Occasionally when I read something, it makes so much sense I wonder why I didn’t think of it…. (Read Don’t scar on the first cut – Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals))

In the Theology Library, we’ve recently added several new staff members to fill vacant positions. More frequently than I had anticipated, I’m asked “policy” questions. What do we do when…? I guess I should have expected it. With retirements and resignations, we lost part of our institutional memory. A lot of “wisdom” has suddenly disappeared. I’ve been happy to respond to the questions. But at some level, I’ve resisted writing “policy” statements.

I’ve been trying to shift the Library’s focus to be more “user oriented.” When I’m asked a “what do we usually do?” kind of question, I generally respond based on an implicit policy: “Whatever best serves the Library user.” Naturally that’s tempered by the constraints of available resources. But, the reason we are here is to serve the “customer.” There are times when I think there should be only one policy: “Help the customer succeed in whatever they are trying to do.”

[Un]Fortunately that leaves the Library staff to determine how to answer the question every time we encounter a new customer. That’s what we should be doing, but it’s hard without either a well-developed policy (or decision chart) or a substantial body of wisdom to draw upon when making a decision. The
David Heinemeier (from Signal vs. Noise) suggests that we opt for wisdom:

When something goes wrong, have a chat about it, embed the learning in the organizational memory as a story instead of a policy. Stories have context and engage the listeners, so next time a similar situation arise, you’ll be informed by the story and act wiser.

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