Here's an article from Library Journal that I bookmarked some time ago but is perennially relevant: what do we call our guests/clients/patrons/customers?
BackTalk: Patron or Customer (and Why)? By Brent Wagner -- Library Journal, 7/15/2007
I'm always on the lookout for articles that support my belief that the business model is not the best model for non-profits. James Collins, author of Good To Great; why some companies make the leap and some don't, wrote a (great) follow-up which addresses this:
Good to great and the social sectors : why business thinking is not the answer : a monograph to accompany Good to great : why some companies make the leap--and others don't / Jim Collins.
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Hey; glad to find this blog!
I hate "customer"--I think it's supposed to make us feel extra "customer-servicey," but it sounds cheap to me...cheapening the experience, somehow. I taught freshman English at George Mason University in the DC area about a decade ago, and the new college dean was just making the school-wide switch from calling students "students" to calling them "customers." Ugh, ugh, ugh--I found it repulsive. In libraries it's not quite as bad, but I still find it unpleasant and agree with you about business models and non-profits.
I think "guests" (which Target uses) sounds insincere and creepy unless you're spending the night--or at least having a meal (hotels, restaurants, etc.). And "clients"--ick. I'll take patrons, thanks--or some as-yet-unsuggested term.
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