High-Five! How to Get Patrons to Like You

I do not know about you, but I wanna be liked by everybody.  Well, sometimes.  Okay, I am lying.  I have plenty of friends that do not ask me to do everything for them.  The way I feel about being liked by the people I serve is kinda like the way I feel about hitchhiking.  It could be fun and rewarding as a person, but also dangerous and I could end up in a bath tub in New Orleans wondering how many kidneys I am supposed to have.  However, if you do want to be liked by the patrons, here's a few tips:

1.  Be available.  Do not forget as a librarian you are there to serve.  If there is no more toilet paper, drop that expense report about how the library cannot afford toilet paper and refill, refill, refill.  Do not expect them to be able to find the Stephen King display right by the front door.  Walk them to it.  Hell, if you can, walk them everywhere like a labradoodle that needs to tinkle.

2.  Known their name.  The most basic tool in getting to know someone is knowing their name.  Know their title, their nickname, their spouse's secret name for them, the name the government refers to them as.  If you can, have someone standing by the entrance to place name tags on everybody.  It will make them feel special that you care.  However, if you can not remember or pronounce Mr. Pryzklestinacki's name right every time, stick with common forms of address, such as sir, sport, captain, and yeoman for men and madam, my lady, sweetness, and yeowoman for women.

3.  Recommend books.  This especially works if you know they already like/have read the books.  Then it seems like you are right on the same page with them.  Remember to smile because even if you personally despise the book so much that uttering its very title is like eating rancid jalapeños dipped in kerosene, they love it and now so do you.  If you cannot withhold your distaste, channel it into back handed complements, such as "That's the best book I have read since that last one I hated."  To keep in time with that, continue recommending other books, hopefully in the same series.  When comparing, use the phrase "only with more" as much as you can, such as "True Blood is like Twilight, only with more vampires!"

4.  Never give them a problem.  A sure fire way to always be liked is to never give a reason to be disliked.  Agree with them around every turn, even if they are wrong.  Do they have too many fines? Fuggit about it.  Do not remember where that book went?  Hell, those run away all the time.  Brought that book back?  We suck at our jobs, of course you did.  One easy test that you are ready to use this method is to say the follow sentence with little to no sarcasm or mocking: "Sure, there's no way you could have seen those teeth marks on the DVD when it was checked out."

5.  Talk to them.  Now, I do not mean really get into genuine debates or conversations with them.  Get into debates where you both agree about the same thing.  That will give them a superior feeling because someone surrounded with books feels like they do.  The best way to do this is to pick safe topics, let them give their point of view, then expound on their point of view with a question, i.e. "I know, babys are cute, but are they also cuddly and smell good?"  Conversations can be done the same way.  Just shake your head knowingly when they stop talking.

6.  Publicly acknowledge them.  Sometimes you genuinely need the public's help.  By help, I mean warm body that can pass out punch and keep teenagers from setting fire to the stacks.  Let us be honest, setting up 20 volunteers in a rotating shift of three minutes each so their attention spans can handle the work is hard, but so is opening a door and greeting people.  So when the time comes, individually name each and every person who helped out, except yourself, of course.  One final note, always end with the eldest person, as it shows respect for their position in the community "...and thanks to Mrs. Voldemort, who sure worked hard standing tonight."

7. High-Five them.  Seriously, it brings a smile to everyone's face.