June 29 Assignment - Termination Checklist

1. Gather written disciplinary records supporting termination.
2. Ensure that employee's contract or agreement with the University allows for termination.
2. Schedule meeting with University Librarian, Department Head, and member of Libraries Human Resources Department to discuss intention to terminate employee.
3. Notify the University Human Resources Department of the decision to terminate employee.
4. Schedule confidential meeting with employee to be terminated.
5. At the meeting with the employee:
- Explain the purpose of the meeting
- Explain in a general way the reason for the termination
- Allow employee time to make inquiries
- Communicate to the employee the effective date for termination (this should be two weeks following meeting date)
- Communicate post-termination benefits to the employee, including date of final paycheck
6. Arrange with Information Technology department to cancel employee's computing accounts on the date of termination
7. Arrange with Facilities department to cancel telephone accounts on the date of termination
8. Notify Libraries and University Human Resources Departments about the effective date of termination so that the employee is removed from the payroll
9. Communicate to the unit staff about the employee's departure from the Libraries in a general fashion (do NOT state, "Jane Smith was fired for her ineffectiveness as a librarian." Instead, state "Jane Smith will be leaving the Libraries on such-and-such date. Please join me in wishing her well."). Email is the best method for this communication.
10. Communicate via email to the remainder of the Libraries staff about the employee's departure from the Libraries.
11. On the date of termination, collect any remaining University belongings from the employee, including any building keys, University ID, and any other materials.
12. Ensure if at all possible that the departure is friendly and that the former employee feels that they may contact you with any questions or concerns after termination.

June 26 Assignment - Job Ad

Head of Special Collections/Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections

Responsibilities

The University Libraries are seeking a Head of Special Collections, who will be responsible for the Libraries' Rare Books Collection, the University Archives, and the University Manuscripts Collection. The Head of Special Collections will be responsible for implementing and carrying out policies for each of these units in the areas of preservation, conservation, user access, and digitization. He/she will manage the departmental budget, supervise all department staff (4 full-time professionals, 5 support staff, and approximately 10 student workers), and be responsible for attaining outside grant funding for special collections projects. He/she will also be a member of the Libraries' management team, which includes the heads of all library departments. The Head of Special Collections should have a vision of the future of special collections and a clear plan for its implementation at the University of Large State.

Required:

Master's degree in library science, advanced degree in archival management, or advanced degree in a relevant field

At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in archives or special collections, preferably in a research university

Supervisory experience

Demonstrated professional involvement

Benefits:

Excellent compensation, including relocation reimbursement, partial tuition reimbursement, and medical coverage.

Additional benefits include professional development funding and 24 vacation days per year.

Location and Work Environment

The University of Large State at Midsize City is a large research institution located in the cultural center of the region. Midsize City is a dynamic and vibrant area in which to work. The Large State Libraries contain over 2 million volumes and nearly 200 librarians and staff.

Application Information

To apply for this position, please send a curriculum vitae, contact information for at least three professional references, and a letter of interest to:

Human Resources Department
University Libraries
University of Large State at Midsize City
Midsize City, Large State 56789

If you have any further inquiries, please call (123) 456-7890 or email libhr@largestate.edu.

June 25 Assignment - Interviewing Practice

Although I have been interviewed more than once, I have never interviewed anyone myself before. Thus, this was an interesting experience. I found that I was less interested in the answers to the questions than in other aspects of the responses. Though this was possibly due to the fact that the interview was for a fake, undetermined job and thus that the questions did not particularly apply to anything, I think that the things I started to look for would probably apply to a real interview as well.

For instance, I was interested in the gaps between my questions and the responses, and how confident my interviewee seemed while attempting to think of a response. I also noticed how much he made eye contact with me while responding. Most importantly, however, I was looking to see how articulate he was in his responses and whether the responses actually applied to the questions that I asked. I think that these things would help identify someone’s confidence, ability under pressure, and even verbal intelligence. These things seem to me to be more significant indications of a potential employee’s fit than a fairly rehearsed response to a standard question such as “What are the strengths that you will bring to this position?”

When it was my turn to be interviewed, I found myself thinking of these behavioral indicators more than my responses. Of course it is important to think of useful and pertinent responses to interview questions, but I think that it is at least as important to come across as someone who would be a confident and outgoing contributor, someone who would easily fit in with the company and the company’s other employees and supervisors.

While those who are eventually interviewing me for a real job may not think the way I do, the indicators that I noticed certainly will not be bad things for me to keep in mind as I prepare for whatever future interviews I may have.

June 21 Assignment - Organization Description

I am the new University Librarian at a university library that is a member of the Association of Research Libraries. This is an exclusive organization of research libraries; there are 112 of us, out of all of the research libraries in North America. The organization includes Ivy League institutions such as Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. However, my library is not so exalted. I am the university librarian at a state university that is not even the most respected research library in my state (my library is more comparable to, for instance, North Carolina State University or the University of California-Riverside than to the University of North Carolina or the University of California-Berkeley). The director previous to me had just begun to update the library to bring its policies in line with current research in librarianship when he retired, and I plan to continue this trend.

It will be a difficult economic task for me to modernize the library. As a state institution, my university does not have a great deal of private funding to draw on, and in addition, we have to compete with all of the other public universities in the state for governmental funding.

We have 181 staff members at the library, out of whom 82 are professional librarians. We also employ a number of undergraduate student workers. Our main mission is to support the academic activities of those affiliated with the university community (faculty, staff, and students), but we also provide some services to unaffiliated users. For instance, some members of the local community come in to use our computers, and my predecessor as university librarian has very recently instituted a digitization project for primary source materials that is being used by K-12 teachers and students.

My biggest concern at the moment is how I can secure enough money to institute modern policies in the library and compete (and cooperate) with other institutions in my state.

Welcome

Welcome to my INLS 585 blog. I'm looking forward to my last (non-field experience, non-master's paper) SILS class ever. I moved from Chapel Hill to Minneapolis 2 weeks ago and I'm doing a field experience in the University of Minnesota Libraries right now. I've also been exploring Minnesota - I went to Duluth last week, on Lake Superior. I hope everyone is doing well back in North Carolina!