Negotiating Competency, Asserting Authority Erin Leach Jessica Schomberg @erinaleach @schomj #camms #alctsac17 #alaac17

Negotiating Competency The competencies state that examples “are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered prescriptive.” How can we ensure institutions negotiate these competencies with library workers instead of using them against workers? We’ll use the behavioral competency Professional Curiosity to identify possibilities. Mention in presentation that using competencies against workers means hiring for fit, supervising for fit (to enforce conformity)

Negotiation Negotiation depends on knowing what you deserve and why. Negotiation doesn’t start with a yes. What are your walk away points? What are your institution’s walk away points? Negotiation is about relationships. https://www.themuse.com/advice/why-women-must-ask-the-right-way-negotiation-advice-from-stanfords-margaret-a-neale

Two Caveats Negotiation can be unfair: women, especially women of color, are often penalized for making demands in the workplace. Sometimes taking a communal or collective approach will be more successful than advocating just for oneself.

Behavioral Competencies Behavioral competencies describe both personal attributes that contribute to success in the profession and ways of thinking that can be developed through coursework and employment experience. Professional Curiosity Maintains awareness of professional literature and research Seeks involvement with professional organizations Advocates for the profession Appropriate knowledge and skills form a basis for cataloging competency. A grasp of the key concepts and skills, however, do not add up to successful cataloging practice. If these are expected as job tasks, they should be written into position descriptions, considered work, and made part of the evaluation process

Develop research skills Engage in research Deciding where to publish: Requirements to Maintain awareness of professional literature and research Time Tools Financial support: Develop research skills Engage in research Deciding where to publish: OA Paywall journals How many hats do you wear? Is this limited to cataloging development or required for other positions? How to balance? Who decides that balance?

Requirements to Seek involvement with professional organizations Deciding where to participate Time Financial support: Association dues Costs associated with face-to-face meetings Accessibility at virtual and face-to-face meetings In-person attendance at face-to-face events: Childcare availability on-site Support at home for caretakers to be away Re: deciding where to participate: Is a national-level organization seen as more prestigious than a regional or local one? Who in audience has paid leave to attend ALA, who has financial support from their institution vs who had to take unpaid leave and pay their own way

Requirements to Advocate for the profession What do we mean by “the profession:” Workers? Individual libraries? Professional associations? The public good? Will libraries actively protect employees who engage in critical practices with the intent of making professional improvements, even at the risk of being controversial?

Human Behavior: It’s Structural What are the common threads running through the requirements for this competency? Time Money Power In what ways do these threads burden library workers? Student debt + low wages = Little financial flexibility for travel or dues Precarity keeps people from speaking up and out “I did it, you should too!” mentality from incumbent library workers Last slide for Jessica

Negotiating Competencies, Asserting Authority Professional associations: Remove barriers to participation wherever possible Libraries and their leaders: Have reasonable (and measurable) expectations for new hires Provide material support for professional growth Job seekers (early professionals and otherwise): Ask for what you need to be successful Know your walk-away points First slide for Erin

Institutional Responsibilities ALCTS: Consider how dues structures and appointment protocols can be revised to increase participation Provide lower-cost options for participation Make sure in-person and streamed opportunities are accessible ALA: Support cross-division discussions that present competencies as a negotiation tool, not a hiring list Develop cross-division toolkits to help administrators support library workers

Financial Costs of Personal Membership ALA + ALCTS membership = Student: $51 Non-student, 1st year: $133 Non-student, 2nd year: $169 Non-student, 3rd+ years: $202

Institutional Responsibilities Individual libraries: Consider whether (and how) performance of behavioral competencies can be quantified before making them a job requirement If professional curiosity is a job requirement, it needs to be supported through: In-house growth opportunities Resources to support engagement with the broader professional community

Individual Responsibilities Managers: Set realistic goals around behavioral competencies Advocate for staff to get resources necessary to be successful Incumbent staff: Mentor students and new hires, formally or informally Job seekers: Know what you deserve and why

Conclusion Barriers to success with behavioral competencies are often structural It is incumbent upon institutions who benefit from the labor of library workers (especially students and early career workers) to support the growth of those whose labor they depend on Library workers have the right to assert their authority when it comes to negotiating around behavioral competencies In this context, “institutions” means both professional associations or individual libraries.

Questions? Comments?