Pollcode

I chose patron and user (don't know if 2 choices are allowed) because I use them both. I use patron more when talking with other professionals in the library field. When talking with students, I refer to them as users.

I have always used patrons.

Patrons out of both habit and circulation system nomenclature, (which means that they check items out). Visitors for the somewhat higher numbers who come in to use free wi-fi.

It said I already voted. I used to always use patron, but now I used different terms in different contexts. I tend not to use or like customer. I like client.

"Patron", while retaining a gendered root word, still seems the best to me because it implies a reciprocal relationship. They don't just "use" us as "users", they give us their "patronage" or support. According to the Oxford dictionary, "patron" is defined as " a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, or cause", while the word "patronage" implies "the support given by a patron", and "the right to privileges". I think this is better than "customer", which simply denotes "one who buys goods or services".

I've never liked "customer," which makes us sound like grocery stores, nor "guest," a term more suited to hotels, and one that seems to place us in an ownership position. I'm now retired, and like many librarians of a certain age, l used "patron" for most of my career; but I now prefer "user" as the most accurate and class-neutral term. "Patron" still has that upper-class, patron-of-the-arts connotation that no longer includes most of the folks who wander through our doors.

I agree with Lou Malcomb. I use patron, user, and client, depending on the circumstances.

i believe "patron" is traditional. and one can no longer just say "readers."

This probably should have been a multi-question poll. JDB

I don't work in a library now, but I did, so that probably skews my answer toward "patron" which I chose. But I'll count in your poll as a patron who uses "patron," even though the word is from my librarian days. User is probably the trend from computer use, and that's ok. Anything is better than "customer," in my view. We are not buying anything. We are not guests, either. We own the place.

I think whatever term we choose frames how library staff view the people we serve. I used to work in museums, where they were usually called "visitors", which to me acknowledges that most people drop by occasionally to sample what's there. Some front-line staff called them "guests", which sounds like hotels and Disney to me, with an emphasis on customer service over and above the content of the experience. Because libraries are free, we have many people who come quite regularly to use the collections and services and programs. "Users" seems accurate to me, while "patrons" acknowledges that we're supported by their taxes and puts some emphasis on courtesy. Perhaps "patrons" are our bosses, while "guests" are people with a temporary privilege. "Members" doesn't seem right to me, unless we're distinguishing who has a library card. "Customers" implies enticing them to pay, which I hope we're not moving towards. I wonder if new language will evolve as more libraries orient towards participatory involvement.

I use library patrons, or library users if I am talking about library programs and services. Customers was common about 4-5 years ago in California as were marketing surveys and secret shoppers - used to create high-end customer care models. In the library I like to greet the folks that come through the door by their name when possible.

I use them all, i.e. user, patron, client... depending on the circumstances.

It was difficult to answer your question because if I am talking to other library professionals, I use patron. But if I am talking to library professionals, I talk about users, especially if I am speaking about digital access.

I like 'visitor' because I am always made to feel welcome in the People's Place by staff and community.

I say "patrons" but would like to switch to users. When I talk about people who use our web services, I say "users" because patronizing a website seems weird.

I think that users and possibly guests are the most accurate terms to use. I do, however, tend to call them patrons just as much out of habit (ah, legacy).

it depends on who i'm talking to, the point i'm trying to make, and other contextual aspects, but all of them are valid. "sir" and "ma'am" are also nice.

I use all terms interchangeably depending on which sounds the most poetic at the moment. Seriously.