Personalising library services in higher education: the boutique approach

摘要

In the last few years, there has been much discussion in academic library circles about how best to meet the changing expectations of the diverse range of people using their services. In particular, students may be seen increasingly as 'customers' (although it is not a universally popular descriptor), since in many instances they are paying high levels of fees to the institution at which they study, which creates expectations of services and facilities which many libraries find it challenging to provide. In essence, the student body is becoming less accepting and more demanding. However, there is also a developing array of electronic and digital help available, in terms both of the content which libraries provide to their readers, and of the tools which they can use for provision of access to that content, delivery of other services, and communication.