An Introduction To Staff Development In Academic Libraries

Elizabeth Connor

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781135694692
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Métodos de enseñanza de la educación

An indispensable resource for librarians of all roles, the case studies in An Introduction to Staff Development in Academic Libraries demonstrate the necessity and value of integrating the library's mission statement and strategic plan with bold approaches to staff orientation, training, mentoring, and development.

1 Welcome! Creating an Effective New Employee Orientation Program atKansas State Libraries

Donna F. Ekart, Jennifer Heikkila Furrey,
and Ellen R. Urton

Introduction

Investment in individual success is essential to the health of any organization regardless of size, type, or mission. When a person enters a new job, the earliest days and weeks provide an opportune time to lay the groundwork for eventual success; thus, working as an organization to ensure that new employees feel welcome should be a top priority. By taking the time to properly acculturate an incoming hire to the work environment, the organization provides the tools not only for his or her daily tasks but also for career achievements and contributions to the organization. Having invested time, energy, money, and forward planning into hiring employees, it is vital to sustain this investment with equal orientation resources, and take care in preparing for a new employee’s first day on the job. In return, the organization will benefit from a workforce that is motivated, well informed, and communally invested in accomplishing even the largest of goals. Kansas State Libraries (KSL) is one such organization, committed to making a strong initial investment in its new employees through development of a new employee orientation program. Designed and implemented by three current employees who sought to address some of the unique needs of the organization, KSL’s program stands out as a simple and effective orientation plan that increases communication, strengthens the organization’s identity, and should ultimately improve retention rates.

This orientation program provides early support, guidance, and the basic tools necessary to strengthen the foundation upon which new hires build their careers. The program’s aims were to establish a consistent, organization-wide orientation program that would:

• organize essential tasks and package fundamental information for both new employees and their supervisors;
• encourage employee support and connections beyond their immediate work area;
• promote a holistic perspective on the organization;
• help the employee place himself or herself in the context of the organization;
• offer a polished end product that still allows for customization.

Many of the aims flowed from the transitional era at KSL into which the orientation program was introduced.

Setting

Located in the town of Manhattan, Kansas State University had a 2006 enrollment of more than 23,000 students. The Libraries are comprised of a main library (Hale) and five branch libraries: Fiedler Engineering Library, Math/Physics Library, Paul Weigel Library of Architecture Planning and Design, Veterinary Medicine Library, and K-State at Salina Library. Print holdings total more than 1.8 million volumes, over three million government documents, and more than 2.5 million microforms. Electronic subscriptions total more than 12,000 titles. The Libraries employ approximately 125 non-student staff, the majority of whom work in Hale Library. Departments are spread throughout Hale’s 550,000 square feet and across six floors; the building’s design limits interaction among units and departments. Partly due to the challenges created by lack of proximity, the organization continually struggles to optimize effective and efficient communication.

When KSL’s orientation program was developed, the organization had recently entered a period of substantial transition. The arrival of a new Dean of Libraries prompted a redesign of the organizational structure, and KSL began a shift from an administrative body consisting of one dean and three interim associate deans to a more flattened structure. This opened the culture to some innovative approaches to shaping the future. With the reorganization, KSL found itself in the interesting position of initiating a hiring boom while simultaneously vacating the Director of Human Resources position. These two factors threatened to leave a large group of new employees adrift without formal guidance. With the hiring boom reaching nearly every department and unit, the organization as a whole was affected by the leadership void. Several supervisors were newly appointed with the redesign, and many of those with experience had not needed to train a new employee for years. Deciding to embrace the new organizational Zeitgeist and initiate change from a lower level, an ad hoc task force of three staff members stepped forward to create, implement, and manage a new employee orientation program until a human resources director could be hired.

Literature Review

Looking to the literature, much exists regarding employee orientation in academic libraries. In his mock memo piece, Schott highlights how not to treat new hires. Schott advises against overwhelming individuals with too much highly detailed information too quickly, unreasonable expectations, intimidating tasks, cumbersome bureaucracy, or the “sink or swim” approach to professional success.¹ In accordance with Schott’s position, KSL’s program provides a balanced, gradual transition over a reasonable period of time with sufficient personal attention and assistance along the way.

Mossman speaks to similar sensitive concerns by summarizing how a real-life orientation for NextGen librarians can help individuals “avoid trauma.”² Bird recommends that library managers actively support “newer librarians by providing them with the experience and training needed to become the next generation of managers and leaders.”³ Weingart, Kochan, and Hedrich outline the myriad ways by which an orientation mechanism strengthens the business of academic librarianship.⁴ In contrast, KSL’s program developed from personal experiences and compassionate insight, rather than specific knowledge or understanding of business matters related to the high cost of employee turnover. These various discussions focus on individuals who hold an MLS or other advanced degree whereas KSL’s program applies to all new employees regardless of rank or title. In addition, other orientation schemes tend to center on the specifics of daily job performance expectations, while KSL’s program seeks to establish fundamental feelings of comfort and familiarity for both the new employee and his or her colleagues.

Many orientation discussions limit focus to a particular category of employee, type of library, or specific proficiency required of everyone regardless of unique job duties. Recognizing the inherent value and indispensable function...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Figures
• Tables
• Contributors
• Preface
• 1 Welcome! Creating an Effective New Employee Orientation Program at Kansas State Libraries
• 2 Improve Your Circulation: Does Your Library Have a Family History of Poor Service? Staff Development at Small Town University
• 3 Library Techno Day at College of St. Catherine Libraries
• 4 Formalizing Staff Development from Inception to Implementation at University of Central Florida Libraries
• 5 Supporting a Culture of Library Research at the University of Washington at Seattle
• 6 Developing Library Professionals in a Multi-disciplinary Support Environment at the University of Cumbria
• 7 Using Grant Funds to Bring Continuing Education Workshops to Central Pennsylvania
• 8 Integrating Electronic Notebooks in Daily Work at Wayne State University
• 9 Mission Possible: A Retreat to Prepare Librarians to Infiltrate Upper-level Curricula at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• 10 How to Survive Your First Term as Team Leader: A One-day Boot Camp at the Purdue University Libraries
• 11 Using Data Analysis Techniques to Focus Academic Librarian Training at Wayne State University
• 12 You Came for the Snacks, But What Have You Learned? Evaluation of a Staff Learning Program at the University of Maryland Libraries
• 13 Course Management Systems for Staff Development at Pennsylvania State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies
• Exercises