Wickedlocal reports…A new chapter started yesterday at the Milford Town Library, with Susan Edmonds, formerly of Boston’s George Fingold Library, taking over as director and establishing stability for a staff that has worked under three bosses in three months in a newly renovated library.
Edmonds said she’s ready to lead, but first has to get her bearings.
On day 1, Edmonds had to check with staff to see how to get into the locked Milford Room, which showcases the town’s history.
When a staff member in circulation told Edmonds her staff key would open the door, the new director halted and smiled, saying, “Oh, I don’t have one yet.” And when the phone rang in her office, “I gotta learn how to use this,” she said, picking it up to say, “Hello, this is Susan.”
At the state library in Boston, Edmonds worked in technical services, as the library systems manager, assistant director and head of services. Before that, at the Somerville Public Library, she was reference librarian, circulation supervisor and technical services librarian.
“I’ve been everything else, but,” she said of the director’s job. “And I enjoy what I did but this was an opportunity I couldn’t miss, pass up.”
Here is a suggestion
Stop trying to be friends with the staff.
Make sure you have all of the keys for all of the doors in the building.
Get an instruction manual for the phone and learn how to use it.
Don’t tell people you don’t know how to use the phone, it does not make you look like one of ‘the girls or guys’ it makes you look like an idiot. It is a telephone. Pick it up, speak into it, and when you are done with the conversation hang it up. Read the manual and learn how to put someone on hold and how to transfer someone. I’ve worked with people who cannot use the phone and I thought they were idiots, and time proved me right. I ended up firing them.
Learn the best practices of library management and use them. Don’t try to re-invent the wheel. If your employees are upset that you are not being their friend and it is causing their work to suffer, fire them. You are the boss and you can make friends outside work.
The website it quite good for a small library. It is easily navigable, although not the most contemporary design. However more importantly it is viewable in several browsers, I have tested it with IE, Opera, Firefox and Safari. I’m not mad about the js and HV Menu as it looks like crap on a mobile device, so users with blackberries or mobile phone internet access have a hard time accessing the catalog. There are a few typographical errors, a few tags that are not closed, but for the most part it is very well done and hand coded.
If she can be an objective, goal directed boss the staff will not become her friends, but something more important loyal workers. Employees want someone they can count on, someone who is fair and expects the best from them. If you require excellence from your staff, and demonstrate it yourself it will be a cake walk.
Are you a professional
Are you a professional librarian or just a crank