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The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) awarded its 2002 “Award of Excellence in Public Library Management,” to Kern County Library (KCL) in California, for their program that involved, empowered and integrated the talent of their paraprofessional staff into key library management practices and decisions. The award, underwritten by Library Systems & Services (LSSI), includes a $1,500 cash prize which will be presented at the ULC Leadership Breakfast on Sunday, June 16, 2002, in Atlanta.
The challenge of integrating professional and paraprofessional staff cultures, motivations and recognition is a common management issue in library organizations. The administration of the Kern County Library recognized that the talents of their paraprofessional staff were underutilized and, yet, were essential to developing consistent library practices, procedures and training.
“Our management staff embraced the opportunity to create “win-win” situations for everyone involved,” reports Diane Duquette, Director of Libraries for KCL. “We created a project that gave our paraprofessionals visibility, a leadership challenge, and a way to bridge communications between themselves and our professional staff to provide better and more consistent library service across the entire county library organization.”
The KCL leadership project was launched with the creation of a committee of paraprofessionals tasked with reviewing the library’s circulation-related procedures and preparing a written manual with implementation procedures. The committee was comprised of paraprofessional representatives from all parts of the library – small and large, rural and urban branches and headquarters.
Outcomes of the project are both products, such as the procedures and training manuals, and shifts in attitudes and behavior. Communications and working relationships between paraprofessional and professional staff have been strengthened with respect and recognition. Paraprofessionals have gained new competencies and organizational understanding. They now serve as trainers who imbed the newly codified practices throughout the organization, using a curriculum they developed to accompany the circulation manual, and a continuous feedback mechanism of “Circulation Tips” they present at staff meetings and in staff newsletters. An important outcome of the project is the new visibility and value given to paraprofessionals as leaders in the organization.
“This library project provides a glimpse into the exciting work that is being done in library leadership,” reports the ULC/LSSI Award Committee Chair, Carlton A. Sears, Director of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, OH. “The Kern County program is innovative in that it focuses on a class of library employees for which leadership programs are not often developed. The program produced tremendous positive results, with a very low cost.”
The ULC/LSSI Award of Excellence in Public Library Management recognizes programs and practices that develop leadership skills in public library staff. Founded in 1971, ULC focuses its research, recognition, and capacity-building services on crucial roles of public libraries in metropolitan areas. |
