Weekly Readings 2/28

Staffing Shifts Roil Orlando Public Library

This article highlights the battle in the Orange County Library System between library staff and the new director, Mary Anne Hodel, whom they accused of using clerks to replace professionals.

What a "he said, she said" situation. The numbers seem to point toward the staff being justified, but I wish there were more clarification about what the shift was that made the professional staff go from 81 to 66 even though 3 additional librarians were hired. In Youth Services, we discussed how little more than a decade ago, many libraries had incredibly bloated staffs, to the point that some people were doing nothing because they had gotten so lost in all the folds. Is that fair to the tax payers if there is a more efficient way to run the library? In light of MCPL's former director resigning over her differences with the staff, it's interesting that Hodel is still in her position 10 years later (http://www.ocls.info/About/OnlinePress/biosLeaders.asp), plus they are boasting about all their accomplishments. More broadly, I think it's important for a director to listen to his/her staff and the community. Did the community feel that the services were lower quality since the changes? Regardless, Hodel ended up with a PR nightmare. It might not solve everything, but making every practical effort to meet with staff (especially those most upset) will leave most employees feeling like at least their concerns are being heard. It's also probably a good idea not to negatively discuss your staff ("staff didn't come to us... they went to the newspaper") in AL!


Assessing Staff on the Competencies by S. Houghton-Jan

Houghton-Jan discusses various methods of assessment, in both paper and online forms, before mentioning various ways to use the results.

It was interesting to consider assessment of skills, outside the typical performance reviews. Tests can be so unreliable because many people do not test well, can guess well, or have the knowledge to answer the questions but cannot put them into practice. Being a librarian is about more than just your knowledge. It's about how you use that knowledge to actually help people, in a way that makes them want to come back. Similarly, face-to-face peer assessments can be difficult for some people who feel put on the spot. We discussed the "360 degree" feedback in Library Management also, and while I do think it's fair for employees to have a chance to voice their opinions about how the manager is doing, they cannot hold the same weight for the sake of order. Plus it doesn't seem effective for the purpose of determining competencies. The other method discussed, self-assessment, can create problems with self-awareness. Someone may think that their search methods are great or that they do a certain action more than they actually do, but maybe that is not the case. I think this issue comes down to knowing what works best for your library and your staff and being willing to try different methods to find the right one. Even informally asking staff what training they would like to have may be just as effective as elaborate assessments, especially in a smaller system.


One Model for Creating a Career Ladder by Jane Fama and Elaine Martin

Fama and Martin detail the process of developing a new employment ladder for support staff at the Lamar Soutter Library, University of Massachusetts Medical School.

I think this is a good model for support staff, but got vibes from the article that it is ultimately being used to replace MLS/degreed staff. Perhaps this came from the second paragraph where the authors discuss doing away with standard library features (the reference desk is gone??), or maybe I am totally off base. It's smart to require your staff to be training in as many areas as possible (478), and I like that only the time at their library counts toward the promotion. Nearly every class I have taken at SLIS has referenced the fact that the things we are learning will be different, sometimes vastly, depending on where we end up working. I would have been interested in them expanding on the objections raised during the approval process, partially because it would help with anyone attempting to implement a similar program. But it also seems like this would be a very labor intensive program to maintain. Training and evaluations must take place, and depending on the number of staff, that could be a fairly regular occurrence.


Working Knowledge by Mary Pergander

The author gives pointers about how to effectively "manage" your boss by promoting clear and effective communication.

This definitely goes hand-in-hand with libraries adopting a more businesslike model in their approach to the work environment. In Library Management, we read an article by John Gabarro and John Kotter, who were the first to really promote this concept back in the late 1970s, and it really expands on all of Pergander's great suggestions (I highly recommend it). I remember being struck by their repeated emphasis that "at a minimum, you need to appreciate your boss's goals and pressures, his or her strengths and weaknesses" in order to make both your work and your boss' as efficient as possible (95). This is especially true in libraries, I think, because most problems affect a majority of (if not all) departments in some way. The best part of this approach is that it is practicable, even if your boss isn't keen on it, because a lot of it has to do with your own attitude and actions.

Gabarro, John J., and John P. Kotter. "Managing your boss." Harvard Business Review 83.1 Jan. (2005): 92-99. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.