Before today, I would have said that my managerial skills needed some work--and would have agreed saying that would be an understatement. My lack in this area I think is partly due to lack of practical experience, and more to the fact that I didn't know what a manager did. My library management class has really opened up my eyes, if in nothing else than that managers don't just tell people what to do. At least the good ones don't. They help smooth the way for library operations to work well and accomplish the library's goal.
In some respects, management does need to consider the library as a business. Now, I know there are those who wouldn't agree; they say that comparing a library to a business demeans its purpose, just as calling those who use its services "customers" rather than "patrons" may bring up negative associations. And I can't help but agree ever so slightly; libraries do have a noble role--to be a cornerstone of democracy through the establishment of an enlightened public (not enlightened in the manner of Buddha, but educated and given access to any and all information). But there are some things that libraries and the average business have in common: a staff and a "product," although in the library's case the product comes at no cost. To allow the staff to perform their tasks to the best of their ability and contribute to the big picture at the same time requires some good management. To ensure that the product (library services) is available to the public in a consistent and effective manner requires some good management as well. Call me crazy, but I think I'm finally starting to understand some of the concepts my instructor has been exposing us to.
Today, for example, I caught myself looking at a situation in a very multi-faceted manner. My team and I are currently working on a project which culminates with a presentation given to a hypothetical millionaire donor who is willing to fund some needed improvements to (in our case) a hypothetical library. One of the improvements we're discussing is to ask for funding to hire an permanent full-time IT staff member. A teammate posed the idea of also asking for funding for a current employee to be trained and act as a back up person. I rather surprised myself when I responded. Here's my response:
"We may want to have an idea of who the best candidate on staff would be (their current position), how long the training will take, if the staff member will continue working full-time or part-time while training (and if not, how their workload will be divided up while they're training), and how much the training will cost."
Before I would have considered the monetary cost only. Now, I find that I can see more of the big picture and how things will fit together. Eight weeks ago, I was bemoaning the class content and wondering what I got myself into this semester. Now, I'm enjoying this project and the challenge inherent in this class. I'm not as worried about doing well--I look forward to the discussions and ideas that my team and I bat around.
I'm not saying I'm ready to jump into a management position tomorrow; however, I know one day I will be.
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