Assessing Service Quality: Satisfying the Expectations of Library Customers. 3rd edition. By Peter Hernon, Ellen Altman, and Robert E. Dugan. Chicago: ALA, 2015. 232 p. Paper $75.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-1308-6).

We all know that libraries are under pressure to reinvent services and programs to meet the changing demographics and demands of our current and future users as well as to maintain relevancy in the digital age. Shrinking budgets and competition for funding weigh heavily on the minds of all library administrators. Providing outstanding service is at the heart of the library, and, as stated in the introduction to this third edition of a classic favorite on service, “customers are more than a source for data collection; they are the reason for the existence of libraries” (xii). The authors have updated this book to reflect new ways to measure library service, which does not always include rating the library by the size of the collection, but rather by ensuring that service is tied directly to a strong mission and vision. The book is divided into chapters that address components of a strong service program, including writing a strong mission statement, measuring and evaluating services, developing benchmarks, administering surveys, and implementing action steps to improve customer service. The final chapter is titled “Embracing Change—Continuous Improvement,” and it emphasizes the importance of staff flexibility and training. One of the most useful chapters, focused on listening, provides an overview of various methods to capture customer perceptions through interviews, focus groups, social networks, blogs, suggestion boxes, usability testing, and surveys. Interspersed throughout the book are charts, graphs, questionnaires, procedures, and evaluation metrics that can easily be adapted to meet the needs of individual libraries. These useful tools are beneficial for not only evaluating service, but as a jumping off point for staff engagement and training. Also included is a section of sample case studies for staff training and development. The authors—all library professionals with a strong history of publishing on the topic of library service—have provided an outstanding list of reference notes in each chapter, as well as a detailed index. This book is an excellent working tool that will help libraries enhance their commitment to quality service and demonstrate their value to their communities. The final sections of the book reflect upon today’s competitive environment and the library as a learning enterprise. The authors conclude with a challenge: this is a “time for action, not excuses” (204).—Jane Carlin, Library Director, Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington