by Sarah Statz Cords
We interrupt our regularly scheduled Monday “RA Run Down” program, as our editor Cindy Orr is taking some time to recover from a hip replacement surgery. Cindy will return with her fabulous “RA Run Down” posts soon, but is still compiling the New, Noteworthy, and No-Brainer and Most Wanted Mashup lists, which appear below and to the side of this post.
Last week, if you’ll remember, we explored what I like to call the Dark Side of RA. (And yes, I am saying that in my best James Earl Jones/Darth Vader voice, thank you very much.) Because I am somewhat negative by nature,* I often think you have to start any task or process by first figuring out its challenges, so that’s where I started.
But you knew we were going to have to explore the flip side, right?
My question for you this week is: How can we, as employees and co-workers (not employers, not administrators not any number of other policy makers and enforcers) improve our readers’ advisory and broader work environments?
Previous participants in this discussion noted that their libraries are becoming more punitive with fines; that staff and purchasing budget cuts are rampant; that many librarians don’t have the time or inclination to read; that we aren’t feeling the “oomph” in our work anymore. If you are not at the administrative or policy-making level in your organization, though, how can you have a positive effect on your workplace? Anyone?
I’ll list a couple of ideas below, but I don’t know that they’re good ones. Again, we need your input: How can we improve our library workplaces and recapture our “oomph” for RA and service work in general?
Could you encourage the recruitment and training of volunteers to do some of your more time-consuming processing tasks? To answer phones? To become computer helpers, or printer and copier troubleshooters?
Could we ask our supervisors for a once-a-month one-hour meeting (with different staffers covering service desks on a rotating basis) to enjoy some snacks, the chance to sit down, and the charge to briefly book-talk a few books, genres, or authors to one another?
*My high school English teacher once wrote on an assignment of mine: “How’d you get so bitter?” I haven’t changed much, sadly.
B,
I love both of your ideas; I think as long as we’re handing out lots of prizes to kids for summer reading programs, maybe staff would like a little incentive sometimes too!
Of course I love the reading breaks idea too, but I know it’s probably not going to happen. But even if we have to do the reading in our own time, maybe a half-hour here or there for impromptu meetings in the break room to go over some books (while people take turns staffing the service desks) would be workable.
Susan,
Another great idea. I’m also not opposed to people using their Facebook accounts or personal blogs for such info. I know that after I started writing a personal books blog and people found out about it, it led to a lot more book discussions on the service desks. (Although some of those discussions were, hey, I read what you wrote the other day, picking on the book “Freakonomics,” and you’re way off!!, etc.)
Thank you both for the suggestions!!
Not as fun as getting together, of course, but most of our staff are linked as friends on GoodReads (sort of like a Facebook for readers). We can all see what each other is reading, whether or not they liked it, read their reviews, recommend books to others, etc. I have found so many great things to read (outside my genres) based on staff recommendations! Then it’s fun to discuss what you’ve read informally around the desk. Anyway, it’s been fun for us.
Sue Heskin, Two Harbors (MN) Public Library
This summer our district did a staff summer reading program. We had the opportunity to read three books a week for an entry into a contest to win a paid day off, a spa day or tickets to a local attraction. Several people at my branch asked to be allowed to read more than three a week and everyone at the branch had at least one entry into the contest. Sadly, the other five branches didn’t have as much participation. However, all were envious when the prizes were passed out. So my suggestion, prizes for reading!
Could we ask our supervisors for 15 minute “reading” breaks…to sit in the library and read then discuss at branch staff meetings?