Customer spoken here

From PLN

Customer spoken here

Originally published as "Customer" Spoken Here

by Buff Hirko, published November 25, 2005 I love watching eyes glaze over when answering the question “What do you do?” The truthful response is “I’m the Statewide Virtual Reference Project Coordinator for the Washington State Library.” Then I use a few paragraphs to explain what that means. Whether the audience is a room full of librarians or a condominium neighbor, my job title is gobbledygook.

Unlike Lamont Cranston^[1], I doubt that librarians deliberately set out to fog minds, but that often is the result. And there is a viewpoint held by some (as expressed at a recent marketing workshop for academic library directors) that college and university students enter a scholarly world in which they are expected to expand their vocabularies, enriching their understanding. When it comes to libraries, I disagree. Learning the specialized languages of scientific, legal, computer science, and other disciplines may be necessary. There is no logical or lofty reason to make understanding and navigating the world of library collections and services difficult. Our job is not to create obstacles, but to provide ease of access.

The language of academia tends to be loaded with excess syllables, in the library as well as elsewhere. Consider these phrases used on web sites: Retrospective Collections, Databases and Periodical Indexes, Bibliographic Instruction, Remote Access, Terminal-Style.^[2] Terminal style—fashions for the deceased? The tendency to cloak our terms in librarian-speak extends well beyond higher education. Reference, Circulation, and Interlibrary Loan live in every kind of library. In everyday life, “Reference” is something requested on a job application. “Circulation” refers to blood. I didn’t understand that “stacks” were bookshelves until I was in graduate school. Why not “Information” or “Help?” “Checkout” is shopping language, spoken by everyone.

There are two aspects of speaking the language of users: clarity and brevity. Both are admirably addressed in Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter’s Guide.^[3] On jargon, the authors say that “Every profession, even professional bowling, has some subset of words that helps its gurus share their genius in a kind of shorthand. [But] if you’re stuck at a philatelists’ convention…and someone who looks as if he really ought to get a life starts talking about “Z grills” and “inverted Jennys,”^[4] it’s pretty much your fault for getting stuck at a stamp collectors’ convention.” Similarly, talking with a harried student about the authority of peer-reviewed resources found in licensed databases and the need for proper authentication procedures in order to access them is likely to encourage their early departure from your building or web site. “Jargon is the foundation of obscurity...If you want to connect with your audience and persuade them, word choice is a good place to start.”^[5] That student might understand that he “can find a trustworthy, up-to-date article on ‘Internet marketing’ in one of the online business journals. A library card number is needed to log on to the subscription service, and then the full text of many articles can be printed out.” He might even stick around long enough to try it.

Then there are acronyms: ILL, GPO, SUDOCS, BI, LC, FAQ, VRS... The list is endless. We don’t understand half of them, so why should a housewife or history professor? Acronyms and abbreviations can be handy (RSVP is preferable to Répondez S'il Vous Plaît), but as such they are confusing and annoying. At the very least, provide the words for which the letters substitute if it will be repeated throughout a document. On a sign, use the actual words or if necessary, a better descriptive phrase (“borrow books from other libraries”).

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the unfortunate tendency to borrow phrases from the business world. Best of breed, Paradigm shift, Results-driven, Disintermediate, Mission critical, Value-added, and a multitude of other phrases have become clichés. Say what you mean: “This is the most effective training method we have found for book mending.” Einstein’s Theory of Relativity caused a paradigm shift. Does your new idea qualify by that standard? “Value add [is] the ultimate marketing hype in a convenient noun. Doesn’t say anything, but promises that the result will make something more valuable. Doesn’t say what will be more valuable or why, but does promise a positive outcome. Doesn’t quantify that outcome, but at least you know you’re getting a value add.”^[6]

So what should we do to leave obscurity and embrace the lingua franca (for those who prefer to speak plainly, that means language in common use)? It’s simple. Test your signage, posters, chat scripts, web pages and other explanatory works on your users. When the Historical Society tours the library, ask members what they think the signs mean. Offer pizza and sodas to a group of students, and then ask them to critique your web pages. It’s a small price to pay for an easy to understand, useful site. Use your chat reference pop-up survey to ask whether any of the terms or phrases used by the librarian were unclear, then provide a text box in which the customer can list them. Ask your spouse or kids to read the library flyer that announces the new Information Commons. Use the Bullfighter software to evaluate your article announcing the new chat reference service for the local newspaper.

Another approach is the jargon glossary. It is not a substitute for using common terms, but at least it is an attempt to define library jargon for non-insiders. There are a number of library examples, such as those provided by Bristol University and Cleveland State University.

By now you’re getting the idea. Jargon, acronyms, and business-speak are not only confusing, they are often intimidating. A library that uses everyday words and phrases is an inviting one, and staff members that speak their customers’ language are approachable and appreciated. Your customers may not complain or ask about things they don’t understand. They also might not come back.

Buff Hirko is (see first paragraph) at the Washington State Library.

Notes

↑ Note for the young: Lamont Cranston was the real name of “The Shadow” on the long-running radio drama from 1930-1954)
↑ Examples taken from Kupersmith, John. Library Terms That Users Understand [web site], 2005.
↑ Fugere, Brian et al. Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter’s Guide. New York: Free Press, 2005. Quote from Chapter 2, “The Smartest People Use the Dumbest Words,” p.23.
↑ An “inverted Jenny” is a rare 1918 U.S. airmail stamp that erroneously pictures a Curtiss Jenny airplane upside down.
↑ Fugere et al, p. 31.
↑ Fugere et al, p. 173-4.