In-Basket Exercise ILS 565 Library Management Sharon M.

Foster 18 November 2007 Overall Approach and Rationale Problems such as non-functioning toilets and computers require immediate attention. The issues being raised by Hector--budget, ethics, and safety--are also urgent, but do not immediately impact the daily functioning of the library. Ethics problems should be addressed to the entire staff. From the overall sound of things, it appears that either there are several policies that are too vague to enforce, or else the staff is not aware of what the policies say. Either some policies need to be rewritten, or some staff members need to have the policies brought to their attention, or both. Communication 1: Late Employee Email to Al: Thank you for your email. Its clear from the problems that you describe that the attendance policies need to be reviewed, and possibly need to be clarified or rewritten. We will review the existing policies at the next staff meeting. Rationale: What exactly does the staff policy on attendance say? If it's that vague, then it's pretty useless. Does every staff member have a copy, or have access to an electronic copy? Is there a copy posted in the staff room or (better yet) the staff wiki? If not, the next staff meeting would be a good time to bring this up. This can wait until the staff meeting. Communication 2: Financial malfeasance Call to Hector: Thank you for the heads-up. I have already scheduled a staff meeting for this Wednesday, and we will be reviewing several topics, including Internet abuse. Rationale: It's too late to prevent any abuses that may have already taken place, I don't know what the scope of a possible audit might be in terms of how far back in time it could reach, and I'm not going to erase or falsify existing records. At this point I can only prevent abuses going forward. Communication 3: The Technical Services position Email to Merle and members of the Search & Screen Committee: Thank you very much for your time and efforts in our search for a new head of Technical Services. As you know, the town's hiring process has come under close scrutiny in recent years, and has been updated within the past year. I gave a copy of it to each person on the committee when we began our search. The job posting was clear and unambiguous about the education and experience required for the position. We are allowed to consider candidates with less experience, or candidates nearing the completion of the advanced degree, if they have other abilities and experience that may substitute, and we included Ms. Scronski in the candidate pool for that reason. However, all other things being equal, we are bound by the hiring process to select the candidate who meets or exceeds the stated requirements. I will take your recommendation into account when I make my decision, which will be announced by the end of this week. I will ask Diane to schedule a wrap-up meeting for us for Thursday. Rationale: I'm sure I was very clear on the role of the Search & Screen Committee. I made sure that each member of the committee had a copy of the committee's duties and responsibilities. It's very unfortunate that they sent me this memo, because it's clear from the memo that at least one or more people on the committee are personal friends of Jane Anne or her family. The department head position is full-time and comes with full benefits, and I would be hard pressed to hire Jane Anne now even if I wanted to, for fear that it would give the impression that the library is a place that hands out patronage jobs to friends and relatives. The S&S committee has really backed me into a corner, and I will explain this to them in person on Thursday in an effort to make sure this doesn't happen again. Communication 4: Newspapers and discards

Call Hector: Thank you for the alert about the newspapers. Rest assured that it will be taken care of today. And while I have you on the phone, let's talk about scheduling a meeting for Tuesday afternoon to discuss the budget.

Email to All Staff: Please place discarded newspapers and magazines from the staff room into the appropriate recycling receptacles. Also add to Staff meeting agenda. Let Diane know when my meeting with Hector is scheduled so that she can schedule Sylvia and Mia around that. Rationale: The discarded papers and magazines in the hallway could be blocking an emergency escape path and are themselves a fire hazard. They can and should be dealt with today. If there is no proper place to dispose of these items, a place needs to be established. The responsibilities of both the staff members and the custodian with respect to discarded papers and magazines need to be clarified, and this is best addressed at a staff meeting. Communication 5: Overflowing toilet

Call Elmo: he probably doesn't have much opportunity to check his email. Let him know that a plumber will be summoned today, and that he should plan on being available to assist the plumber to access any utility closets, etc. Email to Diane: Please call and schedule a plumber to come in TODAY to fix the toilet that has been repeatedly overflowing. Please let Elmo know when the plumber arrives. Rationale: Toilets don't get better by themselves, and left unattended could lead to even worse damage in the form of walls and ceiling that need to be repaired or replaced. Communication 6: Deadbeats

Email to Merle: Thank you for bringing this problem to my attention. Please do not take any action against this patron at this time. Denying library services to one of our regular patrons is a serious step, and one that I do not wish to take without documented evidence that the patron is trying to defraud the library. At the next staff meeting, which will be scheduled for later this week, we will review our present procedures for searching for, fining, and/or billing for missing and overdue items. If it appears that the procedures are unclear, or not being followed consistently, then you and I will meet privately later in the week and decide what needs to be clarified. Rationale: We need to be able to produce documented evidence that we checked the shelves for the item in question before taking the step of denying library services. If there is no such documentation, then a procedure needs to be put into place to ensure that there will be the next time this happens. It can't take too much staff time, though. We don't want to end up spending more money preventing possible fraud than if we were to just forgive the fine and move on. How much *does* it cost to do that shelf check?

Communication 7: Pornography (again)

Email to Merle: I appreciate your concern, but as you know, Internet filters are imperfect at best, and are not a real solution to this problem. I will not take the chance that one of our patrons will be blocked from a legitimate website with information on, for example, breast cancer, simply because another patron is abusing his privileges. I prefer that we continue to handle this issue on a case by case basis. If a patron complains or if a librarian sees a patron viewing inappropriate materials, then and only then should the patron be put on notice. Rationale: No onepatron or librariancomplained at the time. This is a problem that is better dealt with on a case by case basis. I will not punish all of our patrons just because one person is abusing his library privileges. Communication 8: Computers on Fritz

Email to Diane: It sounds to me like these two computers are long overdue to be replaced, and we've already invested too much of your time and efforts into getting them repaired. Please contact the town IT department and find out how soon we can get two new computers, and ask them to find another dealerI dont want to buy any more products from this guy. Make sure that IT understands that we want this order expedited. Also request that a couple of loaners be brought over immediately for our use while we wait for the new machines. Rationale: Incompatible software and 50 pound computers that have a problem thats already been fixed once are probably too old to rely on (even if the 50 pounds is possibly an exaggeration). There has already been enough time and money wasted on these two machines; more, probably, than two new machines would have cost. Computers are necessary for the smooth functioning of almost any library, and certainly any mid-sized library. While the staff may be able to share computers for a few days, Diane has made it clear in her memo that these two computers are essential. Communication 9: Ad Hoc Task Force of Personnel Recision Memo to Hector: No position on my staff is expendable. But I do have a current list of all the services that our staff fulfills, and what each service costs. I can be prepared to talk about what services we might be able to cut back on or eliminate. Let's get together on Tuesday afternoon to talk. Rationale: The request for staff cuts would be a shock if I were not prepared for it. But when I started this job I initiated a review of all on-going programs and services that require more than X hours per month, or have expenses of more than Y dollars per event. And since I initiated a cross-training program, wherein every staff member learns to do at least one job that is outside their departmental expertise, even if Hector does in the end insist on doing things the oldfashioned way and laying off a staff member, it will be a painful decision, but at least it won't have as hard an impact on the library operations than if we were still working each in our own little "silo." We'll be able to spread out the extra work over the entire staff, not over just one department. Communication 10: Internet abuse? Email to Al: Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Im putting it on the agenda for the next staff meeting to review the towns policies on the personal use of staff computers. Rationale: This is not enough evidence to issue an explicit warning to Merle. Roll this into the general alert that came from Hector regarding financial abuses, and add it to the agenda for the emergency staff meeting on Wednesday. While I would expect a reasonable amount of personal use of the computers, everyone needs to be clear as to what constitutes abuse under the current policy. As a long-term solution, I would have a computer installed in the staff room for use during break times.

Communication 11: from Mia, re Sylvia

Email to Mia: You are quite correct that the town energy conservation policy requires us to keep the thermostat no higher than 68 in the winter time. As you know, the policy also asks us to refrain from leaving windows and doors open unnecessarily. This is an important subject in these days of rising energy costs, and will top the agenda of the next staff meeting. I would like to speak with you personally about this matter, but I'm afraid I don't have time to do it today. Please make an appointment with Diane for us to meet on Tuesday afternoon. Rationale: See next communication Communication 12: from Sylvia, re Mia Email to Sylvia: As you know, the town energy conservation policy requires us to keep the thermostat no higher than 68 in the winter time. The policy also asks us to refrain from leaving windows and doors open unnecessarily. This is an important subject in these days of rising energy costs, and will top the agenda of the next staff meeting. I would like to speak with you personally about this matter, but I'm afraid I don't have time to do it today. I am asking

Diane to schedule an appointment for us to meet on Tuesday afternoon. In the meantime, I am authorizing Diane to purchase a space heater for you, in an effort to alleviate the immediate problem of the temperature in your work space. Email to Diane, cc Sylvia: Please order a space heater for Sylvia. Rationale: The on-going battle between Sylvia and Mia over the temperature in their workspace sounds like it is really a cover for some deeper conflicts that have probably been going on for a long time, but have surfaced now due to their lack of a direct supervisor. I will have to make sure that I brief my new Tech Services department head accordingly. In the meantime, maybe I can smooth things over a little by meeting with each of them individually and addressing their disruptive behaviors and the effect on other staff members. It would be better, of course, if they could come to an agreement between themselves, but if it looks like that can't happen, then I will step in. Maybe their schedules can be arranged so as to minimize the amount of time they have to be in the same room together. They both need to be reminded of the town's energy conservation policy, and with heating season well underway, it wouldn't hurt to remind the entire staff, either. Email to Diane: Please schedule two staff meetings for Wednesday, one during the morning shift and one during the afternoon/evening shift. I want every staff member to attend one meeting or the other, and to swap public desk schedules as necessary to make this happen. If a staff member needs to come in early or stay late in order to attend one of the meetings, the staff member will be paid straight time or can take compensatory time at a later date. Each meeting will be no longer than 45 minutes. The agenda for the meetings is as follows:

Distribute copies of the following town and library policies. Town policy on energy conservation Staff computer use policy Attendance policies Public computer use policies Search/fine/billing procedures for missing and overdue materials Call for volunteers, no more than two or three per committee, to review each policy and make recommendations for updating it. Newspapers, magazines, and other discards and recyclables Questions and Comments

As you know, I will be out of the office until tomorrow afternoon. Please do not hesitate to call and leave a message on my cell phone if you have any questions about the staff meetings. I will return your calls as soon as I can, but I will be in a workshop all afternoon and tomorrow morning. Thanks, Diane, MBJ