Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy.
Libraries as organizations are in need of strong leadership, especially in times of change and declining resources. For this reason the managerial aspect of librarianship has become more essential than ever. For many organizations hiring a university graduate who has not garnered experience or at least been trained in basic management principles is a risky proposal. What’s more, library management is a quite specialized field which must concern itself with the ethical aspects of the profession as well as optimal performance and fiscal responsibility.
The changeability of media and the transitional position that many libraries find themselves in makes this fact even more powerful. Managing change within an institution seems likely to be one of the most important tasks for present and future library administrators as the profession undergoes a shift of monumental proportions. The task of the library manager is tying library services to the goals and objectives as well as, to the mission of the institution, all of which must be responsive to the service community.
But it is not enough for the library to stay abreast of technological shifts and community interests, rather a library must be demonstrative of its efforts in as public a fashion as possible. In the case of publicly funded institutions, creating quantifiable goals and objectives will work as partial insurance that the public sees its money and resources well utilized toward agreed upon service priorities. Identifying these goals through the community needs assessment process and setting out to meet measurable goals is only part of the equation. To remain relevant libraries must market their services and successes to the media, the public at large and select service groups within the wider population. Failure to utilize robust management and marketing practices by librarians is likely to make for a steep battle for the sustainability of their institutions, especially when fighting for limited funds if they have not ensured the necessary level of public engagement.
Evidence
I have been lucky in my work experience thus far to have worked on a variety of managerial tasks, including a major project management role in the remodeling of the Main Library in my current library job. This task involved working with budgets, vendors and preparing major collection shifts, as well as, a marketing component in promoting the project to the public. Part of this was the production of a video describing the project process.
Another piece of evidence in support of my managerial and marketing competency can be found in my participation in the Library Organizational Optimization Team (LOOT) in my current position. Among the tasks assigned to this committee are dealing with internal organizational disputes, crafting new library procedures and preparing for the recent Needs Assessment undertaken to set organizational priorities for the next three years. This process included producing SWOT analyses for twelve service responses identified by community member as possible priorities. I was the lead on producing three of these twelve responses.
In LIBR 200, I used my final project to undertake a study of the feasibility of utilizing abandoned big box buildings to house new library constructions. This paper analyzes considerations such as remodel costs, floor load capacity issues and improved traffic circulation. The paper analyzes past attempts and looks at the potential cost-savings and possible over-expenditures which characterize such projects. Taken as a whole, the project demonstrates the ability to comprehensively analyze the positives and negatives of undertaking a major library project.
