Specifics of Management in Libraries - Coursework Example

Managing the Library and its Staff Managing the Library and its Staff Introduction The library is primarily a repository of knowledge compiled in various formats. While the library traditionally caters to hard copies of publications and published materials (e.g. books, magazines, journals), ongoing changes in technology allowed the publication of materials in soft copies in newer media (e.g. CD, DVD) and formats (e.g. MPEG, JPEG, other digital applications). Despite the rise of alternative sources of information on the internet, the library remains as the authority repository of information (Adamson et al. 2008). The internet offers numerous types of information but still, many of them cannot be verified or has not passed critical academic review that would be valuable for the academe. The library has to cope up with these technological changes. Indexing or cataloguing of references need not be prepared only in index cards but in digital formats as well that can be accessed not only at site but also even at home. OPAC or Online Public Access Catalog enables users to access bibliographic list of a library online (Smith 2005). It is not uncommon that many hard copies of published materials are also published in digital formats. Moreover, libraries exert effort to convert hard copies into digital formats for preservation and posterity, as well as facilitate access by users. Despite the onset of alternative libraries in cyberspace or home libraries in digital formats (e.g. CD, DVD), the traditional institution of the library and librarians will remain important in the academic sphere (The three 2010). However, to maintain the importance of the library, the librarians themselves must be fully equipped to deliver the appropriate services to the users. The librarians should be instilled with the knowledge on the technological developments and skills. Managing the Library To have an efficient library, the staff must be properly managed. A library usually survives on a limited budget, with a larger percentage to be allotted to acquisition of materials. The budget must be considered in order to properly manage the whole system. The complement includes the administrative personnel, the frontline staff and technical services. The technical personnel work “behind the scenes” and consist of the “selection, acquisition, cataloguing, classification, typing, binding, conservation, and related services” (Nwalo 2003, cited in Oyelude & Ola 2008, para. 1). Budget cuts can result to reduction in library hours, or decrease in the number of personnel, acquisition of materials, and the needed training of personnel. An annual expenditure for print and electronic resources falls above £500,000 with around £50,000 to £250,000 of the amount used for library management systems (Adamson et al. 2008). Generally, all libraries are managed in much the same manner. The difference may lie on the type of library and user it wishes to serve. A public library is funded by the government and caters to both young and old (The three 2010). It provides varied resources from fiction to reference materials and other media (The three 2010). It is open during regular working hours. Academic libraries are found inside schools and research institutions and serve the teaching and learning communities (The three 2010). It serves the community at extended time to service students and even for 24 hours a day during peak periods of the term (The three 2010). A special library serves a particular institution such as a hospital, law firm or company (The three 2010). In managing a digital library, the following factors must be considered: a) organisation (includes the mission of the organisation and content of the library), b) governance and accountability (management of the organisation in support of the repository, accountability to users and publishers), c) content (critical characteristics of the content, extent and scope), d) ingestion (revealing the reformatting or normalization of content to simplify complex formats as created by the publisher, reformatting may change clarity and appearance), e) technical systems and data security (assure stability of the technical infrastructure, includes authentication and usability with complex formats), f) cost structure and distribution (choosing a structure for the repository that considers the expenditure in setting up the system and maintenance, user subscription and publisher support must also be considered), g) rights (disclosure of documentation of rights, failure to deliver content as when publisher withholds use of content), and h) results and outputs (stability of the organisation and reliability of repository are good indicators of performance, effective content preservation ensures longevity and persistence) (General Factors n.d.). Library management software has become a necessity in managing library resources in conjunction with the rise of new technologies and sources of information (Adamson et al. 2008, p. 8). Thus, the computer technology through the intranet (for internal search of materials) and internet (for access by users even when outside the library) has been adopted by libraries. Software vendors offer updated systems for better management of resources as well as user interface and interaction. Curzon (2009) advised that cutback in budget should never hinder or stop the outreach programme of the library. Outreach activities include being in newspapers and formation of alliances (especially those with the “most powerful voice”) (Curzon 2009, para. 3). Curzon (2009) suggests for the management to “scan the environment” in order to avoid surprises and unexpected occurrences. It is necessary to know the current priorities of the funding or parent organisation (Curzon 2009). The thoughts and ideas of the head of the locality (e.g. mayor) or superintendent should be determined early (Curzon 2009). The library does not exist in a vacuum and can be affected by political actions and decisions (Curzon 2009). Budget allocation can be affected by political decisions and economic situation. Therefore, the management should prepare alternative plans for every possible scenario that may affect the library’s operation. Larger libraries with bigger budget can afford specialisation of the staff (Curzon 2009). However, practicality dictates that the staff should be trained in the functions of other units and work in rotation in them. It may become necessary that at some time, frontline staff will be required to work in the technical services that need more manpower. The management must be flexible and proactive in determining which units in the library have less or no users at particular time and season of the year and adjust correspondingly the library hours. One unit found with no users can close down early and utilise the manpower to other functions in other units. It may also be viable to assign some staff once in a while to perform liaison functions with other organisations. Different working process and systems (Curzon 2009) must be tried by the management to fully utilise the available manpower amidst budgetary constraints. Library Needs and Development A library has to determine the “best services possible, and be willing to change to serve its customers” (Senthilvelan 2009, para. 4). The TQM or Total Quality Management framework developed by W. Edwards Deming can be applied in knowing the needs of the library (Senthilvelan 2009). Expanding on the concept, John Jay Bonstingl developed the “Four Pillars of Total Quality Management,” namely: a) synergistic relationships (identifying and focusing on customers and suppliers with emphasis on “teamwork and collaboration;” building the synergistic relationship between customer, the library users and supplier, the library; the supplier has to educate the users on how to access resources and work together for the students’ capability, interest and character development), b) continuous improvement and self evaluation (continued encouragement of others they work with for holistic improvement, self-evaluation is essential for continued development process), c) system of ongoing process (acknowledging the institution as a continuing process, identification and removal of flaws in the process for a quality product output), and d) leadership (the management has the obligation to achieve quality, librarians must set the framework for users to receive utmost benefit from the services) (Senthilvelan 2009, para. 5). Another vital need of the library is determining and acquiring only the necessary and important materials amid the continuously increasing available resources. Publishers and authors release new titles every now and then while old editions of books are being revised. Moreover, there are journals and periodicals that release publications weekly or monthly. A library might receive discounted prices for regular publications and included in the annual budget of the institution. But it might occur that some subscriptions might be discontinued for having lost their relevance in the light of the changing environment (the community), the changing mission and goal of the library (in line with the change of management or vision of the funding agency), etc. New journals should be added in addition to the books and other titles. All the acquisitions should be carefully screened and determined so that they will fall within the fiscal capacity and budget of the library. A meager budget will greatly reduce the capacity of the library to acquire necessary materials. Thus, newly published titles can be acquired in the next two to three years to the detriment of the community of users. Corollary to the limitation in the budget, the management as well as the library staff must be proactive in scouting and soliciting for publishers that provide complimentary copies of new books and titles. This approach would greatly increase the compilation of resources of the library, thus, giving the users the best services the library can offer. The leadership can also seek, whether the library is public or private, other sources of funding from the government (e.g. councils, local government), companies from specific industries (e.g. information technology, transportation), and other institutions that are willing to provide reading materials. Staff Needs and Development Continued training and skills development of library staff should be implemented in a library setting. The advocated training must be aimed at building knowledge and skills among the staff on the following in order to attain effectiveness: a) impact (in order for the staff to understand the contribution of the library to the users, community and priorities of the government, and in turn, convince the government and community to support the library), b) communication and messaging (developing messages for intended users and communicating them to the public and the government), c) networking (identifying main stakeholders and establish alliance with them), and d) attitude and self-confidence (self-confidence and the appropriate attitude to apply it) (Sawaya et al. 2009). The training methodology must be interactive and allow the participants to share experiences with each other, with trainers having expertise in different fields, and the staff be able to imbibe and practice the skills and knowledge acquired during the training (Sawaya et al. 2009). The best practice in the industry should be shared with the staff in such advocacy training (Sawaya et al. 2009). It is a common attitude among library staff to be primarily concerned with the daily tasks and duties assigned to them within the institution. The library staff, however, must begin to recognise that they are part of a larger community with stakeholders to consider. Thus, library personnel must learn to establish a network of relationships and partners to sustain government and community support to the library (Sawaya et al. 2009). Everyone, not only the leadership or management of the institution must be involved in networking and alliance-building. They should also learn to coordinate with other libraries in the territory (Sawaya et al. 2009). Just like any other employees, library staff needs emotional stability and security of tenure. Budgetary cutbacks may mean layoff of employees or non-implementation of salary increases (Curzon 2009). This could result to demoralisation among the ranks and could hinder efforts of the management to provide better service to the users. The staff must be assured that they will not lose their jobs (Curzon 2009) despite economic setback. Employees will feel the concern of the management for their welfare by such assurances and will ultimately work harder to provide better service. In this way, they will not lose emotional composure and mental stability which are necessary ingredients in the effective performance of their duties and obligations. The library setting might cause boredom among library employees. Thus, the management can set up a welfare committee that can be sourced out from the various units to plan for and create activities that would boost up the morale of the employees and break up the monotony of the work. The activities can be done for two hours after closing time, during break time (provided a skeletal force remains to man the library), or at a weekend. Awards or recognition can also be given to deserving employees (e.g. perfect attendance of the month, no tardiness, most cheerful employee, most accommodating employee). The most accommodating employee award can be voted upon by the users themselves through the feedback form. Satisfaction of User Needs Initial determination of the needs of the users will hinge upon the mission and vision of the library, and its goals and objectives. The library then will be established for a specific community of users and acquisition of resources will be tailored to such category of users. However, changes occur in the process and the environment. The library then must determine the needs of the users and one way to achieve this is by talking to the users themselves (Curzon 2009). If the library is receiving funding from a private organization, it has to make a report on its accomplishments. Part of such report is the effectiveness of the hours the library opens its services to the public. The library cannot make an accurate report if it has not conducted a survey among users on what time they would want to use the library facilities (Curzon 2009). The frontline staff can also provide valuable information on what the users tell them (Curzon 2009). The staff can also inquire from users through feedback forms or verbally what the users need from the library (Curzon 2009). Such survey can assist the management on what materials should be stopped or continued (Curzon 2009). Besides being a great PR booster that users see their contributions put into action, user inputs and “actual words . . . are a powerful marketing tool” in justifying budgetary requirements (Curzon 2009, para. 5). Library users today need immediate search and retrieval of information (Adamson et al. 2008). In order for a library to remain relevant, it must invest in computer and information technology suited to library needs and infrastructure. Many libraries already allow users to bring in their laptops as these help students in their research activities. Libraries can also rent out laptops for a fee that can be used by students only within the premises. Libraries can also sponsor seminar-workshops that would spread its importance in the community, and provide users knowledge on how to access and use library materials. But one important element in meeting the needs of the users is the attitude or character of the staff. The staff should be helpful and approachable. The user must feel that the staff truly wants to assist him/her. An indifferent and bored staff cannot in any way help a user and most probably, will be avoided by people. Conclusion The library needs to establish a unit within the library that would look into the needs and deficiencies of the staff that require improvement. The library is a dynamic environment and must change with the community that it is found. While its original mission and goals need not change, the process it undergoes or procedure it follows might necessitate changes in order to be more efficient and effective in providing services to its users. This is especially true with the onset of computer and technological developments. For instance, searching for resources using the card catalogues might no longer be viable in this fast-paced environment, much more that software applications are already available for this particular usage. While index cards in cataloguing are still used in many Third World and Developing Countries, it is no longer practical to use in advanced western countries where time is crucial in research. The library must continually serve the needs of the users and the management to consider the needs of the staff. In this way, the library can provide better services that cater to the needs of the users. Otherwise, it will lose its relevance in the community that will lead to its closure and funding support. The staff is the backbone of the library and only the contented and highly-spirited employees can render service effectively and without reserve. References Adamson V, Bacsich V, Chad K, Kay D, & Plenderleith J, March 2008. Sero: Catalyst for Change. Consulting Ltd with Glenaffric Ltd and Ken Chad Consulting Ltd. Available from: . [Accessed 21 March 2010]. Curzon SC, 2009 January 4. Director-to-director Guidance on How to Cope with More Budget Shortfalls. Library Journal. Available from: . [Accessed 21 March 2010]. General Factors to Consider in Evaluating Digital Repositories. n.d. Center for Research Libraries. Global Resources Network. Available from: . [Accessed 21 March 2010]. The three main types of library. 2010. Available from: . [Accessed 21 March 2010]. Oyelude AA & Ola CO, 2008. Budgeting for Library Technical Services in an Electronic Age. Available from: . [Accessed 21 March 2010]. Sawaya J, Grecu M, Paberza K, Pacheco P, & Southard G, 2009 July 14. Building library staff capacity to advocate successfully leads to sustainable libraries. Available from: . [Accessed 22 March 2010]. Senthilvelan M, 2009 December 27. Total Quality Management in Libraries. International Falls Library Journal. Available from: . [Accessed 23 March 2010]. Smith S, 2005 April 1. OPAC. Available from: . [Accessed 21 March 2010]. Read More