Library Customer Care & Standards
Our Customer Care Code, Our Values & Principles
Customer Care Code
You can expect that your Library will:
- Offer a friendly and professional service which aims to meet your individual needs.
- Provide welcoming, accessible and comfortable environments embracing equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Provide high quality information resources with expert support available.
- Provide you with relevant, timely and accurate information through a variety of channels.
- Respond to your feedback and use it to innovate and enhance our services.
You can help by:
- Respecting other customers and Library colleagues.
- Caring for the Library environments, using the appropriate study space for your needs and leaving it tidy.
- Telling us if you are finding it difficult to obtain resources you need.
- Letting us know what we are doing well and where we could improve by providing us with feedback.
- Following the Rules and Regulations of the Library.
The Library's values and operating principles
The Library is committed to supporting the University values of Excellence, Creativity and Impact, along with its guiding principles of Working Together, Visibly Leading, Freedom and Opportunity to Succeed, and Responding to current and future challenges. We embrace the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in order to allow all to reach their full potential.
This commitment informs and shapes our Library values and principles, which are encapsulated by the belief that the customer is at the heart of everything we do.
Excellence
We offer extensive, high-quality resources and services to facilitate the delivery of an outstanding educational experience.
We encourage our staff to maintain and grow their expertise through our commitment to their professional learning and development.
Creativity
We consult with and listen to our customers, using their feedback and experience to develop and enhance our services.
We are flexible and innovative in responding to future challenges and evolving customer needs.
Impact
We actively engage with the wider University community to facilitate and promote its education, research and public engagement activity.
We deliver excellent customer service by empowering staff to work collaboratively within a supportive and inclusive team environment.
Library standards
Performance against Library Standards
The University Library is committed to providing you with a high quality service and to continuous improvement. The following key activities are measured and reported as core performance standards.
We welcome feedback on our standards. Are they what is important to you? Please, Tell us what you think about them.
During 2024/25 we used 5 standards to judge our performance.
We respond quickly to feedback, enquiries and complaints
We responded to 97.5% of enquiries received through Library Help and Library Feedback within 3 days.
Our average response time to chat enquiries was 12 seconds.
Customer quotes
‘Ryan completely solved my problem for me, very quickly and efficiently.’
‘Response was immediate’
‘Everything quick, clear and with the right information. This is what we need in these busy days...’
Customers are satisfied with responses to feedback, enquiries and complaints
We responded to 97.5% of enquiries received through Library Help and Library Feedback within 3 days.
Chat customers rated 87% chats as 4* or above.
Our Library Help and Liaison Team Quality Service surveys rated our enquiry services as 4* or above by 96% of respondents
Customer quotes
‘The library colleagues consistently give excellent service, professionally and very often with a kind and understanding attitude.’
‘Great communication, really helpful, and quick replies. The Library service has been excellent.’
‘The response was very informative, easy to understand, and helpful!
Customers agree that training from the Library has contributed to their knowledge or improved their skills
96% of learners agreed that gave feedback on training agreed that the training had contributed to their knowledge or improved their skills.
Student:
‘The session was great; I loved every second of it and I have learned a lot from it.’
Researcher:
‘Really helpful to go through my search strategy and search terms on Embase and Medline. All my questions were answered, and the librarian was very helpful.’
Teacher:
‘Our pupils came back from the visit with more confidence about their research, and more pride in their academic abilities - I think because they could see that their Sixth Form work could lead them to a place like Newcastle University.’
Customers rate library staff as knowledgeable, friendly and helpful
93% of customers agreed that library staff are knowledgeable and 100% rated us as friendly and helpful.
Customer Quotes:
‘The team are absolutely fantastic. They are always helpful, responsive and – more importantly – full of wise advice. I couldn’t do my job without them!’
‘Jane was very helpful, there are no easy answers to this research so her wide ranging suggestions are very welcome, and the response was quick and friendly - thank you’
‘So helpful and knowledgeable, really appreciate all the time and help she gave me’
Resources are made rapidly available to customers
98% of eBook requests were ordered and activated within 5 working days
76% of inter library loan requests are fulfilled by the rapid ILL system, with an average turnaround of 13 hours.
Customer Quotes:
‘Thank you for the quick response and timely delivering the journal article I requested.’
2023/24
During 2023/24 we used 5 standards to judge our performance.
| Service Standard | Result |
| 1. We aim for over 90% agreement with the statement 'This learning material/session/workshop/ interaction has contributed to my knowledge, skills and/or personal development. | 96% |
| 2. We will provide an initial response to feedback, enquiries and complaints within 3 working days. | 97.1% |
| 3. We will achieve at least 90% satisfaction with responses to enquiries, feedback and complaints. | 97.1% |
| 4. 95% of e-book orders* will be activated for access within 5 days of ordering. | 99% |
| 5. We will process at least 90% of inter-library loan requests within 3 working days of receiving the request. | 100% |
* Individual ebook titles
2022/23
During 2022/23 we used 6 standards to judge our performance.
| Service Standard | Result |
| 1. We aim for over 90% agreement with the statement 'This learning material/session/workshop/ interaction has contributed to my knowledge, skills and / or personal development.' | 95% |
| 2. We will provide an initial response to feedback, enquiries and complaints within 3 working days. | 97% |
| 3. We will achieve at least 90% satisfaction with responses to enquiries, feedback and complaints. | 96% |
| 4. 95% of e-book orders* will be activated for access within 5 days of ordering. | 94% |
| 5. We will process at least 90% of inter-library loan requests within 3 working days of receiving the request. | 100% |
| 6. What percentage uptime did you record for your main discovery/library catalogue system? | 100% |
* Individual ebook titles
Customer Service Excellence
Newcastle University Library is proud to hold the Customer Service Excellence Award.
Customer Service Excellence (CSE) is the UK national standard for customer service delivery. The standard provides an independently verified framework, enabling the Library to measure and continuously improve its services. The Library has held the standard since 1995 from its original incarnation as the Charter Mark to its recent Customer Service Excellence reaccreditation in 2023.
