Current Perspectives Exercise
ILS 565 – Library Management Fall 2011
James M. Kusack
Kimberley Weber
September 11, 2011
Amy Schumann has been the Teen Librarian at the Bethel Public Library in Bethel, Connecticut since 2005. Prior to receiving her MLS from SCSU Amy did archival work at museums, work she loved, but the constant quest for grant funding left her exhausted so she changed career paths and “went into librarianship for the money.”
I wanted to speak with Amy because she manages volunteers, something my library continually resists despite being extremely short staffed. During the school year Amy has 4-5 volunteers but in the summer months her staff expands to 20, all teens and temporary workers except for one permanent adult. The volunteer program began in 2001 to compensate for a budget shortfall so all jobs are critical to library function. All shelving and most book processing (stamping, labeling, covers, etc.) is done by nonpaid personnel. In managing volunteers Ms. Schumann faces issues with control, competence and incentive. Currently her biggest concern is competence. She worries that employees are not working up to their potential and asks “Are they really doing the best job they can?” One volunteer works at 20% capacity no matter the task. “The hardest part is determining how capable someone is. Are they dyslexic or is it that they just don’t care. If they’re dyslexic I won’t have them shelve nonfiction.” At first Amy avoided confrontation but now she is more confident and speaks with workers directly, telling them when things are bad. She fired a volunteer last month, which was difficult. Amy’s direct supervisor, Kate has helped her with several personnel (difficult mothers) situations. Kate likes Amy to be proactive and problem solve on her own.
To be a good manager Ms. Schumann feels “emotional intelligence and an ability to read people are key. You need to be firm without being mean and you have to keep your expectations realistic.“ The hardest part of managing is making sure “they’re working to their full potential. Often they’re not.” What does she wish she knew before accepting her current job? “That managing people is the most difficult aspect of my job, the piece I take home every day.”
ILS 565 – Library Management Fall 2011
James M. Kusack
Kimberley Weber
September 11, 2011
Amy Schumann has been the Teen Librarian at the Bethel Public Library in Bethel, Connecticut since 2005. Prior to receiving her MLS from SCSU Amy did archival work at museums, work she loved, but the constant quest for grant funding left her exhausted so she changed career paths and “went into librarianship for the money.”
I wanted to speak with Amy because she manages volunteers, something my library continually resists despite being extremely short staffed. During the school year Amy has 4-5 volunteers but in the summer months her staff expands to 20, all teens and temporary workers except for one permanent adult. The volunteer program began in 2001 to compensate for a budget shortfall so all jobs are critical to library function. All shelving and most book processing (stamping, labeling, covers, etc.) is done by nonpaid personnel. In managing volunteers Ms. Schumann faces issues with control, competence and incentive. Currently her biggest concern is competence. She worries that employees are not working up to their potential and asks “Are they really doing the best job they can?” One volunteer works at 20% capacity no matter the task. “The hardest part is determining how capable someone is. Are they dyslexic or is it that they just don’t care. If they’re dyslexic I won’t have them shelve nonfiction.” At first Amy avoided confrontation but now she is more confident and speaks with workers directly, telling them when things are bad. She fired a volunteer last month, which was difficult. Amy’s direct supervisor, Kate has helped her with several personnel (difficult mothers) situations. Kate likes Amy to be proactive and problem solve on her own.
To be a good manager Ms. Schumann feels “emotional intelligence and an ability to read people are key. You need to be firm without being mean and you have to keep your expectations realistic.“ The hardest part of managing is making sure “they’re working to their full potential. Often they’re not.” What does she wish she knew before accepting her current job? “That managing people is the most difficult aspect of my job, the piece I take home every day.”