| Volume 3, No. 12 • December 2006
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I want to be in the Spotlight!
Ignored Too Long: The Benefits of Managing an Academic Library with a Union
By John Buschman, Steve LaBash, and Dorothy Warner
(This article is adapted from the program sponsored by American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) at the American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans on June 25, 2006. This article does not explicitly speak for the author’s employers, employees or coworkers.) This article, like the panel, strives to change the approach to managing an academic library with a union. This topic is usually discussed behind closed doors, and we hope to strip away some of the myths and misconceptions of managing in a unionized environment.
This article will be published in three parts. Each installment will feature real-life examples, and it will also offer strategies for effectively managing a unionized environment. Though this article focuses on academic libraries, the principles may apply in other library types. Part I discusses ethical management of unionized workplaces. Part II describes the rights and responsibilities of librarians who are university faculty; it will also provide examples of how the union can support library faculty. Part III portrays a “nightmare scenario” in which an employee has been dismissed for what appears to be likely cause. After examining two sides of the story, readers will understand that fault is not so easily applied.
Part I:
Unions and Good Management Practices: Or, Why I Can't Be Arbitrary and Capricious MORE
Two Strong Supporters of ALA-APA Elected as New York Local 1930 Officers
Members of the Local 1930, the New York Public Library Guild, DC 37, AFSCME elected Carol Thomas as President and Nina Manning as Treasurer on December 4, 2006. Carol and Nina are long-standing, active members of the ALA-APA Standing Committee of the Salaries and Status of Library Workers. Also elected were Louise Stamp as Vice President and Jean Peterson as Secretary. The new officers face substantial battles over retroactive pay raises and educational benefits. MORE
Merced City (CA) School District May Cut Librarians
By Doane Yawger, The Merced Sun-Star [CA], November 8, 2006
A cry of “Save the library media teachers” went up at the Luther Burbank School cafeteria as cutting librarians was proposed to ensure that district employees received a promised 8.4 percent raise. Ruth Fromson, a first-grade teacher, asked, “What’s the sense of cutting the No. 1 person responsible for literacy? Please reconsider.” MORE
I want to write about Career Advancement!
Once Bitten: How I Found the Career I Never Knew I Wanted, or A Tale of How Charm and Agreeability Led to Career Growth
By Christopher Shaffer
I probably graduated college at too early an age; I was 20 years old and very impressed with myself. While my friends were going through graduation ceremonies, I was vacationing in Venice, fresh from completing a study program Auburn University offered in Mannheim, Germany. Being youthful and innocent, I had chosen history as my major. The plethora of jobs awaiting a recent liberal arts graduate that had been promised me by several professors never materialized, and I quickly found myself back in school for teacher certification. Over the next ten years I taught history at both the high school and middle school level, and on two occasions I also taught English as a Second Language in Slovakia. Along the way I picked up a Master’s degree in Education and a Specialist degree in Educational Administration.
Perhaps I had tired of teaching, or maybe I had grown disillusioned. Then again, maybe I realized—after being bitten while breaking up a fight—that I would not survive another twenty years in public education. It was at this point that my mother suggested I consider going back to school to pursue a degree in library science.
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I want to write about Certification!
Is This Your Story? If So, Consider Certification
The Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) Program has candidates just like you, whether you’ve had three or thirty years of management experience, love continuing education or do it because you know you must to advance, live in a small town or a large city. If you identify with one of these stories, consider applying to become a candidate of the CPLA program before January 5, 2007—www.ala-apa.org/certification/cpla.html. If you have a different story, consider applying so that you can inspire others.
I was hired directly out of Library School by the City of Duncan to be groomed as their Library Director. Wendy Allen, Roanoke Public Library, VA
I feel unprepared in some key areas of directorship, such as budgeting and facility management, and this is why I am excited and would greatly benefit from the Certified Public Library Administrator Program. Jennifer Plohr, Ela Area Public Library District , IL
It has been 25 years since I graduated from library school. Lois Blythe, Burlington Public Library, VT
I seek to give my experience professionally recognized depth and the physical validation of a title. Patricia Linville, City of Seward, AK
I would also like to be able to contribute to the library profession. Suzanne Cline, Amos Memorial Public Library, OH
My career goal [is] to strive to offer new services to meet the continually shifting needs of today's highly educated and motivated public. Debra Czarnik, Lee County Library System, FL
Although I began my career in Medical Libraries, it was in public libraries that I found professional and personal fulfillment. Janice Fisher, Riverside Public Library, IL
'My director has stated that she will be retiring in three years. She looks at me to follow her. June Kruer, Charlestown-Clark County Public Library, IN
I believe the mission and vision of any organization should inspire and energize those who work in it. Karen Mahnk, Town of Lake Park Library, FL
I believe CPLA certification will give me a competitive edge in the job market. Mary Medjo Me Zengue, Addison Public Library, IL
This town never had a library before. Amy Neilson, Exeter Public Library, RI MORE
I want to write about HR Law!
The New EEO-1
By Dorothy Ragsdale
Effective September 2007, certain employers and federal contractors are required to submit an EEO-1 report on annual basis. Employers with 100 or more workers, and federal contractors with 50 or more employees and $50,000 or more in government contracts, will submit the report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission each September. The EEO-1 is a snapshot of the workforce at a point in time.
The EEO amended its form for the first time in 39 years. These changes were implemented to reflect demographic changes in society. MORE
I want to write about HR Practice!
Ask the ALA-APA WorkLife COACH!
Dear Coach…
I am concerned that my current supervisor’s expectations of me are very different than the job description she gave me when I moved into this job 2 years ago. I don’t really object to the new responsibilities and, actually, they make my job more interesting. Should I be concerned about my regular job duties being so different from my job description? Janet
Dear Janet,
This is a very common concern these days!
MORE
New Health Care Fact Sheet from the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
This Fact Sheet provides a portrait of the uninsured in America and puts the US health care system in international perspective. MORE
[Editor's Note: In the last issue, the quote from an academic librarian in Mind Your Manners: Courtesy Important For Employers As Well As Employees, by Christine Martin, should have been attributed to Sarah Roy.]
I want to write about Recruitment!
Recruitment Lessons
Grow Your Own Stellar Librarian
An Interview with 2005 New York Times Librarian Award winner Susan Simpson, Albany County Public Library, Laramie, WY
Interview conducted by A.C. Hawley
What brought you to Librarianship?
I was geographically bound (which meant job opportunities were limited), had worked in a library before, loved to read, and wanted to be in a service profession. I attended graduate school outside the state and returned home to find a job in our local public library. I have been here ever since, though the work place has changed considerably.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
It’s hard to identify just one aspect. I work with a great group of skilled, dedicated librarians and volunteers. I love working with the public. I like learning new skills—when I first came here over 25 years ago, there were no PCs. I like solving problems and making a difference in people’s lives. MORE |
Take a Chance on Someone with Passion for the Work!
An Interview with 2005 New York Times Librarian Award winner Steven G. Fullwood, Manuscripts Librarian, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, NY
Interview conducted by A.C. Hawley
What brought you to Librarianship?
Like many people I know, I fell into librarianship. In 1992, I was poised to graduate with a BA in Communications and English from the University of Toledo. I had been offered an entry-level position as production assistant at a local television station. Having been an intern for that very station, I knew didn’t like the job (in fact, I hated it), but at that point I had no other prospects. The very day I was going to be hired (the interview was a formality), my boss’s wife went into labor, and as a result the interview was cancelled. I left the station and went to the local library where I discovered that there was a job opening for a children’s librarian at the library I attended as a child. I immediately applied for the position, and although I didn’t have strong background in children’s literature, my energy and enthusiasm bowled over my interviewers (four serious women). MORE |
I want to write about Salaries & Pay Equity!
High Library Administration Salaries Reported in NYT
On November 19, 2006, New York Times readers learned that several New York Public Library administrators earn mid- and high-six-figure salaries. Serge F. Kovaleski’s article “New York Library Officials’ Pay? Shhh” points out that the compensation for chief executive might raise eyebrows ... MORE
A Few Easy Steps to Unionizing Libraries
By A.C. Hawley
Libraries are an important component of the American intellectual landscape. Without librarians and libraries, professors could not write, students could not learn, and Americans could not keep themselves informed. As essential as libraries are to the spread of information and the creation of an informed populace, librarians and the support staff that help to maintain them are paid very poorly. MORE
Have you been part of a union formation? What have you learned? Tell us your story.
I want to write about Support Staff!
Library Journal Seeks Paraprofessional of the Year Nominees
Library Journal will honor one support staffer with its eighth annual Paraprofessional of the Year award in its March 1, 2007, issue. The award is sponsored by Brodart Library Supplies & Furnishings, which underwrites the $1500 cash prize and a reception to honor the winner at the American Library Association conference in June. The Paraprofessional of the Year award recognizes the essential role of paraprofessionals, now the largest constituency of library workers, in providing excellent library service. It places special emphasis on the efforts of the winner to further the role of paraprofessionals in the library profession. The winner will be profiled in the March 1 issue of LJ.
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I want to write about Work/Life!
Legislation And Advocacy ... What Could Be More Not My Job!
Denise Zielinski
Perhaps you recognize yourself as one of these library staffers:
Are you the one that checks in and out the materials, greets the customers, and nicely asks for those lost materials or late fees? No? How about the librarian that answers questions about the smallest invertebrate on the continent of Asia, the latest information on a favorite stock or company, or how to locate information on where the first explorer landed in the wilds of Africa? Perhaps you are the shelver who puts the materials back on the shelving. Still not you? Then you must be one of the many individuals involved in ordering, cataloging, and processing materials.
“Yes,” you say, “one of those jobs is what I do at the library. But what does my position have to do with legislation and advocacy?” I say, “Everything!” MORE |
