Library Employees Research Articles

Parents of Invention: The Development of Library Automation Systems in the Late 20th Century

Prior to his death in 2012, Christopher Brown-Syed was the editor of the journal, Library and Archival Security, and taught at Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Earlier in his career, he was an employee of the library automation vendors, Plessey and Geac. Parents of Invention is a collection of memoirs and reflections on the developments in library automation from the late 1970s through the middle 1990s, from the viewpoint of employees of vendors and libraries at the time. Parents of Invention gives insight into the development of integrated library systems during this period, which saw the revolution of circulation and catalog functions in libraries. Brown-Syed writes from a Canadian perspective, and many of the contributors to the book are from Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. Brown-Syed is cognizant of US libraries and vendors, and refers to US examples and experiences on occasion. The author interviewed fifteen individuals via phone and email while researching this book. A closing chapter contributed by Louise O'Neill of McGill University, Canada, addresses future trends for automation in libraries. Online bibliographic retrieval systems for literature searching are briefly discussed, but readers of a certain age will notice some of the facts are wrong. Ovid, a well-known bibliographic database vendor, is rightly credited with revolutionizing online searching through end-user access to its CD-ROM products in biomedical libraries. Ovid's publication of the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE to CD-ROM kept many librarians busy during this period with changing discs and watching for overheating of CD-ROM towers. However, Brown-Syed does not use the correct company name for the period discussed, which was CD Plus Technologies, a name that Ovid carried from its founding through the early 1990s. CD Plus did not change its name to Ovid until the late 1990s, when client-server and Internet technology made access to online journal articles possible. Also, typographical errors are noticeable throughout the book. American readers may be distracted by British spellings, abbreviation conventions, and world view. Still, the book is a valuable contribution to documenting the challenges that the parents of invention were faced with while working together to implement new technologies to improve library operations. This book is recommended for library and information science students, and anyone interested in reading histories of library automation and librarian memoirs.

Without Music, Life Would Be a Mistake: What Oregon Library Employees Listen to at Work

Without Music, Life Would Be a Mistake: What Oregon Library Employees Listen to at Work

Management development needs of library managers belonging to Gauteng and Environs Library and Information Consortia (GAELIC) in South Africa

This article is based on the Masters dissertation that was submitted to the Department of Information Studies, University of Pretoria. The changing social and political environments in South Africa have created a lot of complex and challenging opportunities for the management of human resources in most organizations. In library and information service organizations, managers have received little or no training in human resources management. In order to establish what the training and development needs of managers in academic libraries in performing human resource management activities and tasks are, a survey by means of a questionnaire based on the Graham and Mihal model was conducted, using six South African university libraries, from the Gauteng and Environs Library and Information consortium (GAELIC). The results of this study or research paper showed that most library managers in the selected academic libraries need training and development in human resource management activities and tasks, especially those related to utilization and development of staff. They need to know more about conducting performance appraisals, motivating staff, improving staff relations and delegating responsibilities. They also showed a need for training and development on activities and tasks related to managing labour and employment relations. This includes understanding employment legislation, communicating with employees, improving and maintaining good working conditions as well as maintaining discipline. Although few library managers indicated the need for training and development in tasks related to human resource planning, some indicated they need training and development in tasks related to human resource provision such as selecting and appointing suitable library employees. Programmes that address these needs must be developed in South Africa. The programmes must be designed to equip library managers with skills and competencies that will enable library managers to manage staff effectively.

LibQUAL coding cohorts: The benefits of involving library employees in LibQUAL+ analysis

LibQUAL coding cohorts: The benefits of involving library employees in LibQUAL+ analysis

Library employees' attitudes towards the measurement and appraisal of their work performance

PurposeThe aim of the current article is to clarify how the staff of Estonian university libraries define the concepts of performance and efficiency in the context of libraries, what is the general conception of performance measurement and evaluation, what impact it is believed to have on the personal future career, and how one's own efficiency and performance is evaluated in comparison with one's colleagues.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in this paper are based on reviewing and summarizing of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concepts of performance and efficiency in general and in the context of the library as well as on results of the study, held in 2011/2012 in Estonian university libraries to determine the attitude of the libraries' staff towards work organisation and performance appraisal.FindingsAlthough a number of Estonian university librarians highly evaluated performance measurement and appraisal as a possible source of information and feedback for improving their work performance and seeking out their further training and education needs, they unfortunately do not see any relation between performance improvement and their salary increase and career. As for the library as a whole, performance appraisal is profitable, although it is assumed that it might raise some problems. Efficiency and performance in the library context are rather associated with service and user satisfaction. Performance measurement and appraisal system in Estonia university libraries is almost non‐existent and definitely needs to be developed.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, no research has been previously carried out in the library context to determine library employees' attitudes towards their work organisation and coordination as well as measurement and appraisal of their work performance.

Division of labor and coordination, intra‐organizational career and salary fairness

PurposeThe aim of the current article is to clarify satisfaction of the staff of Estonian university libraries with the division of labor, work organization and coordination, existence of intra‐organizational career opportunities as well as with the fairness of salaries in view of the qualifications and responsibilities of university librarians in Estonia.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in this paper are based on reviewing and summarizing of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concepts of performance and efficiency in general and in the context of the library as well as on results of the original study, created by the paper's authors, held in 2011/2012 in Estonian university libraries to determine the attitude of the libraries' staff towards division of labor and performance appraisal.FindingsAlthough a number of Estonian university librarians were mostly satisfied with the division of labor within their departments, the respondents feel that duties in the library as a whole should be reorganized and workloads should be divided more equally. Librarians are relatively pessimistic about career opportunities within their libraries. The fact is that in Estonia, the predominantly women's jobs, such as teachers, librarians and nurses, are low‐paid. Therefore, as expected, the employees of university libraries are not satisfied with their salaries. However, librarians are capable and willing to work more and/or more intensively than they are currently allowed if that would bring about an increase in their salaries.Originality/valueThe majority of the literature in library science has focused – and rightfully so – on the user: what do users and patrons want and/or need, how do they use it, how can librarians best provide it to them, do the users feel themselves comfortable in library building etc., etc. Also, a fairly large number of studies have focused on finding relations between librarians' job satisfaction and performance output, but, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no research has been previously carried out in the Estonian library context to determine employees' attitudes towards their division of labor and coordination as well as librarians' intra‐organizational career opportunities and fairness of the salary.

Cognitions, Emotions, and Applications: Participants' Experiences of Learning about Strengths in an Academic Library

This study examined academic library employees' experiences during “strengths education,” a process of learning about individual strengths during a positive psychology intervention. Participants took the Clifton StrengthsFinder test, attended a workshop, and then were interviewed about what they considered to be the effects of the strengths training. The focus of the qualitative analysis was the interviewees' statements about the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of learning about their strengths. We categorized and coded these statements as cognitions formed, emotions experienced, and applications envisioned. Our findings raise interesting implications for job satisfaction and employee self-esteem, especially during times of change.

Raw nerves: John Metcalfe and the Encel survey of librarians in New South Wales

The 1972 publication of Librarians: A survey by Sol Encel, C.G. Bullard and F.M.B. Cass was the culmination of a six-year research project at the School of Sociology, University of New South Wales, at the behest of the Library Association of Australia2. The study was intended to cover the social and educational backgrounds of library employees in New South Wales, their attitudes to their occupation, the structures in which they worked, their gradings and salaries. Questionnaire responses were supplemented by interviews and research by Cass and Bullard, two of Encel's honours students. 2. S. Encel, C. Bullard, M. Cass, Librarians: A survey (Sydney: New South Wales University Press, 1972). Reviews of the published report were scathing and there was dismay at the report's emphasis on the ‘second-class status’ of women in libraries. In his review of the report and of the theses of Encel's collaborators, the prominent Australian librarian John Metcalfe questioned ‘the authority, reliability and credibility of all three’ works. This paper examines the background to and conduct of the survey, the reception of the report, and Metcalfe's reactions. It explores why Metcalfe was disturbed and affected by the implication that there had been systemic discrimination against women in librarianship in Australia, particularly at the Public Library of New South Wales, in the first half of the twentieth century.

Exploring the cause and effect of library value

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to validate a proposed framework of library value as the relationships between diverse stakeholders’ perceptions of valued effect of a library and of causes for the effect. It does so through adaptation of the “five whys” inquiry, a tool for uncovering root causes used extensively for process improvement. A “library value wheel” graphically illustrates a diverse set of stakeholders (i.e. faculty, students, university administrators, librarians, donors, and library employees) and their perceptions of the most valued effects of the library. To begin this exploration the researchers have selected faculty as the initial stakeholder to study because of their important influence in the academy. The following research questions guide the study: What effects of the library do faculty most value? What are perceived causes of these valued effects? What effects of the library do faculty perceive other stakeholders [e.g. students and administrators] most value? What variations among the causes faculty identify for valued effects emerge from use of the five why inquiry?Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study consists of a series of individual and group interviews with faculty members representing different academic disciplines and rank at one US university. Adapting the “five whys” inquiry, the researchers conducted sufficient individual interviews to reach data saturation (typically 15 to 30 interviews) to identify root causes that address perceptions about value the academic library provides to faculty. The interviews were audio taped and transcribed for data analysis; the results were sent to the interviewees for a member check. In addition, the results of the analysis were validated in a focus group session with faculty members of the library advisory group. Lastly, the identified valued library effects and their causes were compared to elements of value identified in the literature.FindingsSeveral root causes of perceived value were identified, with caution to generalize; among these are: increase my productivity; expand student ability; do my job; save money; indulge intellectual curiosity; not feel frustrated; meet accreditation criteria; and change the University.Originality/valueThe study emphasizes that value involves the stakeholders in the identification of the valued effect of the library. The “five whys” inquiry delves deeply and arrives at a root cause of value that will allow librarians to take steps to maximize an institutional perception that of the value the library provides its community. It is often difficult for stakeholders to articulate why the library is or is not of value and this approach will help them do so. In addition to eliciting the perceived value of the library to the faculty, the study also gathered faculty perceptions of causes of valued library effect on students and administrators. The study also introduced the “library value wheel” which broadly defines the causes of valued effects on stakeholders of libraries. The study's empirical data will be integrated into this framework in subsequent studies. Since value is a political tool, involving the faculty and focusing on their perceptions will be important for advocating library support. This study will communicate to librarians reasons faculty perceive the library to be of value. In essence, this approach partners influential stakeholders with librarians to develop strategies for maximizing the value of the library.

Cost accounting and scientific management in libraries: a historical overview

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to focus on the history of cost accounting, costing, and time and motion studies, which were initially developed for industry and private sector organisations, in libraries. At the same time, the article attempts to deal with the question of when and why the need for the evaluation of costs and the standardisation of different library work processes emerged.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in this paper are based on reviewing and summarising relevant studies, which have been conducted in libraries, and was inspired by the ideas of scientific management and cost accounting.FindingsThe implementation of cost accounting systems and scientific management ideas in libraries has historically been treated as a technical innovation rather than an organisational or management innovation. The most important consideration is that librarians are not machines, which can be set at a given speed and expected to produce a uniform product. Fortunately, there is no indication that production standards for libraries are going to be set up.Originality/valueThis article raises a perspective in library management that has not been dealt with before. Namely, it explores how the profession of a librarian as an erudite scholar changed into a profession requiring routine work and considers the impact that the ideas of scientific management and cost accounting research had on library employees when they reached libraries.

The Phoenix syndrome: the National and University Library of Slovenia in 1941-1950

ABSTRACTPurpose: The period from 1941 to 1950 was a turning point in the history of the present National and university library. At the beginning of the II World War the library (at that time known as the University Library) moved to the new palace, constructed by the architect Jožef Plečnik, to be in 1944 severely damaged by fire. However, it was reconstructed by the end of the decade and its library collections grew from 335.000 to 500.000 volumes. The number of library employees increased from 10 to 58 and the formal recognition of its national functions made it one of the most important national institutions.Methodology/approach: The article is based on archival documents and records of the National and university library from the period of 1941-1950.Results: During and after the war the library had a privileged status which was manifested in furnishing and reconstruction of the building, in the growth of library collections through numerous gifts which were received during and after the war to substitute the burnt collections, as well as in acquisition of library materials from the Federal Collection Centre. Its storages remained intact in spite of the war and the rigid censorship and the library was even allowed to collect and to store forbidden publications.Research limitation: The comparison with other national libraries and a socio-historical theoretical interpretation could be a fruitful continuation of this kind of study.Originality/practical implications: The case study explores the position of national library in the specific socio-political circumstances.

A study of emotional labor in librarianship

Librarianship, like many occupations, requires emotional labor, which is an awareness of job requirements for emotional expression and the strategies used to express those emotions. Research on emotional labor suggests that performing emotional labor results in both positive and negative effects on individual outcomes, such as job satisfaction and job burnout. Since affective events are prevalent in library work and evidence suggests positive outcomes from emotional labor can be fostered, the ways emotional labor is performed in libraries should be studied. This research explores the key components of emotional labor: perceptions of display rules and the emotion regulation strategies of surface and deep acting. Data were collected from a sample of American librarians in 46 states from public, academic, special, and K–12 libraries who completed a survey. Bi-variate and multi-variate correlations, as well as ANOVAs, were used to test relationships among emotional labor constructs, job satisfaction, and job burnout. Results show evidence of significant associations with emotional labor among library employees in both the perception of display rules, as well as in surface and deep acting. Perception of display rules showed mixed results with job burnout and job satisfaction. Surface acting was found to be associated consistently with job burnout and decreased job satisfaction, while deep acting strategies were less strongly associated with negative outcomes. Findings suggest that library managers should clearly communicate display rule expectations to employees and work to build staff support to help meet those expectations. Library employees should be aware of occasions when they use surface acting and work to develop stronger deep acting techniques. The study contributes to an understanding of the influence of emotion management in the library workplace.

Fourteen Things to Look for When Hiring New Staff in Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery

As library employees retire or move on to other positions, library managers can take advantage of these opportunities to assess how well the vacant job's duties mesh with current organizational goals and needs. Positions in interlibrary loan and document delivery services (ILL/DDS) are no different. They should be evaluated and reviewed each time a vacancy needs to be filled to ensure that the expectations of the position are in line with the goals of the ILL/DDS department and the library.

Recruitment of Employees in Academic Libraries: Advice from the HR Perspective

Top performing competitive organizations, including Academic Libraries have a number of traits in common. Among these is a “library culture” that empowers people and gives them the freedom to make decisions and act; establish strong, meaningful values; supports and develops a shared identify and sense of community. The Academic Library that includes these traits will attract exceptional people with an attitude of accomplishment who fit the culture. These individuals are engaged and involved in the workforce and help create a safe and secure environment that allows people to do their best work. 
 
 The first step in either becoming a top performing, competitive organization or to remain one is to review and update the recruiting and hiring practices. Academic Libraries are no exception as they struggle to compete in today’s ever changing market place. Many libraries are losing their top candidates and limiting their ability to become innovative, trend-setting organizations. Traditionally conservative and risk averse in their hiring practices, many Academic Libraries keep positions open for long periods losing top candidates and limiting the quality of their internal talent. To remain, or become, competitive, Academic Libraries need to look internally to their own organizational lethargy to reassess and improve their recruitment structures. 
 
 Because Academic Libraries are part of the larger college or university environment they need to understand the role of the central Human Resource (HR) function in institutional recruitment and create opportunities to have more control over library recruitment. HR needs to be an ally not a hindrance in this process. Academic Libraries must also look externally to embrace new technologies and innovative recruitment concepts from other industries and modern human resource management to identify and attract the candidates that improve their operation.

Zalogowani bibliotekarze – konkluzje z realizacji projektu „Login: BIBLIOTEKA”

The article is a summary of the first edition of the e-learning course “Login: BIBLIOTEKA”. The training, commissioned by the Information Society Development Foundation, is designed for employees of public libraries. The project showed how important it is to develop modern librarians’ skills with new teaching methods. Lack of time and motivation are the most frequently occurring problems in traditional methods of education. E-learning offers more opportunities, eliminates restrictions and allows to adjust the pace of learning to the individual user. The author presents the details of the preparation, conduct and implementation of the project and opinions of participating members.

An Academic Library Director's Bestiary

The article examines some of the non-routine challenges that an academic library director can expect to deal with during his or her career. Each challenge is discussed in a paragraph or two, beginning by characterizing the challenge as an animal that serves as a metaphor for unusual but nonetheless important conditions that can, sooner or later, demand a response from any library director. The article considers strategies for managing the director's relationships with superiors, peer administrators, patrons, and library employees, and gives specific recommendations for handling them effectively.

New cost accounting models in measuring of library employees' performance

Purpose – The current article aims to give an overview of how the new cost accounting models, such as activity‐based costing (ABC) and time‐driven activity‐based costing (TDABC) are researched and adapted by university libraries, focusing on the methods used for measuring work time allocation as well as on the strengths and weaknesses of both models.Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this paper are based on reviewing and summarizing of relevant studies which were conducted in libraries inspired by the ideas of modern theoretical considerations and treatments relating to cost accounting and costing, originally developed for industry and private sector organizations.Findings – The implementation of cost accounting systems in libraries has historically been treated as a technical innovation rather than an organizational or management innovation. The most important consideration is that librarians are not machines, which can be set at a given speed and expected to produce a uniform product. It tur...

A Systematic Review of Research on Live Chat Service

The purpose of this study was to synthesize the research literature that has investigated library-based chat reference service. We define library-based chat reference as a synchronous, computer-based question answering service where users of the service ask question(s) which are answered by library employees or contracted agents. Following the methods for conducting a systematic review, we developed inclusion criteria for our data set and collected data from research on chat service dating from 1995 to January 2010. We limited our data to empirical research using established qualitative or quantitative methods. The final data set included 59 documents. We used White's (2001) digital reference service framework to guide our data analysis and unitized the data to the level of the research question(s) asked in each of the studies, resulting in 146 research questions. We focused the bulk of our analysis on the six categories of the framework where the research emphasis was strongest: parameters of the service; clients; parameters of the service; questions; question-answering process; response guidelines; staffing and training; and mission, objectives, statement of purpose. Our aim is to analyze the literature on chat service from a broad perspective to uncover larger themes and streams of knowledge. We believe that this perspective is relevant to those who are currently engaged in chat service in some capacity—academics, librarians, managers, and IT developers. Our research presents the collective knowledge in this area and provides groundwork for researchers as they explore new questions related to chat service. It unifies for practitioners a collection of findings about chat service to enhance and improve their practice. The results suggest areas of opportunity for managers who wish to further develop chat as a library service, and the results synthesize current understandings about chat service which may be useful for IT developers to extend and innovate chat technology in libraries.

Dealing with difficult colleagues when you're the “new kid”

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss strategies for a new library employee seeking to deal with difficult people at work, when the difficult people are his/her own colleagues. It seeks to provide a description of several types of situations that may arise, and general strategies for dealing with them.Design/methodology/approach – The column is based on the author's substantial experience dealing with personnel matters in academic, public, and special libraries, including hiring for all types of positions. It is personal opinion, based on lengthy experience.Findings – The paper addresses library personnel issues. This particular installment helps new employees of libraries identify various types of issues one may have with “difficult” colleagues, and also provides various strategies and options for addressing these issues.Originality/value – The column is intended to help people to deal with all types of personnel issues overall; this specific column is intended to help librarians deal with the challenges ...

Staff Formation of Library Employees in the Postwar Kazakhstan, 1945–1965

On the history of staff formation of library employees in Kazakhstan during the post-war period. The author analyzes the archive documents, which reveal prerequisites of training specialists system in the librarianship.