Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the strategies utilized by the Arusha Public Library (ARPL) to improve customer service and the challenges that the library faces. The specific goals were to discover ARPL's strategies for improving customer service and investigate the problems that employees face in doing so.
Design/methodology/approach: The data was collected using a triangulation method. Questionnaires were given to 11 library staff (professionals and para-professionals), and interviews were given to the ARPL Director and two department heads. The researchers also looked at the surrounding environment, including the library collection, different types of library furniture, customer service services, and customer service skills. The quantitative data was examined and presented thematically, whereas the qualitative data was analyzed and presented numerically using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 22.
Results: From the findings of the study, ARPL employs a variety of tactics to improve customer service. These include library staff training, the procurement of current and relevant items, recognizing customer needs, raising library user awareness, and advertising library services. The study also discovered that ARPL is facing a number of challenges that are impeding the improvement of customer care services, including a lack of managerial support, poor infrastructure, insufficient funds to purchase relevant and current materials, changing library user behavior, and poor customer service skills among library staff. The Tanzania Library Association (TLS) and Tanzania Library Services Board (TLSB), which are responsible for the proliferation of public libraries in Tanzania, should work together to overcome the current issues at ARPL, according to the report.
Originality/Value: This research is significant because it adds to the existing body of knowledge. Specifically, it addresses pertinent issues and challenges in customer services in modern libraries.