You Want Me To Do WHAT?

1. You Want Me To Do WHAT? Job Descriptions and Competencies for Library Technicians By: Janice Pividor, Deb Cooper and Linda Crosby OLA Super Conference Friday, February 4, 2005

2. New Path Towards Employee Performance Development

3. Today’s session will focus on: • Creation of a Job Fact Sheet / Job Description • What competencies are and how to include them in a Job Description • Touch upon Professional Development plans

4. LHSC Mission “Together we care, we learn, we discover”

5. Organizational Goals • Fulfill LHSC mission - attract and retain the best people • Provide an environment that inspires teamwork, respect for the individual and professional development • 2001 @Work survey indicated performance development needs not being met by current system

6. Performance Development was designed to: • Ensure workforce competencies are continually assessed and developed to meet current and emerging needs at LHSC • Enhance communication between the employer and employees by providing a forum for dialogue about job responsibilities • Enhance employees’ job-related skills and assess their ongoing training and development needs

7. The LHSC Library Technician Experience

8. Trendsetters or guinea pigs? Library Services, as part of a department that focused on learning and development, was chosen to be part of the trial implementation.

9. LHSC Library Technicians • Work as a self-directed team, along with the librarian. • Library Technicians wrote their own Job Fact Sheet.

10. The paper trail…Job Fact Sheet (Job Description) The existing document (JFS) for the Library Technicians at LHSC was woefully out of date. Performance Development had not been a corporate priority for some years.

11. How did we do it? • Shared effort by all Library Technicians • Final document reflected all aspects of Library Technician jobs • Verified against Librarian and Team Assistants/Secretaries JFS to ensure no gaps or overlaps

12. Job Competencies

13. Check with your company / institution!Your Human Resources department may provide some competencies to be used or formats from which to work. More is not better - specific aspects may fit under a more general heading.

14. Communicating Effectively Ethics and Integrity Customer Orientation Problem Solving and Decision Making Adaptability to Change Time Management Initiative and Resourcefulness Dependability Competencies LHSC wanted to evaluate all employees against “core competencies” that all staff were expected to have. They are:

15. Library Technician Specific Competencies Library Technicians were required to identify those skills and talents that are unique to library workers, and, in our case, those required by our medical setting.

16. Information Literacy Skills Demonstrates information literacy skills in acquiring and evaluating, organizing and maintaining, interpreting and communicating information.

17. System / Process Skills Utilizes system and process skills and applies library methods and techniques to acquire materials and provide services.

18. Technology Skills Demonstrates a working understanding of the role technology plays in the creation, retrieval and delivery of library resources, functions and services.

19. Trend Analysis Monitors and responds to trends and developments within the library field.

20. Role and Purpose of Library Demonstrates knowledge of the structure, mission and role of libraries and responsibilities of library staff.

21. Job Descriptions

22. Job summary Educational or other requirements Independence of action Supervisory Contacts Responsibilities Minimum experience Impact of errors Physical, mental or visual demands Working conditions Major parts of a Job Description depend on the format used by your workplace. Common parts are:

23. Job Summary Library Technicians are library specialists who link the LHSC community to relevant information and resources and who lead the LHSC community through the rapidly changing and new information and technology needs. To this end, the position is responsible for leading services such as: serials and monographs acquisitions. . .

24. Responsibilities • Serials and monograph acquisitions • Document delivery / ILL • Circulation / collection maintenance • Reference and teaching • Administrative duties, fiscal management, planning and development

25. Independence of Action • What policies, etc. govern activities in this role? • List typical examples of decisions made without reference to a leader. E.g. setting goals and objectives • List examples of situations where guidance is sought. E.g. staff recruitment • How is work reviewed? • Indicate financial responsibilities.

26. Impact of Errors For example:

27. Contacts Internal External

28. Physical, Visual or Mental Demands Indicate percentage of time spent doing the following tasks:

29. A Job Description should be clear and definitive.

30. Job Descriptions are NOT Job Postings – but Job Postings can be easily created from a good Job Description.

31. Where do we find information or guidelines?

32. We have the skills to find information - don’t neglect those basic skills!Searching the professional literature and professional association guidelines are absolute musts. The Internet is a valuable tool, but not the only one.

33. Writing Documentation • Use your institutions most current form or format • Use action verbs (give power and authority) • Have your document proofread by both a peer and an outsider • Use in-house skills, but if you need help, find it!

34. Benefits

35. Knowing what your job actually entails is invaluable. The dreaded “and other duties as assigned” is an unacceptable generalization.

36. No more than 5-10% of your time should be “other duties” – otherwise, it is time to update!

37. Current documentation: • Allows easy creation of Job Postings • May aid in pursuing appropriate compensation • Gives a GREAT base for a resume! • A firm support for Performance Development/Review and Learning Needs Assessments

38. Performance and Learning • Performance Development or Performance Appraisals may be very positive - a time for seeing what you do well and where you might need or want to improve • Learning Needs Assessment - gives staff a chance to find out where they need training - allows you to concentrate scarce education $ where they can have the largest impact

39. Welcome to: Who Wants to Win at OLA?

41. Question One

42. 1 What type of words should be used when writing a Job Fact Sheet? A: Rhyming Words B: Action Verbs C: Monosyllabic Words D: Only Nouns

43. Question Two

44. 2 A benefit of having an up-to-date Job Fact Sheet is: B: Only ever have to write it once A: Receive bonus vacations C: Automatic & exorbitant raises D: Great base for a resume

45. Question Three

46. 3 Why did we write a Job Fact Sheet? A: Existing sheet was out of date B: Just for fun C: To get practice D: We love paperwork

47. Question Four

48. 4 An example of a core competency is: A: Ethics and Integrity B: Time Management C: Dependability D: A, B and C

49. Question Five

50. 5 Where can you look for information when writing a Job Fact Sheet? A: In the shopping mall B: On TV C: On the Internet D: None of the above