Caroline Springs

Caroline Springs is a purpose built suburb and the library/civic centre has been built in a landmark building which is central to the leisure centre, shopping centre and a secondary school. It also features an number of environmentally sustainable design features.

The School uses the meeting spaces for teaching and although the library is fairly quiet during the day it is brimming with noise and youth in the afternoons/evenings.

The library offers RFID technology, DIY issues (the returns module has been recently turned off) and self serve PC bookings. There is no actual circ desk, the Council Customer Service staff operate a traditional desk just inside the main door and the library staff work from a small/mobile info desk in the centre of the library, although on my visit and on previous visits staff generally floor-walk rather than stay at the desk.

At a recent SLV presentation the Manager said during his presentation that the library was "too busy to offer quality customer service after school" to be honest this mortifies me! To stand up in a room of 200 people (which may have included his own staff) and say that they do not provide quality service due to the quantity of customers is so sad.

Quality customer service should be a never ending quest, when any member of the team (let alone the manager!) feels that the service is below par they should be rallying the troops and realigning the resources to lift themselves out of the funk and make positive changes. I sat at the front of the audience longing for him to stop talking and have the opportunity to speak to his staff....something to add to my "things to do"

Looking at the physical space of Caroline Springs it is an unusual space as it is long and thin, it includes a cafe at one end, a youth gaming zone, PC area and a children's library which has been creatively separated from the main library. At the end facing the shops there is a foyer space which is currently under-utilised, my suggestion would be to turn it into a gallery space come quite study area, as that is something lacking from the library.

There is good way finding signage near the main entrance, and signage on the bay ends. The collections although traditionally arranged ,blend a good mix of front facing and spine-out shelving.

The space is light and bright with a positive energy.