Customer Service Policy

Mission Statement

Oradell Public Library provides free and equitable access for its community’s informational, educational, and recreational needs and interests, and ensures the preservation and transmission of Oradell’s history.

Our Promise to Patrons

Patrons are the lifeblood of our library. Recognizing this, Oradell Public Library’s primary goal is to serve the needs of the community. Each staff member is a representative of the library and will strive to carry out this mission through his or her daily work.

What Patrons Should Expect

Patrons should expect their experiences at Oradell Public Library to reflect the following customer service principles. The library supports these principles through the staff it employs; the physical environment it creates; the collections it cultivates; the policies and procedures it implements; and the training, programs, and events it sponsors or participates in.

1. Patrons will be treated with dignity and respect.

We recognize that our library’s users represent varying ages, cultures, lifestyles, religions, experiences, educational backgrounds, and information interests and needs. Oradell Public Library will provide equal service to all patrons and eliminate barriers to library access and use.

All patrons of Oradell Public Library will be treated with dignity. All patron questions and requests will be regarded as valid. Our library staff will respect patrons’ rights to free speech and the pursuit of knowledge. 

2. Patrons will feel welcome in Oradell Public Library.

Our library serves as a community center. Accordingly, Oradell Public Library will provide a welcoming environment that fosters positive patron experiences. We will greet patrons, strive to answer their questions, help them find the information they need, and empower them to use library resources independently.

With an eye toward the future, Oradell Public Library will make it a priority to welcome children and their caregivers, helping to create positive library experiences amongst them. With gentle guidance, we will teach our youngest patrons how to use the library and, in doing so, ensure that a love of reading—and of public libraries—will be passed on to future generations.

3. Patrons will receive professional, knowledgeable, and thorough service.

Oradell Public Library will employ a skilled, knowledgeable, and professional staff. Patrons should expect our staff to be well trained in library policies, the workings of their departments, and the library as a whole.

Patrons should feel confident that our staff members are approachable, equipped to answer their questions, and eager to assist with their information needs. When staff members are not able to assist, patrons will be offered alternative solutions or assistance from other parties within Oradell Public Library or the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS) and beyond until a satisfactory outcome is achieved.

4. Patron feedback will be documented, routed to the appropriate parties, and considered.

Oradell Public Library endeavors to cultivate collections, programs, and services that are relevant to the interests and needs of the community. In doing so, we recognize the importance of gathering and monitoring patron feedback: by conducting surveys; by collecting written and verbal comments, compliments, and complaints; and by deriving intelligence from our circulation and operational data.

Patron comments will be handled with courtesy and an open mind. Feedback will be shared with the library director and, when appropriate, the Board of Trustees. Patron feedback will routinely be considered as part of Oradell Public Library’s operational and strategic planning processes.

5. Oradell Public Library will safeguard patrons’ personal information.

Patrons should feel confident that library interactions, feedback, personal information, and transactions are considered confidential. Our staff will be flexible, discreet, and non-judgmental in providing patrons with information, services, and library materials.

Patron information will be used exclusively for our library work. We do not share, rent, trade, or sell patron information to outside individuals, companies, or organizations. If patrons subscribe to library e-mail communications, their names and contact information will only be used to send the requested information. E-mail opt-out requests will be handled promptly.

6. Our library will serve as a teaching and learning environment.

As stated in Oradell Public Library’s Mission Statement, our library exists to serve “the community’s informational, educational, and recreational needs and interests.” We understand that an important part of succeeding in that mission is educating and empowering the public to become effective library users.

Working toward that goal, patrons can expect staff members to provide assistance in understanding the resources available at Oradell Public Library and how to use them. Staff will share their personal library knowledge to the best of their abilities and/or provide supplemental information or resources in order to ensure that patrons derive as much value as possible from their library visits.

7. Our library will be an active participant in the Oradell community.

Recognizing our role as Oradell’s foremost social, cultural, intellectual, educational, and recreational center, Oradell Public Library will strive to positively impact the borough of Oradell and the patrons who live there.

We will enhance Oradell’s culture by preserving local history and curating a collection of the borough’s most important literature and artifacts. We will offer meeting space to local civic groups and participate in community events whenever possible. We will provide access to important community information and resources, serving as a gateway to the greater Oradell community.

Approved by the Library Board of Trustees – September 10, 2014

Scroll to Top