Customer Service and the First Year Student

Abstract

In 2004, Vanderbilt University announced that it would change the way its first year students live on campus. A major capital campaign was launched to create ten new or refurbished college halls on Peabody College campus to house all first year students as of fall 2008. As the University prepares for its first class of students to live together on campus, the Jean and Alexander Heard Library has been working to address the needs of this group. How do residence and proximity affect library usage? Will user needs change within the eight campus libraries? This article explores the service recommendations prepared by the library's system-wide project team tasked with exploring how the creation of a new living space can offer new opportunities and challenges in the provision of quality services. Recommendations were based on a literature review, focus groups, and interviews with stakeholders on campus