I was listening to a feature interview on Q this week about the "fall" of customer service and the move toward all of us as consumers having to take
on so many of the tasks that used to be conducted for us, and forcing us to become "experts" at things we really have little knowledge of. The shadow jobs and knowledge that goes along with them are disappearing.
The argument was that sooner or later, we'll just do everything ourselves, with no one to help or advise us as we carry out everyday duties. This got
me thinking about how important it is for those shadow roles (although they are anything but unimportant) not to disappear -- and how this relates to
selling books and providing information to readers, booksellers, library patrons, corporate clients -- the list could go on. I think it's become even
more important to promote the value of our roles as curators, librarians, booksellers and publisher reps so that our value is not forgotten in the age
of self-checkouts and easy access to vast amounts of information on the web.
Are we doing enough to remind readers and users of our services exactly what it is we are expert at? Are we reminding them how we can help a reader or a user of information wade through the vast and differing sources of information about books. Why is handselling in a bookstore so important? How does it help differentiate a good bookstore from a mediocre one? What can a librarian do for his or her patrons other than check out a book? What can we do as publishers and publisher reps to bring value to a bookstore -- and help pass that value on to their customers? We may know all the answers to these questions, but are we doing enough to educate the public about our services in this changing economy?
Lisa
