How can you ensure that you are meeting the library and information needs of the users and potential users of the library service in your community?

By instinct? Through years of experience?

These methods can help, but objective data and structured information and feedback from the stakeholders of your library can assist you in a more constructive way.

The Public Libraries Section of IFLA has put together a resource list of best practices from libraries all around the world to assist you meet the needs of your users better:

Meeting User Needs – A checklist for best practice

The resource list covers:

  • Friends and user groups;
  • Focus groups involving staff and members of the public;
  • Statistical analysis and surveys;
  • Suggestions and comments schemes.

We hope that you will find this resource list of value and let us know of any services which you think have best practices which we could add to the list since it is intended that this be a dynamic document which well be updated regularly.

Section members responsible for this resource list:

  • John Lake, Barbican Library, London, UK,
  • Monica Medina Blanes, Biblioteca Bon Pastor, Barcelona Libraries, Catalonia