Public Services:
No matter where you are in a library, public services should be the sun that everything else orbits around. Without patrons we are a well organized storage facility. I started my first library position focused on public services and my experience grew from there. I have sat at a reference desk all day and answered questions ranging from the location of the bathroom to a deep dive into the potential existence of an ancient Irish sauna culture. I have answered calls and emails from patrons of varying moods. I have handled difficult situations in person including patrons who were angry, mentally altered, and violent. I have provided tours of the library to Senators, Supreme Court Justices, Foreign Diplomats, musicians, lecturers, and donors. I have developed public service policies and trained new staff and volunteers on library procedures. I have helped patrons with genealogy research and teenagers with research papers. I have worked with volunteers and staff to develop engaging activities for children when their parents visit, and put my pride aside to do goofy promotional material for social media. When the library first decided we wanted to circulate books, I figured out how to make that happen and designed and ordered our first library cards. Everything I do in the library always has a thread leading back to public services.
Technical Services:
When I started with the McClelland Library it was less than 1 year old. Multiple collections had come to the library cataloged in different systems so the way dewey was being used was inconsistent. My largest contribution to technical services was untangling the ball of yarn and creating a system of collections and sub collections that was as simple as possible for the patron, but comprehensive enough for each collection. The library procedure and policy manual I wrote sprung out of this endeavor as a way to communicate decision making for where to place a book. The most difficult area was the genealogy department, but we found a way to make the books fit into dewey and the library’s system as well as assist genealogy patrons in the natural way that they search. In addition to the jigsaw puzzle that is a comprehensive cataloging strategy for a library, I have also spent a large amount of time selecting where in the collection and in dewy that books go. In our library the collection development team selects the location before sending books down to cataloging in order to preserve the consistency. Additionally, as a manager I managed the flow of books to and from technical services.
Special Collections:
I was very fortunate to be able to spend time and receive training from a retired rare books librarian. While I would not consider myself an expert in rare books, their care and conservation has been in my hands for almost a decade. Financial constraints have prohibited me from being able to do further endeavors with our rare book collection. I do stay up on the what dealers of our particular focus offer, and have identified rare books in our collection for preservation. Additionally I am a constant advocate of their conservation needs and I have provided short talks, trainings, and overviews to staff, board members, and the public on our rare book collection. I have also developed the polices and procedures for all of our special collections as per best industry practices. Please see the archive and exhibit portion of this site for further information on those areas of my special collections experience.
Collection Development:
I have been a main driver in collection development for the library over the years. I developed all of our policies and procedures related to collection development and have selected and purchased items for our collections based on reviews of existing materials. I have also heavily weeded the collections over the years and selected books for reclassification and removal. In addition to physical collections, I handle the renewal and ordering of all of the libraries databases for patron use.
Programs:
I have developed and participated in, as a speaker and support role, various programs and events over the years. I have put together budgets and program plans and proposals for one off and recurring library programs for the public. I have created programs for adults such as lectures from expert PhD’s and children such as a family film series. I have worked with presenters to put on lectures and large organizations for all day seminars. I have provided promotion through interviews, social media, press releases, and written feature articles. Additionally, I have trained and mentored staff to develop, budget, and promote new and existing programming so they are able to create new programs and take over management of existing successes.
IT:
I have had a major hand in IT over the years at the library. I acquired and set up the entire Google Suite of products for the organization through a grant. I have been the super administrator for all google products for the organization for over a decade. I worked with an IT professional to develop the various computer profiles needed for public and staff use. I was also the main administrator for all server profiles in Active Directory for the organization. I was the first line of troubleshooting IT person for the organization for years where I worked with all items in the server rack at a very basic level, VOIP phones, website, and CRM. I managed the ERATE program for our library while we were enrolled, and helped patrons and volunteers with basic troubleshooting. I remain the main library content manager for the website and use WordPress to update it. I was also part of the original web design team for the website and helped create a cohesive digital organization structure.
Financial:
I am currently the McClelland Library’s bookkeeper. This role has given me a unique view into budgeting and running a library that I would not have had if I hadn’t been looking at the transaction level. In addition to bookkeeping and running financial reports, I develop budgets for programs, departments, and have developed an annual budget for the entire library. I serve on the organization-wide Finance Committee with board members and staff from outside the library. Additionally I developed the cash management and tracking system for the library in order to ensure petty cash tracking matched deposits that were going to the bank.
Management:
My basic philosophy on managing people is to help people succeed in a way that is best for them. Each individual needs different things from a manager, and it is my job to identify those needs and provide them. Some staff and volunteers need more one on one time and others prefer to work independently after given guidance. My job is to remain flexible and supportive. Over the years I have had the honor of managing a number of wonderful individuals. I have both interviewed and hired staff and volunteers. I have also provided annual reviews and had tough conversations. I do my best to foster a supportive and successful environment for everyone.
