Where are we? Where are we going?

As of now at our library, we are in a period of major transition.  Sudden change, some expected, and some not, is at the forefront of where we are at this moment.  Changes are present in our organization due to a sudden reduction in staff.  In the library world, there is always room to grow, learn, and explore; that is what we do, and we must encourage these things.  People have hopes, dreams, and aspirations, and none are less valuable than the other, for we are all different.  Now is when we are pulling together, carrying the extra weight, and relying upon one another to keep things going as we seek out the best-suited individuals to continue with our commitment to provide outstanding services to the members of our community.  Current economic conditions create an extremely competitive environment and make it difficult for smaller, lower budget libraries to retain staff that have such immense passion for this institution.

Where do we want to be?  We want to be officially designated at the level our library should be according to State Standards based on our service area population, ever-increasing statistical factors, and ongoing needs of our community.  We want the ability to offer competitive wages, benefits, and reallocation of already existing library and historical space that was taken from us before we had a chance to grow.  We have grown!  By leaps and bounds!  The time has come to take action, and advance to where we want to be.

How will we accomplish our goals?  Library advocacy, additional staff trainings at all levels, morale boosting and team building activities for staff, outreach to stakeholders and county administrators, and an aggressive campaign to increase funding, technological resources, and support for our organization which our community relies so heavily upon.  We are a necessary, neutral, and diverse safety net loaded with literacy based programming, educational, and community resources.  The best way for us to be able to supply for the demand will be an aggressive campaign of awareness so that our legislative and funding bodies will understand and support the need to maintain and retain qualified staff.

Managing Performance

We currently have quarterly staff meetings and quarterly staff/team building days at our library.  With what I have learned at this session, there are a few changes I would like to make to the staff days.  One of the main changes would be instead of just a typical staff day/team building, to have "team building activities day".  The idea would be be to have these staff days be more interactive and rewarding for my staff.  The idea of adding team building exercises, fun activities, and even prizes would be great incentive for staff and help to build morale.

Staff Development

     After attending PLMI last year, I realized that based on what I had learned, there were many tools I now had to bring back to my library.  I decided to take a step back and look at my library and my staff from a different perspective - a perspective other than that of the library director.  How did other people see our facility?  How do they view our staff?  Do patrons and visitors of our library feel that they are being treated as they should and in a professional manner?  Are library staff giving them the correct information when an inquiry is made, and do they know where to look?

     Indeed no library is perfect and mine is no exception!  Staff development workshops or staff days, were not a regularly scheduled occurrence when i first took over as library director two and a half years ago - so it was obvious to me that needed to change.  My experience with staff development is that they count on me to take the lead and provide them with the tools that they need to be of better service, not only to our library but to themselves.  Since staff development has become a regular occurrence, the response from staff has been mostly positive, and they seem to come out with more confidence, pride in their work, and have become more eager to gain further knowledge.