Hobson's Choice refers to an apparent free choice which offers no real alternative: a take it or leave it collective manifestation.
The story goes that Mr. Hobson, a 1600's livery stable owner, had some 40 animals in his rent-a-horse business and a straightforward system: a returning horse goes to the end of the line, and the horse at the top of the line goes to the next server. He had good intentions - rotating horses so his steeds received good rest and equal wear - but his heavy-handed enforcement of the policy didn't provide the patron a choice and thereby denied any potential for customer service value.
So how does Hobson's Choice apply to rural libraries today?
Rural libraries should be as individual as the community in which they serve. Not every philosophy identified through a library organization could or should apply to the library supporters/patrons in every individual community. A library's business is people, and a library should mirror the community it serves; not a collective establishment of information services or programs.
A vital library is not necessarily about size, a single technology, or the same management practices, but rather how it is deployed and with how much freedom to innovate and take risks.
This is the beauty of the rural library in a small community: freedom to innovate, opportunities to focus, and openness to create. There is a difference between being efficient and being persuasive. Outcomes must match or exceed the expectations or customer service really only reflects Hobson's Choice.
Emotional connections always precede economic connections.
Quality personal services thrive on enthusiasm for problem solving because in a quality service setting each person should be treated as a respected individual. Quality service is emotional, and process is just as important as the results. As with Mr. Hobson, professional services may be very competent and knowledgeable but still not able to provide that which meets or exceeds the expectations - or information needs - of the customer. Customer service relies on active involvement between the library professional and the library supporter or user. Personal service is not a one-way relationship - it is an interaction: not a single event, but a continuing process.
Don't fall for Hobson's Choice in your library by basing your decisions on demographics alone: that tells you very little about how the individual's in your community feel. Take a deeper look by seizing opportunities to get to know your residents and take a fresh look through new eyes at what your library is presently offering. Create a customer service model which will give your library "legs" to attract repeat patronage from the larger population.
The bottom line is that your customers and staff are going to have an emotional experience because of their contact with your library whether you like it or not. Your responsibility - and challenge - is to provide them with the kind of emotional connection through individual interaction and services to inspire loyalty.
Afterall, library services should respond to what the community needs: It's about individuality, not collectivity.
Is your library technically considered a Rural Library? And what exactly is Free Agent Librarianship?
According to the United States Census Bureau, rural areas comprise open country and settlements with fewer than 2,500 residents. Areas designated as rural can have population densities as high as 999 per square mile or as low as 1 person per square mile. On the other hand, according to the ALA/APA Rural Libraries Survey, rural librarians define rural differently: to some a library is rural if it is isolated; to another, a library is rural if the main patrons are in agriculture or commute long distances to larger metropolitan areas for work; and yet another defines rural as a population of less than 5000 with more deer per square mile than people!
Regardless of how you define your demographic, Free Agent Librarianship can be a reality in your library and in your life. A librarian who is a Free Agent is not subject to external constraints through organizational structures, influential and politically motivated library associations, and is not bound by traditional teachings, hierarchies or stereotypes. Free Agent Librarianship promotes a library professional who is set at liberty to create, organize and advance an eclectic librarianship for the purpose of providing highly customized services and inventive possibilities for community information centers focusing on the community at large.
Free Agent Librarianship is ALL about entrepreneurship and making your library the center of your community. So be one!!
Image: cmblog.cityofventura.net/2009/01/is-closing-w...
