SHARED LEADERSHIP TEAM
The Shared Leadership Team convened on Thursday, July 17th, with the aim of designing inclusive processes for moving the organization forward over the next few months. Members will initially focus on advancement of the library’s strategic planning initiative.
Outcomes of the bi-weekly meetings will be disseminated by team members and also published in News @ 1100 (formerly Scuttlebutt). So, for more information, contact the team, which includes:
Mary Somerville, University Librarian/Library Director
Cynthia Hashert, Interim Associate Director
Ellen Greenblatt, Associate Director
Catherine Ostrander, Head, Library Community Relations
Marical Farner, Human Resources Manager
Debra Buck, Financial Services Manager
Louise Treff-Gangler, Head, Reference, Instruction, Government Publications
Judith Valdez, Head, Reserves, Media and Video
Meg Brown-Sica, Coordinator, Systems
Jeffrey Beall, Interim Head of Cataloging
Becky Robinson, Facilities Manager
Ellen Metter, Bibliographer
Denise Pan, Electronic Resources and Serials Librarian
Chris Reinhart, Acquisitions
Lorrie Evans, Head of Instruction
Vicki Britto, Head of Periodicals
Evelyn Jamerino, Head of Circulation/Shelving/ILL
Vera Gao, Cataloging Librarian
Marit Taylor, Cataloging/Reference/Government Documents Librarian
Rosemary Evetts, Archivist
Eric Baker, Reference and Instruction Librarian
Nina McHale, Web Librarian
Mary Dodge, note taker
For more information regarding this leadership style feel free to contact Mary D. for a copy of an article, “A New Leadership Paradigm: Empowering Library Staff and Improving Performance” by Maureen Sullivan.
LIBRARY BUDGET
When the strategic plan is completed in mid September, the Shared Leadership Team will recommend how best to use library resources, including space, budget, and vacancies. In order to ensure that budget priorities are in alignment with strategic goals, no new personnel actions will occur until after the strategic planning process is completed.
APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY DISCUSSIONS
Mary Somerville wishes to learn more about faculty and staff expertise and interests. These ‘appreciative inquiry’ discussions will explore what has worked in the past and what works in the present, with the aim of building this into our organizational future. Please contact Mary Dodge to arrange a date and time for your meeting with Mary S.
Here is a list of questions to focus this conversation about your work in the library:
1. What are your strengths? What is your value to the organization? How do you contribute?
2. What do you appreciate most about the Auraria Library? In what ways does the library excel?
3. What are your hopes and dreams for the library in the future? How do you see yourself contributing to these achievements?
4. Recall a situation in this library when you worked well as a member of a team. Describe the experience. What made this successful?
5. Describe a leader who has influenced you. How did that person interact with you? Describe some specific instances in which you experienced his or her leadership influence.
LIBRARY WORKFLOW ANALYSIS
R2 Consulting LLC (R2) will perform an objective analysis of the selection to access workflows used at Auraria Library, including collection management, acquisitions, and cataloging activities with regard to both print and electronic resources. R2 will initially seek to understand the current situation from all points of view and then make recommendations based on its own experience and observed best practices in other academic libraries. The overall goal is to increase workflow efficiencies to such an extent that the Library has significantly greater capacity to manage and integrate electronic resources, to align staff efforts with patron demand, and to advance progress on other high priority projects.
Working with bibliographers, acquisitions, serials, cataloging, systems, physical processing, electronic resources, archives, and government publications staff members, R2 will seek to understand the full range of processes and procedures used by the Library. Information gathering and interviews will include all management and staff (either individually or in small groups) involved in selecting, budgeting, acquiring, cataloging, binding and marking, systems, and managing electronic resources in the included libraries.
In addition, R2 will interview at least one representative from Circulation, Information Delivery/Interlibrary Loan, Periodicals, Reference, Reserves and Video, and other “customers” of collections/technical services. However, further analysis of public service units outside the context of selection to access is out of the scope of this project.
R2 will then analyze the effectiveness of the current workflows, priorities, and policies; and recommend possible changes that are intended improve operational and organizational efficiencies and help the Library align its services with wider strategic planning efforts to create a University for the 21st Century. The changes recommended will reflect a “best practices” approach for each element of the workflow, in light of current and planned capabilities of the Library’s Millennium ILS, relevant book, A-V, and serial vendor services and systems, bibliographic utilities, branch library dependencies, consortial relationships, and existing library staff and culture.
Recommendations may include process redesign, adoption of third-party services, modified service expectations, implementation of key measures for productivity, systematic quality controls, goals for selection to shelf timeframes, and other ideas that reflect a business-oriented approach to the workflows. It is conceivable that recommended workflow changes might suggest some revision of job descriptions, organizational structure, and communication patterns.
Tentative Timeline
Wk of Aug 11, 2008 R2 onsite at the Library
September 8, 2008 Draft report submitted
September 12, 2008 Conference call to discuss draft
Wk of Sept 22, 2008 Return visit to present recommendations
These recommendations will also inform assessment of public services operations and priorities, in the light of the finalized library strategic plan.
ERGONOMIC WORK AREA EVALUATION
Starting on July 30th, Becky Robinson and Marical Farner will be conducting ergonomic evaluations for everyone in the library. They will do this every Wednesday until the job is done which could take anywhere from 4 - 8 weeks depending on time needed per evaluation; it is estimated that it will take one half-hour to 45 minutes per workstation. These evaluations will require that the employee be present so if you know you won't be available on Wednesdays or at specific times, please contact Marical to schedule a specific appointments. Also, contact Marical to schedule a specific appointment if you are in pain or feel that your situation requires immediate attention.
