Stop the Clock!

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

It seems I’ve been having a little trouble getting blog posts written and posted lately.  Time management has never been my best skill, but I have always managed to meet deadlines, and usually ahead of time.  Perhaps the problem now is that there’s no one setting those deadlines, but me.  And so, hey, if I only get one blog post this week instead of two or three, who’s counting?

Well, I am.  Or, I should be.  And so, perhaps I need to review 6 Time Management Tips for Workers.  I actually do most of these things!  But it’s good to be reminded (because obviously I’m not always doing them!)  And it’s good to hold myself accountable if I don’t get things done.  And if you’re having trouble with time management (or if you supervise someone who has trouble with time management) maybe you should read this too.  Enjoy.

Oops!  Gotta run!

 

 

 

 

 

Cash in On Social Media

So, OK, I do recommend that libraries have some social media presence, whether Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, whatever. . .  or a combination of any of them.  BUT, I don’t think you should have these just for the sake of having them, or because that’s what everybody’s doing these days.  Like everything else we do in libraries, you must have some purpose, and do what works best for you.

And you have to use these wisely and carefully.  Not just scatter-shot.   I never really understood how to do this, until I read Understanding Social Capital (American Libraries, May 2013) .  Please be sure to read the full post, but here are some highlights:

• Having social capital is, in many ways, equivalent to having credibility in a selected online community. Social capital can be earned only over time, by participating appropriately in the community.
• When someone comments on your library blog, even if it’s just to agree, thank him or her. If the commenter says something negative, express appreciation for the feedback.
• Offer links to other sites of interest. Posting only links to your library’s assets (e.g., catalog, programs, or website) is just another method of self-promotion and not a form of engagement.
• Provide customer service. Chances are good that your library will occasionally encounter requests for help via social media. Respect that these people want to communicate with the library and respond, as well as possible, using the same medium.
• Knowing that social capital should be spent only when necessary, you should ration it for only critical purposes. Promoting every program going on at your library will quickly run your social media account into overdraft status. Self-promotion is expensive.
• Advocacy is certainly one legitimate use for social capital. Some other worthwhile purposes include:
  • Breaking news (“Sorry, the internet is down—we’re working on it!”)
  • Feedback (“What do you think of the new selfcheckout machines?”)
  • Informal polls (“Which is better: storytimes on weekends or weeknights? Why?”)

   

Image via CrunchBase

Cash (Photo credit: bfishadow)

Holistic Staff Training

The post The Whole Library Approach (American Libraries, June 2013), focuses on the importance of all staff members, not just those in the Children’s Department, being able to serve children.  By extension, staff should be able to fill in for each other in other departments.  Though I will stop short of suggesting that everyone should be able to do everyone else’s job, I will say that by using cross-training, you should be able to ensure that operations don’t come to a stand-still in any area just because the usual staffer is unavailable for any reason.

The Whole Library Approach has some great suggestions to provide staff training in areas other than their assigned ones.  You’ll also want to see The Importance of a Whole Library Approach, a YALSA Issue Paper on the topic.

Interviewing Potpourri

I’m participating in an interviewing and hiring process this week, so interviews are much on my mind.  Here’s some of my favorite posts about interviews (some are helpful, some funny, but even the funny ones can be helpful, if only because of what not to do!)

from The Fast Track:

• Interviewers Behaving Badly
• 10 Weirdest Things Said and Done in Interviews
• How to Conduct More Effective Interviews

from AskAManager:

• How to Interview a Really Nervous Candidate
• A Job Candidate Sent an Invoice After her Interview

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What are your favorite interview stories?

Write it Down!

Those of you who know me well know that I’m a big fan of documentation—of policies, of decisions, of processes, and more.  Sometimes I think that I take so many notes to compensate for my memory, which sometimes fails me.

But I also know that documentation has its place.  And I am pleased to have run across this Collaboration Tip which validates my love of documentation.  Maybe it will make you love it too!

Need Help?

It is a little bit odd, I think, that although the library profession is all about helping others, sometimes those of us that work in libraries have trouble asking for help ourselves.  I confess that I sometimes have trouble admitting to someone that I need help.

If you, like me, are prone to pretending to be able to do it all by yourself, you might be helped by the post Are You Strong Enough to Ask for Help?  The most important statement, I think, is:  “Most textbook definitions of management include some version of: ‘Management–getting things done through others.'”  So, duh, if you’re a manager, you’re supposed to ask for help!

Libraries and the Affordable Care Act

I wrote about this awhile ago, but I want to update you because more information is becoming available to assist libraries in this task.

WebJunction recently offered hosted a webinar to share information about plans to provide library staff with online resources to respond to increased patron information needs related to the Affordable Care Act.  Preparing Libraries for the Affordable Care Act contains links to the archived version of that webinar, and lots of other helpful links and information.

I’m so glad libraries are becoming involved in this important area, and that WebJunction and other sources are providing resources to help.

pills

 

Transforming Communities

Yes, libraries can transform their communities!  And yes, libraries should be leaders in community engagement and innovation.

Libraries Transforming Communities (from ALA)

Help! No Electricity!

Our electricity went out for over an hour on Sunday.  Luckily, it was neither 20° below, nor 100° above.  And as it happened, I just happened to be sitting outside with Afton when it happened.

But as soon as I realized we had no “juice,” suddenly there were all sorts of things I thought I needed to do that required electricity.  I needed to warm some food in the microwave.  I needed to work on some blog posts.  I needed to work on the online class I’ll be teaching in the fall.  But, none of these could I do.  😦  So, I settled for reading a book for awhile, waiting for a frozen slice of bread to thaw naturally, instead of in the microwave, and then, even helping clean the house.

And finally, it came back on.  And I breathed a sigh of relief.  I couldn’t even have gone to the library to use a computer, because it was Sunday!  Oh well, thank goodness I had been to the library the day before so at least I had new books to read.  🙂

Avoid the Traps!

Meetings.

Who looks forward to them?  Not me.  Who is relieved when one goes well?  Me!  Who is upset when one goes badly?  Isn’t everyone?

So avoid these meeting traps.

Trap (Photo credit: Wikipedia)