Current Topics in Library and Information Practice User Metaphors Services

Over the years, the library profession has used different metaphors to characterise their users, such as the user as a citizen, a client, a customer, a guest, and a partner. This book is about the background and distribution of those metaphorical descriptions and how they have influenced services in libraries. How do library professionals talk about and refer to library users, and how is this significant? In recent decades, the library profession has conceived of users in at least five different ways, viewing them alternatively as citizens, clients, customers, guests, or partners. This book argues that these user metaphors crucially inform librarians' interactions with the public, and, by extension, determine the quality and content of the services received. The ultimate aim of this book is to provide library professionals with insights and tools for avoiding common pitfalls associated with false or professionally inadequate conceptions of library users.