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REMINDER: Organizational members, please forward issues of LW to your colleagues. Thank you.
I want to be in the Spotlight!
Moving the Cheese
The Critical Approach to Thinking about Change
By Rory Litwin
Many people think of change as being a natural force, like a river or stream that flows where it is going to flow regardless of what we do. By this way of looking at it, our task in moving into the future is to “adapt to change,” to move with the river rather than trying to stand against it—being an implementer (of changes which are taken to be inevitable) rather than a stick in the mud. MORE
Conference Funding Opportunities
Searching for funding to attend a conference? Start now. It may take a bit of sleuthing and time to find travel funds. Try a variety of keywords, as well, if you’re searching through books or databases of grants, such as professional development, conference, continuing education, etc. and funding, grant, scholarship, funding, etc. Here are four sources of funding, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Ask your state and local library associations if they supply funding for state or national conferences. You might also find funding from a non-library organization that supports professional development. MORE
Maine Libraries May be Affected by Proposed Tax Cap
The Maine Library Association affirms the importance of meaningful property tax reform. The Maine Taxpayers’ Action Network resolution would have numerous unintended consequences, including the devastation and even elimination of many publicly funded local Maine libraries. The Maine Library Association vigorously opposes its passage. MORE
Balancing the Books
By Elysha Tenenbaum
A plunge in state funding for UC Berkeley’s library could jeopardize its top-notch standing, after two years of heavy cuts has lead to tight staffing, shorter reference hours and slower service.
Assistants are up to their necks in unshelved books, and fewer staff members are available to assist students in navigating library resources. MORE
I want to write about Career Advancement!
How Mentoring in the Library Profession May Help You
By Cecile Bianco
Mentoring is usually thought of as an older, seasoned worker helping a new worker to learn the ropes. The term comes from a story in Greek mythology: Telemachus, the timid son of Odysseus, was assigned a guide to help him through difficult times. The guide’s name was Mentor, and could appear in human form or in the form of the Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The concept stated to receive increased attention in the American business world in the 1980s and 1990s and has really taken off in recent years. In the classical sense, the person being mentored was called the protégé and the relationship between the two was long-term, perhaps for life. In the modern world, this has metamorphosed into short-term and situational mentoring. The person being mentored is often called the "mentee." MORE
I want to write about Certification!
A Public Library Administration Program That Works
By Jerry Nichols
The recent PLA and ALA-APA discussions regarding the need for quality continuing education in the area of public library administration and management has generated considerable interest throughout the profession and unearthed at least one post-MLS management program that has proven successful over a period of time. This Public Library Administration Certificate Program, offered by the Palmer School of Library and Information Science of Long Island University (palmer@cwpost.liu.edu), is the result of an eight-year effort by regional library administrators and organizations to develop a meaningful educational experience for the next generation of public library leaders. The continued success and growth of this program is a direct result of four factors: content, cost, recognition and reward. MORE
I want to write about HR Practice!
The Case for Job Descriptions
By Paula Singer, Ph.D. and Linda Goldberg, SPHR, CCP
Imagine yourself , set to build your dream house; the chance of a lifetime, coming true! Whatever you design, it will be built! In a terrible hurry, you bring in Acme Contractors, the first listing in the phone book, and show them your lot. They ask, "What do you have in mind?" Your not-so-well-thought-out answer, "Four walls and a roof." And throw in some plumbing for good measure." With instructions like that, you would most likely deserve what was delivered, if indeed it ever gets built. MORE
I want to write about Recruitment!
ALA Library Career Recruitment Forum
Looking for Fresh Ideas to Recruit New People to Library Careers?
Come to the ALA Library Career Recruitment Forum on January 14, 2005, at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston!
Everyone is talking about recruitment. How will the library profession replace the retiring leadership and welcome the next generation? The Forum will provide a day of sharing, new ideas, practical information, and enthusiasm. The goal of the Forum is to build on best practices and inspire new library career recruitment initiatives. MORE
I want to write about Salaries & Pay Equity!
Top Ten Ways to Get Involved with the ALA-Allied Professional Association
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Sign up for membership on one of the subcommittees of the Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers.
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Subscribe to the newsletter, Library Worklife: HR E-News for Today’s Leaders. MORE
I want to write about Support Staff!
Library Support Staff and Diversity
By Cristina Hernandez
The American Library Association designated diversity and the recruitment of a diverse workforce as a key action area in 1997. At that time, diversity became one of five “guiding principles for investment of energies and resources.” Since then, recruitment efforts on the national and local levels have successfully attracted minorities to the profession. Having ethnically diverse MLIS-degreed librarians is essential to the equitable development of programs, collections and services. The Office for Diversity’s Web page best explains the importance of a diverse workforce: “Library patrons ... need to see themselves when they walk into the library. They need to see themselves in the displays, collections, websites, and staff, because to see yourself is the first human connection, the first human invitation to become a lifelong user of libraries.” MORE
I want to write about Work/Life!
Going That Extra Mile
By Mickey Burns
Mickey Burns taught a large group of Ohio Library Support Staff Institute (OLSSI) participants what it means to go that extra mile in their work. He declared, "If you’re working for 5:00 pm, find another job. Get happy or get gone!" He proceeded to tell us how to do figure out if we can get happy where we are or whether we need to get out. Not surprising to him, many of us have the resources to bring us happiness where we are working now, if we look for them. Happiness influences our ability and desire to "go the extra mile" for ourselves and for others. MORE
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