Week 8 Readings

Perspectives on One Model for Creating a Career Ladder for Library Support Staff by Joane Fama and Elaine Martin

The article discusses the role of support staff within the library. The emphasis is placed on the more versatility that support staff have, as the traditional librarian becomes more specialized.

The part of the article I felt that really resonated with me was the discussion about the different evaluations that could be used to gauge the performance of the staff. I felt the description placed on the portfolio was especially interesting. During my undergraduate schooling, we had to create tests that were much like what was described here and one the forms was the portfolio. I think out of all of the forms of assessment, this is an accurate form. It allows a diversity to be seen in what has been achieved by the person the evaluation pertains to, and is original. While working with students, the portfolio was also great to use because the students could pick what was included. The only major downfall with using this form of evaluation is that it can be tedious and time consuming when trying to figure out what should be included within the project. However, I do think it would be an excellent form of evaluation if one had to understand where the support staff stand within the “career ladder” of the library setting.

Working Knowledge What are you Waiting For? By Mary Pergander

Mary Pergander discusses the importance of being a part of the library staff and sharing ideas to improve and benefit those within the library. The emphasis is that sharing will not only benefit you in the long run, but the library as well by having open communication.

I would have to agree with the assessment; however, it surprises me that not many people would share. Ideas that are shared can be debated and refined to become even better and with more people involved, the higher the likelihood of positive results. I think that it is such a basic concept that it can sometimes be forgotten or misconstrued depending on what is being said or how it is being conveyed. In essence, I feel the most stress is basically on the concept of communication. By communicating with those around you, ideas can be better understood so that if there are problems they may be taken care of should the need arise. Therefore, I think  

Staffing Shifts Roil Orlando Public Library by G.F.

The article discusses the contention in a Florida library with the evaluation of staff and the “replacement” that is occurring within the library system.

I think the article does bring up an interesting issue of what is being presented, but I feel that this ties back into the previous article about the importance of communication. There are two sides presented within the article, between the administrator and the staff. Although there seemed to have been a bit of communication that occurred between the two sides, there was a misunderstanding thus causing a huge reaction and in essence the article to be written. I couldn’t help but relate this to something that would happen in middle or high school between friends. One person says something that is taken the wrong way and a fight breaks out for three months making everybody, not just the “ex-friends” miserable. I don’t believe there is a right side to this particular article because I think both sides erred and it could have been avoidable if there was a discussion with all those involved, just like with friends and a misunderstanding. If it’s talked out, it will more or less solve itself.

Assessing Staff on the Competencies by Jan Houghtan

The article discusses multiple ways to evaluate and assess the competencies of the staff within a library system. The article discusses major methods like surveys, Likert scales, and self assessments.

I think the most interesting and accurate part of the article was the discussion of how people will approach questions they do not know. People in general want to please, I think it’s naturally ingrained for some reason. The ability to include multiple choices like, yes, no, maybe allows there to be ambiguity and get a more accurate response to a question. From personal experience, when I have to answer questions, I always prefer something along the lines of a maybe or a don’t know because I may be acquainted with the concept, but not overly familiar with it. Therefore, it’s not a yes, but it’s not a no either. It would be somewhere in between that I would prefer to expand my knowledge on. I think it’s also a matter of pride, we don’t want to admit we aren’t familiar with a concept and therefore try to answer it, even if we don’t know the answer. Thus, I think it would be a good idea if we did have the different forms and included the maybes or even N/A because that is just as good an indicator as a yes/no choice.