Complaints

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the service, actions, or lack of action by URLS, including perceived

failure to do something agreed upon, failure to observe policy or procedures, error made by a staff member and unfair or

discourteous actions and /or statements by staff member.

Handling Complaints by URLS

URLS shall ensure that:

  • Complaints are dealt with promptly and resolved as quickly as possible.
  • Review of complaints is fair, impartial and respectful to all parties.
  • Complainants are advised of their options to escalate their complaint to a more senior staff if they are dissatisfied with outcome.
  • Complainants are provided clear and understandable reasons for decisions relating to complaints.
  • Updates are provided to complainants during review processes.
  • Complaints are used to assist in improving services, policies and procedures

Complaint Receipt and Handling procedure

  • A complaint shall be received verbally (by phone or in person) or in writing (, or email). An employee who receives a complaint shall determine the proper person to handle it. This will generally be the person who has the primary relationship with the complainant or has specific knowledge that is needed to resolve the problem.
  • It shall be the responsibility of the person who receives the complaint to either resolve it or transfer it to another person who can resolve it.
  •  If the complaint is transferred, the recipient must acknowledge to the transferor that he/she has received it and will act on it.
  • The person who initially receives the complaint shall acknowledge to the complainant that the complaint has been received and will be acted on either by him/herself or another employee. If a timeframe for action can be determined, that should be included in the acknowledgement. Basic contact information of the complainant, including the name, phone number and email address shall be recorded.

Resolving the Complaint

  • Every effort shall be made to resolve complaints received in a timely fashion. When receiving a verbal complaint, staff shall listen and seek to understand the complaint, and attempt to resolve it immediately. Complaints received in writing shall be acknowledged within 48 hours and staff shall attempt to resolve the matter within 10 business days.
  • Where a complaint cannot be easily resolved, it shall be forwarded to the Head of Campus Library Services. If the Head of Campus Library services cannot resolve the complaint, it will be escalated to the Director of Campus Library Services.
  • If the complaint is about the Head of Campus Library services, it will be handled by the Director of Campus Library Services.
  • If it cannot be resolved by the Director of Campus Library Services, it shall be forwarded to the University Librarian.
  • If it cannot be resolved by the University Librarian, it shall be forwarded to the Chairperson of the Library committee.
  • The complainants shall be kept informed of the status of their complaint. Every attempt shall be made to resolve escalated complaints within a month.
  • Complaints records, including a description of the complaint, who handled it, what was done to resolve the complaint, timeframe and description of the resolution shall be maintained.
  • A summary of the complaints received including number and type will be reported to the Library Committee and Senate annually.