The Importance of Communication in The Library Field

The Importance of Communication in the Library Field

Communication is the most important factor in today’s society. Communication has helped the world find religions, mathematics, and other world defining things. Language, writing, music, math, and more are all forms of communication. In modern civilization, careers and jobs depend on communication in order for society to move forward. For a librarian, communication in English is essential for the job, as it is literally the description of what being a library clerk is. You must communicate with the customer. Clear and accurate communication in English is important to being a librarian because it helps the customer find the information they are looking for, it properly makes sure that the customer knows the book due dates to avoid fees and further punishment, and it shows that intelligent people run libraries as well as showing a high level of professionalism.

To begin, communication is essential because the librarian’s communication with the customer helps them find the information that they were looking for. For example, if a customer were looking for all the works of Mary Shelley, the librarian would have to communicate with them to either show them how to use the catalog, or give them the information. Mary Shelley’s works such as Frankenstein, Mathilda, Valperga, and The Last Man would all be shown to the customer in the fiction aisle under her last name, Shelley. The customer would then check the books out. Communication is essential for that as well.

Nevertheless, clearly spoken English would also properly make sure that the customer understands the due date of the borrowed book, and how much the charges will be after the book is late. Without understanding this, customers can receive punishments from minimum to severe. It can be as little as not being able to check out books until said books are returned and fines are paid. However, punishment can also be as severe as jail time. In the words of Sarah Netter in her book Return Library Books or Else, “Some librarians have stepped up enforcement and collection of late fees. People who do not return library property after an extended period of time may face arrest or a negative action on their credit reports in some jurisdictions. Patrons have been arrested for not returning library books in Colorado, Washington State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Texas. Measures such as these are typically used to recover stolen library property, not to enforce late fees.” Without the essential communication, these fees would more than likely go unnoticed and would be criminally damaging to the client.

Moreover, by making sure all customers are helped and have an understanding of the rules and regulations, it shows that libraries employ intelligent people and those people have a high level of professionalism. By having employers who are professional and are devoted to helping customers with proper communication, ultimately it looks good on the resumes of said employees, and reflects beautifully on the neighborhood and library system. Therefore, the library may receive more funding, special events may take place, and more people would be willing to volunteer. More help means better customer service. Better customer service means less people having to be billed, which results in happier customers and better reviews.

To conclude, understanding why communication is essential in the library system will result in much happier clients. Communication is key, once again, because it helps the customer find the information that they are looking for, it properly makes sure that the customer knows the book due dates to avoid fees, and shows that the library system employs intelligent people, also showing a high level of professionalism. Communication is the key to a successful career in Library Science. Without communication, there would be many consequences and unsatisfied customers.