the conference fee.

Parking

If you are staying at the Lowell Center, parking is included with the room and you will be one block from the conference at the Pyle Center. If you need a parking pass for the Pyle Center, you may purchase one in by calling 608-262-1122. Please call at least three weeks in advance to ensure a space.

Accessibility

The Pyle Center conforms to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities code specifications. However, if you need additional modifications to the facilities or have specific questions, please contact Anna Palmer (608-263-4452 or ahpalmer@wisc.edu) as soon as possible.

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