Interview Paper

Brandon Lewter LIS 650 Dr. Chow

Introduction
In order to get an inside look at what it takes to be a library administrator, I set out to interview one. Though this interview was conducted through email, I set up the interview by telephone. When I initially spoke with the library administrator I interviewed, due to our busy schedules, we both decided it would be best if I emailed her the interview questions. And then, if I needed clarification with any of her answers, I could call her. For the purpose of this paper, to protect the library administrators anonymity, I will refer to her as Pam and her library as the Friendly Library. About the Library The Friendly Library, a branch in a mid-sized metropolitan area, is situated in a middleincome neighborhood that is close to several businesses and restaurants. The library has a seating capacity for 30-40 adults, over 20 computers for patron use, and a public meeting room. Like most libraries, the Friendly Branch holds several different book club meetings throughout the week. Being a branch, the Friendly Library does not have different departments per say, but they do have three positions (other than the administrators). They have a Childrens Librarian, whose main responsibility is to provide educational and recreational programming activities for children. They have a Library Associate, who assists with the implementation of library programs and shelves and maintains library materials. Finally, they have a Program Assistant who also helps with the shelving and maintenance of library materials. In addition to other responsibilities, each

position adheres to library policies and procedures while providing customer service to a diverse population. About the Administrator Since high school, after her aspirations to become a nurse subsided, Pam dreamt of becoming a librarian. Since she graduated college with a minor in library science and eventually with a masters in librarianship, she has lived that dream. Starting off in a public library as an intern, she eventually got a job as a school librarian, a position she held for many years. Pam also worked as a librarian at a technical college and community college before becoming a childrens librarian at the Friendly Branch. Pam said that she never aspired to be a manger, but since taking the position at the Friendly Library in 2008 when the former manger retired, she has enjoyed it. When asked if she enjoys her work, Pam responded with an emphatic, Yes! She said, Every day is an exciting day working at the library. There is never a dull moment. The adrenalin is always flowing for you never know what to expect. Every day she finds herself having the opportunity to impact the lives of so many people in such a positive and fulfilling way. When I asked Pam who her stakeholders are in her library, she responded that her employees are, as well as the taxpayers and citizens of Greensboro and Guilford County.

Tasks
Primary Tasks Pam seems to have several general, primary tasks, but she says that overall, she is responsible for insuring that patrons receive exceptional customer service. To do so she understands that she must hire and mange staff well, make sure the library is well maintained, monitor the budget, plan and implement library programs, promote library resources, and prepare

reports. In addition to the aforementioned duties, on a daily basis, Pam must respond to patrons questions and concerns, ensure the scheduling of staff is adequate, and check scheduled programs and activities to make sure there are no conflicts. 1/3 Rule When presented with the idea of the 1/3 rule, Pam said it is a good guideline to manage managerial responsibilities, but from a practical standpoint the 1/3 rule does not apply to the daily reality of management. She said that even though you may follow this principal in theory, as a manager you are prone to spending your time distributed less evenly. Personally, she believes she spends almost 50% of her time dealing with external customers. Overall Pam likes the idea of the 1/3 rule, but she thinks it is more important to know how to prioritize your responsibilities and time management daily. Pams Definition of Leadership and Management According to Pam, Leadership is the ability to guide, inspire and motivate to attain a stated goal. Management is the ability to attend and accomplish events and issues to attain a stated goal. She feels that the two roles are intertwinedif one is a good leader, they are a good manager and vice versa.

Questions Answered
When it comes to holding an administration position, Pam thinks the ideal qualities one should have are knowledge, flexibility, compassion, and the ability to delegate. In her position, she tries to lead and manage from a base knowledge, compassion and flexibility. While one needs to be personable, Pam does not feel you have to be an extrovert to be a great manager. She applies these ideals to the problems she encounters the most in her job, those with staffing and personnel issues. Overall, in order to be a good library administrator, Pam told me that you must, above all,

know your organization. And then you must be flexible and compassionate while knowing your own personal strengths and weaknesses. Another topic I was interested in hearing about from Pam are the technical skills she uses on a day-to-day basis. In other words I wanted to know what sort of computer skills and software she has to be familiar with. She responded that she uses a lot of the programs in the Microsoft Office Suite, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Other than that she said she just needs to have basic computer, trouble shooting skills.

Opportunities for Improvement

When asked how her librarys goals align with those of the library system for which she works, Pam said they are very similar. When asked if she feels those goals are being met, she answered, Yes! I think that as a branch we actively provide services and programs that fulfill the needs and support the customers request. She revealed that in a recent survey given to assess patron satisfaction for programs and services, her patrons indicated that they [are] very satisfied. When asked if she feels there is room for improvement in her branch, she replied, I feel very strongly that we deliver excellent customer service at our branch, but we could always improve. To me, this sounds like she believes in the third secret to creating raving fans.

Class Readings and Pam

Three Secrets After a brief description of Raving Fans and the three secrets, I asked Pam if she thought any of the secrets apply to her library. She responded that she feels these rules apply to any organization. She wants all of her patrons to have a good experience at her library every time they

visit. If that happens, those patrons will tell others about her library, ultimately attracting new patrons. Pam did not go into specifics about how her library follows the three secrets, but responses to other questions I asked tell me that it is important for her to constantly improve, make sure she knows what she wants, and to make sure the customer gets what they want. FBAR In regard to the twelve questions from First Break All the Rules, when I asked Pam how she would answer these questions in respect to her position, she said I answered yes to all of the questions with the exception of one. She was referring to question number ten. And she added that, in regard to question number four, she has not received any praise from her supervisors, but she has received praise from customers. When asked how her employees would respond to the twelve questions, she said that she thinks a majority of her staff would answer yes to all of the questions. Finally I asked Pam how she feels about the twelve questions and their ability to test how her employees are doing in their position. This is her response:

I think that these questions are a good barometer of how an employee feels about their position and could certainly be used as a tool to measure some aspects of job performance and job satisfaction. However, I dont feel that these questions are a good test of how well and employee is doing in their position because the questions do not provide a concrete example of a barometer to measure performance.
I think Pam is right on with her thoughts on the twelve questions, but I am not sure that the questions are really designed to evaluate performance. Rather I think the questions are designed to evaluate employee satisfaction which can lead to better or worse performance. Emotional Intelligence I believe Pam is a very emotionally intelligent person and manger. Every time I

corresponded with her she showed a genuine interest to help and empathy for mVerye and my assignment. When asked what she feels one needs to be a good leader and mangers, one of the main traits she listed was compassion. This shows that she sees the importance in understanding what others are going through. I asked Delores if she has an example of how her mood has affected her staff, and she recounted a recent story involving budget cuts and the possible closure of her branch. She told me that with recent budget cuts proposed by her county, her branch was up for closure. This has made the last few months very stressful, she said. But she has seen how her optimistic attitude has helped her employees cope with the stress this situation has brought. She said that if she sees one of her staff members down in the gutter, she will try to show them the bright side of things.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Interviewing Pam was a great experience. I gained a lot of insight as to what it takes to be a library administrator, and it gave me confidence to pursuing the library administration career path if I ultimately decide to do so. From Pam I learned that each library is unique and it is important to know your library intimately if you want to do a good job of managing it. She confirmed my belief and experience with leadership that it is very important to empathize with the people you work with, whether that is the customer, your employees or your supervisor. Pam also reinforced my belief that the three secrets from Raving Fans can be applied to any business. The underlying rules in those secrets can make or break a business, whether it is trying to make a profit or not. It is difficult for me to think of areas where Pam or her library can improve, but that is perhaps because I too am empathetic. Perhaps my desire to understand people and their situation leads me to be nave, and the same might be said for Pam and her branch.

But with a less philosophical perspective, though it pains me to say, I believe that Pams branch could be less optimistic. For example, when I asked Pam how she felt her employees would respond to the twelve questions, she said she believes they would all respond affirmatively. To me that is ideal but unrealistic. I am sure that on some days or over some periods of time at least some of her employees could use better materials or equipment to do their job, or get more encouragement for their development, or receive recognition for doing good work, but perhaps not. I guess Pams optimism is part of her vision of what she wants for her library.