1. Presented to the Alberta Library Conference April 2017
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask
Presented to the Alberta Library Conference April 2017
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

2. What Does Your Library Manager Do?
If anything should every happen to your library manager, could you take over?
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

3. Depending on the size of your library, some or all of these skills would be needed. If you are looking for a library director for a larger size library, you may be looking for more of an administrative person rather than someone with a great deal of library experience. On the other hand, if you are looking for a library manager for a smaller library, some one who is a great utilizer of your library or a dedicated library volunteer may be enough.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

4. Where do you start? Is there a job description on file?
Can you work with your existing library manager/director to create one?
Can your regional library system assist you in developing one?
Internet
First things first, creating a good job description. There are a multitude of examples out there that can be adapted to your library’s needs.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

5. What are you looking for?
General Description
Terms
Qualifications
Skills
Start Date
Salary Range
Expectations
References
Competition Closure Date
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

6. Where to Advertise? Local Newspapers
Jerome List Serv – is hosted by the School of Library and Information Services at the University of Alberta.
Foothills Library Association - Serves Calgary and area
Library Association of Alberta - Province-wide organization
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

7. Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

8. The Job Interview Here are some questions you may want to ask:
What appealed to you about this position?
What are the three most important issues facing libraries today?
How do you keep up with what is what in the library world?
What do you see as the primary role for the library?
What experience have you had in introducing new technologies?
How do you describe your management style?
How do you evaluate the productivity/effectiveness of your subordinates?
What experience do you have in preparing and administrating a budget?
After short listing
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

9. More Questions… What experience do you have in strategic planning?
What kind of partnership and/or collaboration do you see as advantageous for as public library to establish within a community?
How would you deal with a board member or staff member who’s not complying with library policy?
How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time?
What are your goals for the first year of your position here?
There are many more questions that you can ask to determine the fit of the person to your library. These will be posted on the ALTA website. Take your time with the interview, you want to make sure that you have the right person for the position, the person that will meet your library and community needs.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask

10. The Offer and Contract
Personally call your choice and offer them the posittion.
You have choices in the contract you wish for them to sign, I may be as simple as a letter of agreement or a multi-page ontract that has been legally vetted.
Once you and your hiring committee decided on your ideal candidate, you must take it to the board for approval.
Ensure that the offer you make them is run by the board.
After you call your candidate and offer them the position, please the others on your shortlist and thank them for their time and consideration.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Library Manager but Were Afraid to Ask