You know, I'm not typically a hard-ass when it comes to supervision. I'm not a micromanager. I advocate for an open flow of communication and transparency when appropriate. I feel like I'm supportive.

But, I can't get over the fact that some of my colleagues are intensely resistant to change. Of any kind!

For instance, I'm very concerned about the status of our funding since the economy is so poor. Now, more than ever, I feel like we should be prepared to justify all that we do. As a result, I'd like for us to work toward measuring our impact on the public, which is something we don't currently do.

When I brought this up in a meeting last week, all I got was eyerolls and groaning. Someone actually cried (long story). Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about this because of the class that I'm taking.

Here are the things that I'd like to accomplish:

1. Come up with a clear definition of what my library considers a program to be.
2. Indicate what we hope the public will get out of attending a program.
3. Develop some outcome-based programming with measurable impact on attendees.

I'm very passionate about this. I think we need to be aware of the political context in which we're functioning and make every effort to PROVE the value of our services beyond the occasional anecdote.

A Day in the Life...

I found out about the Library Day in the Life project from a blog that I read. I thought I'd try it out, so here goes, more or less in order:

July 31, 2009

1. Sent out the compiled strategic planning objectives our leadership team came up with earlier in the week. We're finalizing them for our first service response. Two more to go!
2. Read a little more in Strategic Planning for Results to make sure we're on track for our next step: Developing Organizational Competencies. This begins in September.
3. Talked to one of our reference librarians about the job seeker programming he's been working on. Found out we just got a copy of ALA's Crisis in Employment report. He was done with it, so he passed it on to me. We also talked about two new search engines I learned about this week: Collecta and Guzzle.it
4. Talked to our business office about some work that's been done recently on our "chiller" unit. Had some invoices to reconcile.
5. Sent e-mails. Cleaned up Inbox.
6. Started reading feeds, which reminded me of Library Day in the Life!
7. Got some information for a patron about a playhouse in our children's area.
8. Lunch
9. Shared a few interesting articles via Google Reader.
10. Received new signs for DVD and hold pick-ups. Worked with Circ department head on placement.
11. Checked on staff working the community art show that wrapped up our "Be Creative @ Your Library" summer reading program.
12. Set up various meetings for August: policy discussion on mobile devices in our children's area, dept heads whose supervisor is on leave, summer reading wrap up.
13. That's it for me! Have a great weekend!

A social science? Really?

I mentioned before that I never took the research course in SLIS (which has changed names and numbers since I was there.)

After being exposed to the concepts in my current class, I have to wonder why I wasn't required to learn how to do research. Why did no one encourage me to justify the sociological importance of libraries through measurable scientific inquiry? Why do those of us practicing librarianship, especially public librarianship, not back up our enriching and enlightening programming with qualitative research?

And if we are doing this, why am I not hearing about it? I scour newsfeeds of all kinds for information like this, and there are slim offerings of research studies regarding the significance of adult programming in public libraries, for instance. How about library management? The impact of libraries on literacy rates? Where is this information?!?!

If library science is truly a social science, then we'd better get on the ball and contribute to the body of knowledge before it's too late.

Back to School

So, I've started my first class in SPEA course: Public Program Evaluation.

Believe it or not, I've never taken a research course. It's just not something that ever interested me, so I seemed to always manage to skirt around it. I cracked open the textbook for the class yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by the tone of the author. The way he introduces research really drew me in: "This book is about knowing things--not so much what we know as how we know it."

I guess at this point in my career (life?) I'm ready to really explore the "how" of what we know. I can honestly say I'm looking forward to this class.

Reflections on Strategic Planning

The Hancock County Public Library provides superior county-wide library service convenient to and used by all residents through excellent programs and materials in a financially responsible way. We do this one life at a time.

This is the vision statement of my employer. I think it's a good vision statement. It answers the big questions: what we do, and how we do it.

Our current strategic plan expires at the end of this year, and I'm charged with leading the effort to construct a new one. I went to a strategic planning Boot Camp offered by the Public Library Association back in October, and my director agreed to the use of the Planning for Results model for the next plan.

Since the training, I've been focused on understanding the model and taking the steps necessary to get it started. I'm happy to report that we're on track to get the plan finished by October and move it through Board approval. It will be in place by 2010 and run through 2012.

Reflecting on this process had made me realize just how important it is to have a clear vision in place. Knowing that the goal is to provide superior library service that's convenient to residents makes it easier to drive this initiative and inspire staff to get involved.

I have high hopes for our new strategic plan. I want it to embody our vision and guide our activities for the next few years.

I'll keep you posted on our progress :-)

MPA: New Journeys

So, starting in a few weeks, I'll be undertaking a new venture. I'm going back to grad school as a student in the Library Management certificate program. Once I finish with the certificate, I plan on continuing with the full-blown Master's of Public Affairs degree.

My first class will be "Public Program Evaluation," which is extremely relevant as I continue to drive my place of employment's strategic planning process for the new plan that will cover 2010-2012.

Let's Get Functional

An idea that I used at my first job out of library school was to divide employees into teams to strategize around our libraries' functional areas. The original breakdown I used was: collection development, programming, outreach, and marketing.

In my current job, I transferred the idea with a few changes dictated by context. We're now working with five functional area teams: collection development and maintenance, programming, outreach, public services, and information technology.

The idea behind these groups is to take critical library functions and assign people from all levels of the library to teams which then analyze, evaluate, and propose changes related to a particular function. This keeps those areas under constant "surveillance," allowing for quick adjustments to policies or procedures.

Another key component of these groups is that they're intentionally small. I suggest a maximum of five people per team. This enables the team to make decisions quickly and have an intense focus when necessary.

What are the functional areas in your library? Do you use a similar model for decision making?

Video Game Interlude - Coolest Ever!

I was playing Tomb Raider: Underworld DS this morning and came across a part where I had to clear some dust away from a stone tablet. As it was the first time I had done that in the game, the tutorial came on and told me how to do it. The cool thing is that I ACTUALLY BLEW on the DS to clear away the dust! I guess the microphone senses the sound and makes the dust move. Ah, modern technology! Now I REALLY want a Wii for Christmas!!

Why I'm a Librarian

I had a very passionate discussion with a colleague on Friday that got me thinking about why I am a librarian, why libraries are relevant today, and what can be done to advance the profession.



1) The reason I became a librarian is relatively simple. When I was growing up, my mom took my sister and me to the library often. I remember spending not-enough-time browsing the shelves of my hometown public library. I was intensely interested in fantasy, science fiction, and metaphysics even back then and couldn't get enough of books about those subjects.

2) I think the basic purpose of a library today is to provide access to information. Whether this is done through answering a reference question or allowing teens to play games on the latest technology, the public is still getting information from librarians.

3) Unfortunately--and this was the crux of the conversation with my colleague--we live in an information economy, culture, and society. We're information professionals, yet we are not the first called upon to use our expertise to help further the goals of society. Large information technology companies have shown time and again that they can provide for the information needs of the world at large. Where do we fit in as librarians?

In my position as manager/librarian, I really feel that it's up to me to push for the inclusion of progressive ideas like this one. Let's invite people to participate in our library in ways they've not had the opportunity to do in the past. Let's provide an experience for our users that not only involves them in physical space, but virtual space as well.

The point is that we can provide people with places to explore, inquire, collaborate, and discover. We just have to re-invent ourselves to match 21st-century expectations.

Indiana Library Federation Annual 2008

I was able to attend Day 1 of 2 of the Indiana Library Federation's annual conference yesterday.

One session I attended was described as follows:

‘Make it more like Google!’: next generation tools for library collections
Next Generation? Web 2.0? What are the next set of tools that libraries need to look at? How can we make our catalogs more useful and attractive to patrons who are increasingly familiar with Google and Yahoo, without losing our vision of what being a library should mean? Pascal Calarco and Mark Dehmlow [both of the University of Notre Dame] led a whirlwind critical review of the multitude of ‘next generation’ tools for library catalogs as a decision process for adoption and procurement. They will discuss the typical features of these tools, and some of the pros and cons of the various systems.

The two presenters talked about Notre Dame's search for a "next generation" library catalog and their realizations along the way.

This presentation really reinforced the way I feel about the website redesign project I'm involved with. People have certain expectations when they use websites today. They want to create content and be engaged.

The speakers yesterday mentioned that a need of the modern researcher is "search and discovery." For some reason, though, library catalogs seem compelled to go the opposite way and don't allow the flexibility of faceted searching, for instance.

Users don't want to learn complex search strategies or controlled vocabularies, they want to type in a few keywords and get results. Another point that was made is that people are used to relevancy ranking in search results instead of the "last in, first out" structure of most library catalogs.

After reading Kotter's book about urgency, I'm really frustrated at librarianship's lack of momentum. These things about usability are not new information, yet it still doesn't seem to be a priority amongst library leaders.

We've got to escape this complacent attitude. Kotter's second tactic says it all, and that's my plan to deal with it.

Urgent Tactics: 3 & 4

I finally finished the Kotter book!

His final two tactics for maintaining a sense of urgency are: 3) Find Opportunities in Crises and 4) Deal with NoNos.

Find Opportunities in Crises

In this chapter, Kotter introduces the idea of the "burning platform" (120). He says, "even people who are most solidly content will begin to act differently if a fire starts on the floor beneath their feet. With fire spreading around them, everyone moves, the status quo is eliminated, and a new beginning is possible." He continues, "Within the logic of burning platforms, if natural events do not create a crisis, you must. You don't wait. You don't hope. You develop a strategy and act" (132).

Keeping in mind that true urgency is the goal, the notion of a burning platform doesn't seem that far-fetched. I think Kotter's point is that the issues that are most effective at propelling us forward are sometimes carefully managed. The organization doesn't get "burned," so to speak, but instead is driven to act by very real circumstances. As Kotter suggests, we must view each crisis as an opportunity to maintain that sense of urgency that creates an environment of positive change.

What platforms can be set on fire in your library? What strategies for managing those flames have you used?

Deal with NoNos

As you might've guessed, a NoNo is someone who thwarts efforts to maintain that sense of urgency described elsewhere in the book. However, Kotter makes an important distinction: NoNos are not skeptics. Skeptics, according to him, "can usefully keep enthusiastic, but naive, impulses in check." On the other hand, a NoNo "will do nearly anything to derail processes that attempt to create change" (147).

Think about the NoNos in your work environment. Kotter points out that it is almost always a waste of time to "co-opt" a NoNo. More often than not, someone in that position brings any productivity to a grinding halt. Likewise, he indicates that NoNos can't be ignored as they frequently kill urgency in an organization by being allowed to spread their message to others unchecked.

So, how do you deal with a NoNo? Kotter suggests three methods: 1) distract them, 2) push them out, and 3) ply them with social pressure by publicly acknowledging their behaviors. The bottom line is that NoNos must be dealt with in order for the sense of urgency to be maintained.

Urgent Tactics: 1 & 2

I've been trying very hard to finish Kotter's A Sense of Urgency this week. That ain't gonna happen.

Instead, I'll talk about his first two tactics: Bring the Outside In and Behave with Urgency Every Day.

Tactic One: Bring the Outside In

On page 60, Kotter highlights two points of this tactic. One is, "Reconnect internal reality with external opportunities and hazards," and two, "Bring in emotionally compelling data, people, video, sites, and sounds."

His first point seems incredibly relevant to libraries today. In this chapter Kotter warns that an internal focus kills urgency which leads to complacency and eventually an organization's demise. According to Kotter, the thing that turns the focus inward is historical success. Libraries have been historically successful as knowledge storehouses and the places people turned to when they needed to find pieces of information.

I'm suggesting that, as a profession, libraries and librarians rested on our laurels for far too long. Our long-term complacency has many of us questioning our relevance in light of external entities who do things better and faster than we ever did. And therein lies Kotter's point as I see it. We've got to start looking at what's going on outside the library world. What opportunities are out there of which we're not taking full advantage?

Tactic Two: Behave with Urgency Every Day

Again on page 60, the two points of this tactic are identified as: "Never act content, anxious, or angry," and "Demonstrate your own sense of urgency always in meetings, one-on-one interactions, memos, and e-mails and do so as visibly as possible to as many people as possible."

The part of the chapter I found most applicable to my own situation as a manager is that of "Urgent Patience." This refers to "acting each day with a sense of urgency but having a realistic view of time" (118).

Libraries can't be changed overnight. Making sure staff have the skills they need to be successful takes time. Consistently encouraging people, prioritizing goals and acting on them can go a long way to keep the sense of urgency up in the organization. How do you maintain that sense of urgency in your daily work?

Bonfire of the Philanthropies

Our friend Sheryl is having a fundraiser (a bonfire/veggie-chili supper) for the community radio station in Bloomington (Ind.) tonight.



This event is making me think of volunteering and other ways of supporting non-profit organizations that desperately need help. I'm participating in Leadership Hancock County (the website's not maintained, unfortunately), a leadership development program in the county where I work. We just had Community Day this past week where I and my classmates had the opportunity to meet with several non-profit organizations in the county that provide support for issues such as education, homelessness, local arts, etc. For this program, we're required to complete a project requested by one such organization. Our projects were assigned this week.

My group's project involves working with an existing website designed to connect potential volunteers with volunteer opportunities in Hancock County. It's in bad shape and needs a lot of attention to bring it in line with modern usability standards (it was built back in 2004).

But, that's beside the point. I'd like to get involved with something in the community where I live. Perhaps it's time to consider volunteering at my public library.

Jungian Slip

Wow. I haven't posted since July. Bad blogger! Bad!

I'm still developing my management philosophy and reading a lot on the subject. The one that is supplying me with food for thought on my lunch break recently is A Sense of Urgency by John Kotter. This book focuses on developing and maintaining a sense of urgency in the workplace defined as "a distinctive attitude and gut-level feeling that lead people to grab opportunities and avoid hazards, to make something important happen today, and constantly shed low-priority activities to move faster and smarter, now." (from the front bookflap)

Kotter discusses four tactics to use in order fight the enemy of urgency: complacency. They are:

1. Bring the outside in
2. Behave with urgency everyday
3. Find opportunities in crises
4. Deal with NoNos

I'm not quite finished with the book, so I'll hold off on my interpretation of the tactics. I do want to mention a moment of synchronicity, though.

The definition of a sense of urgency mentions "shedding low-priority activities to move faster and smarter, now." I recently attended PLA Results Boot Camp and am reminded of our conversations on Day 3 of the experience that involved the allocation of library resources: staff, collections, technology, and facilities.

The basic message as I understood it is that we've got to stop doing the activities that are ineffective and continue to waste our resources, which is what I believe Kotter to be saying. Get rid of the "stuff" that doesn't serve your organization!

We're starting the strategic planning process I learned at Boot Camp at my library now. Our current strategic plan expires next year, and my director has given me the go ahead to begin making a case to our Board to use the Results model. This will mean a lot of changes to the way we're doing things now, but it really is exhilarating to start down the path to working "faster [more responsive?] and smarter, now."

5 Dysfunctions and Other Management Challenges

So, I finally finished Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. Here is the model, in a nutshell:

1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Results
   

Note: I put the dysfunctions in their positive forms to convey them to staff members. Meaning, these are the things you want teams to have.

1. Trust
2. Healthy Debate
3. Commitment
4. Accountability
5. Results without Ego

I'll give my take on these below.

Trust:
This is really as straightforward as it sounds. Before a team can get down to "brass tacks," its members must trust one another. I think about the lessons I've learned from working in groups, and this is so true. In my experience, I was most comfortable when I knew my group members had my back, were going to pull their weight, etc. It's a key foundation to teamwork.

Healthy Debate:
I really like the author's explanation of this one. He compares team meetings to movies. "Why do we like movies more than meetings?" He asks. "There's dramatic tension in movies," is the answer.

He goes on to explain that teams need to be able to argue passionately with each other with no fear of reprisal from other group members. If issues aren't addressed then productivity-killing frustration builds until there's a blow up of some kind. This is true in my experience, too. People have to be able get their ideas out on the table, no matter how unpopular they are. They can only do this if they trust their teammates won't maliciously attack them for it.

Commitment:
This one is also straightforward. Team members must be committed to making the team work, to solving problems, and agreeing to disagree. Lencioni is very clear on the point that it is not consensus. In fact, being committed means you must challenge ideas as they are presented.

Communication is also covered in this section. He calls it "cascading communication," and that just means that decisions are passed down through administrative channels so everyone is on the same page.

Accountability:
Again, it's a simple concept: hold people to what they say they'll do. Lencioni argues that you can't do this without dealing with the first three dysfunctions. He stresses that it's peer-to-peer accountability that is what's important, with the manager taking a back seat unless things get out of hand (people start to take criticism personally, for example, which is a sign of the second dysfunction.)

Results without Ego:
All this means is to put the needs of the team ahead of one's individual needs. For instance, if managers are working on a team, individual managers shouldn't put their own department's agenda ahead of the management team's goals. By supporting the team effort, all departments are affected positively.

I should also point out is that these "dysfunctions" kind of build on one another. In the book, it's presented graphically as a pyramid, the foundation of which is "Absence of Trust." Absence of Trust leads to "Fear of Conflict," and so on.

In Conclusion:
I really like Lencioni's approach in talking about the model. The fable was easy to follow and the steps are simple to understand and remember. I think the best thing is that he takes a common sense approach to these issues. While these concepts are not particularly complex, they provide a framework to bring honest and open communication back into the workplace.

Since I finished 5 Dysfunctions, I've become intrigued by his other books. I've not read them cover to cover, but my two favorites so far are Death by Meeting and Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars. They're very similar in style to the one I just read and have some great suggestions for combating some negative institutions of workplace culture.

One Happy Family

One thing that I became interested in when working at IUB was the topic of "management." Never in a million years did I think that I'd be inclined to read any books on the subject. Now that I'm back in it, I find myself being pulled that way again.

I browsed the shelves at Half-Price Books last night and found a good candidate to read. Patrick Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of a Team seems very appropriate to my current situation. Now, don't get me wrong. The folks at my current job are very willing to work together. However, it's been my observation that the structure to support each other in meaningful, efficient ways is lacking. I'm not accusing or judging, just observing.

What I liked after thumbing through 5 Dysfunctions is that it not only gives the "leadership fable," but it also provides the model behind it separate from the narrative, which is a presentation of information that I appreciate.

Any other suggestions on books to read? I've also heard Good to Great is another one worth checking out.

New job

So, I've been at my new job for two weeks now.

It's been a great experience, everything considered. Let me just say that my position--Chief Operating Officer--was sorely needed. I'll be creating lots of processes and procedures over the next several months, and realigning some chain-of-command issues.

I survived my first board meeting with no incident, but it got me thinking about the fact I was witnessing local government in action. Very cool.

I think the biggest challenge I face is balancing all of my new responsibilities. There is so much to do that it's tempting to work all the time by staying late, taking stuff home, and so forth. But, I really want to be intentional about role modeling behavior, so I'm resisting the urge to do that.

I feel like I've done a good job of getting to know my co-workers. I've got planning meetings set up to work on projects and update meetings to keep in touch with supervisors with regards to personnel or procedural issues. I hope these means of communication really add to the substance of what the library is good at doing already.

We'll see what this next week brings.

Not a Monkey!

I went to the zoo yesterday with John's Family and took lots of pictures. I also caught a short video of one of the koalas, too!

I had always heard that koalas are vicious animals, prone to attack, and that the way they look is extremely deceptive. After doing some research, however, and reading a few articles, it seems that's not the case at all. They actually sleep most of the time due to their diet of eucalyptus, which is extremely low in protein and other nutrients.

Management: My Philosophy

A week from today, I'll be embarking upon on my second stint as a library manager, but with much more responsibility that my last managerial role. This will be the first time I'm supervising other library professionals.

This leads me to reflect on my own management philosophy. A few years ago, maybe back in 2002, I read A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results: Fish! The book really characterizes how I feel about work. The "Fish Philosophy" is based on four principles that I completely agree with. Below is my take on them:

Choose Your Attitude

From the book: "'I realize now that my grandmother didn't love dishwashing. She brought love to dishwashing, and her spirit was infectious.'"

My take: While you can't always choose your work, the main message of this principle is to choose the attitude you bring into your work. I care about how people experience the work environment, and it really bums me out when people aren't happy on the job. I think it's very important that leaders role model an attitude that helps others feel better about the jobs they're doing. We may not always like the job, but if we bring a positive attitude into a job, it's bound to provide a better experience for everyone involved.

Play

From the book: "'. . . we discovered we could be serious about business and still have fun with the way we conducted business.'"

My take: Yes! Several people have written about "play" as being a key component of the Library 2.0 phenomenon.

In my opinion, it's so important that work be approached not only with a healthy sense of humor, but with the freedom to play. Lifelong learning involves being inquisitive about the world around you. How cool is it to have the time to investigate new tools and their application toward the work you do? Wouldn't it be great to brainstorm off-the-wall solutions to problems with no fear of looking silly or being taken less seriously? That's the kind of environment I hope to foster in my new job.

Make Their Day

From the book: "'We look for as many ways as we can to create great memories. And we create great memories whenever we make someone's day. The playful way we do our work allows us to find creative ways to engage our customers. That's the key word: engage.'"

My take: Creating great memories for our users. Wow. We all know good customer service when we experience it, and that's what keeps me returning to service providers again and again. This is what I want not only for our users, but for employees as well. I want to make sure employees are able to leave work with great memories. Folks work hard and need to be engaged in their jobs or the quality suffers.

Be Present

From the book: "'The problem was they were having a good time with each other, not me. . . . They weren't present and focused on me, the customer.'"

My take: Creating an environment in which employees can have fun, be engaged in their work, and provide excellent customer service takes balance. If we become too wrapped up in our own good time, then areas of service get neglected. Being aware of our users' needs, especially when they're standing in front of us, is top priority. Likewise, as a supervisor I need to be aware of the concerns and needs of employees.

Canal Daze

Yesterday, John and I went to the canal at White River State Park. We rented bikes and rode past the zoo, across the river, around the canal, then met some friends at Henry's on East. The 500 Festival Parade was just ending, so there were lots of people in the neighborhood. After that, we happened to run into some friends and went to the the Rathskeller Biergarten.

All in all, it was a great day, even if I did get a sunburn :/

In about a week, I start my new job at the Hancock County Public Library. I'm so excited, because I started a wiki to organize my thoughts and shared it with my new boss. She responded to say it's the first time she's ever used a wiki before, but thought it would be a great communication tool. That made my day, and I haven't even officially started work there!

Perhaps once I get settled in, I can talk to the IT Manager to see about setting up an internal wiki.

Anyway, have a great holiday, everyone. Enjoy the race, if that's your thing :)