Jensen writes, “Working in a public library means working with the public. Librarians are taught to deal with mental illness. Taught to deal with homelessness. Taught to deal with hard and personal reference issues with dignity and professionalism. But librarians are not taught what to do when they become the victim of harassment.”

This is a key problem in our field today, and one that we must address. Having worked in public libraries since I was 15, I have plenty of stories I could share about being harassed by patrons, as well as colleagues. I suspect many, if not most, public librarians do. I could write about the unwanted physical advance I received from a colleague a few years ago, or the patron who followed me home from work one night. I could write about the middle-aged man who used to compliment me at the circulation desk when I worked evenings as a (barely 18 year-old) college student, or the person who ran my license plate to find out who I was last year. Recently, a conversation came up with some of my colleagues about lying to patrons about our relationship statuses; many of us were guilty of it. I myself have been known to throw on a fake engagement ring when I see certain patrons enter the building. And that is not okay.

Unfortunately, our job duties of being helpful to the public sometimes make us sitting ducks for harassment. As a profession, we could collect hundreds – probably thousands – of similar stories from people across the library industry. But when are we going to do something about it?

As Macbride writes, much workplace training in today’s world focuses on harassment between employees. That certainly exists in libraries – something I unfortunately can personally attest to – but the bigger risk is harassment by the public. Because, she writes, we are often evaluated by management based on our customer service skills, it can make it that much harder to say no to a patron or tell him to stop whatever he’s doing. We’re in the business of making people happy and saying “yes” as much as possible. We want people to like us so they continue to use us. We depend on high rates of patron interaction to remain relevant in today’s world of shrinking budgets and constant questions about our necessity.

So, how as a profession do we address this? I don’t have an easy answer. Neither do Jensen or Macbride. It’s an incredibly complex issue that, until recently, until #MeToo and #TimesUp went mainstream, was taboo to speak about.

The first step is to talk about it. Keep talking about it, even when it makes people uncomfortable. The more aware we are of the problem, the more we can work on fixing it. Due to the nature of working with the public, it’s unlikely to ever go away completely, but perhaps calling more attention to it will make harassers think twice before behaving badly.

Have you been a victim of harassment at your workplace? Have an idea for prevention? Share your story in the comments.

References

^[1] Katie Macbride, “#TimesUp on Harassing Your Public Librarian,” Shondaland, January 31, 2018, https://www.shondaland.com/act/a15876574/timesup-on-harassing-your-public-librarian/

^[2] Kelly Jensen, “The State of Sexual Harassment in the Library,” Book Riot, October 24, 2017, https://bookriot.com/2017/10/24/sexual-harassment-library/

The post Ending Sexual Harassment at the Public Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

I like to think of myself as a funny guy, but my wife has a differing opinion. She thinks that my jokes are “painful” in some way. Perhaps the fact that they are filled with both puns and sarcasm makes them difficult to bear. However, there is a saying that goes with a sharp wit and sometimes overactive sense of humor: “discretion shall preserve thee.” This statement has proven true over and over, and is especially true if you are in a leadership role. There’s a big difference between when the boss tells a joke and when it comes from a coworker. Here’s are some commonsense tips for using humor at work.

• Making fun of the current administration or pointing fingers at the mayor can not only cost you your position, but can paint the library in an unfavorable light. You don’t want that hanging over your head when the budget is being voted on.
• In addition remember the simple rule that making general statements about groups of people, whether that be religious, racial, related to sexual orientation, political party affiliation, or nearly any other group an individual might be a part of is wrong. You could say something derogatory about say, Star Wars fans. However, if that statement made it seem at all as if you might treat that group unfairly in your library, it can be seen as discriminatory and politically incorrect.
• Be careful with sarcasm. It can be, well, a bit biting from time to time. Sarcasm can also be misunderstood. Even when it seems unnecessary, make it clear to employees and others when what you are saying is a joke.
• While it may seem funny to make light of someone else’ mistake, the best policy is to avoid this kind of humor altogether at least in the workplace. Not only does it prevent you from slipping over the invisible line between funny and offensive, but it also sets the example for those around you. Peer to peer jokes of this nature can be just as offensive or damaging no matter how innocent they may seem on the surface. As a leader, you model what is acceptable and not acceptable in your workplace.
• While a little self-deprecation can be funny in the right situation, too much of it shows you lack confidence in your own abilities. This in turn can inspire doubt in your staff and those you lead every day.

Smart Brief on Leadership asked its readers if they would rather work with a leader with a good sense of humor or one without. Nearly half said it was more than just a desirable quality: it was an essential leadership trait. So how do you foster good, clean, safe humor in your library?

• Break the Tension: Let your employees know it is okay to laugh at work
• Spread Opportunities: Create times for lighthearted laughter and joking around as part of your workday.
• Be Human: You will make mistakes, that joke you thought was well timed will fail. Laugh at yourself. It humanizes you, and lets those around you know they don’t have to be perfect either.

Using humor opens people up to interact more freely with you, and makes them feel able to share more openly. As library leaders, we need to do better, be funnier, and use humor liberally especially when times are tough and things are hard. Your staff, and ultimately your patrons, will thank you for it.

References

1. Leading with Humor by Alison Beard, Harvard Business Review, May 2014, https://hbr.org/2014/05/leading-with-humor.

The post The Library Needs Laughter first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Kokomo-Howard County Public Library (KHCPL) managers recently responded to those questions. There was surprising uniformity in the answers. Overwhelmingly, they chose moments that helped them to see their colleagues differently. Here are some favorites:

Pop Quiz

Whether it’s about personality type, leadership style, or something more specific, our managers have valued quizzes that identify our strengths, especially when used with people we already think we know. There is a seemingly endless number to choose among; one we enjoyed was “Your Leadership Orientation”[1], which we learned about at a Library Journal Lead the Change[2] event. An activity that helped us process the results of the quiz was literally lining up by our numerical score for each of the four orientations. It was definitely helpful to find myself standing right next to a colleague with whom I thought I had absolutely nothing in common. We also benefitted from the chance to see each other as complex individuals with varying strengths.

Round Robin

A highlight of meetings we’ve attended has been when everyone around the table answers a question or completes a statement. After reading The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni, managers used an exercise described in the book by taking turns sharing something that was hard during their childhoods. At least one of those stories created an “aha” moment for me that explains a lot about a co-worker’s personality. The activity doesn’t have to be entirely serious, however, to build relationships. Silliness can also be a great antidote to tension. Try asking, “If I were an ice cream flavor, I’d be _________ because _________.” or “If I could have any super power, it would be __________.” If you need something simple and easy to remember, our go-to is, “Tell us something good.”

Take the Challenge

One way to see your co-workers in a new light is to work with them on a team challenge. The possibilities for team-based tasks are many and varied: setting mousetraps and placing them in a particular order within a set amount of time, working together to navigate an obstacle course, or safely guiding a blindfolded companion to a destination without touching him or her. Working together on something totally outside regular, day-to-day duties will highlight all sorts of personality traits and quirks. Watch for problem-solving skills, risk tolerance, the ability to organize the team, and how individuals respond to the activity’s stated rules.

But We Have Work to Do

If you worry that spending time on personal histories or non-work-related exercises is a waste of time, consider how much time is stolen by poor working relationships. Avoiding working with a colleague can affect productivity in the short-run or outcomes in the long-run. A lack of trust can result in gossiping, complaining, or secret post-mortems conducted after meetings.  Each of these not only takes up large chunks of time but are also likely to hurt morale.

Being proactive about building relationships and trust has proven to be worth every second at KHCPL. It has not only made work more fun but it’s also led to better cross-departmental teamwork, greater willingness to take risks, and all-around improvements in performance.

Try adding a seemingly impractical element to your next meeting. It could be an excellent use of time and become one of your best meetings ever.

References

[1] http://www.leebolman.com/Leadership%20Orientations.pdf

[2] http://lj.libraryjournal.com/lead-the-change/programs/engagement/#_

The post The Best Meeting Ever first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Working in a public library means being a master juggler. Someone who can answer the latest reader’s advisory question, and then talk a new patron through downloading an ebook while dealing with an overflowing book return. Public librarians are answering phones, chat, email, and in person questions, sometimes all at the same time. In reality, trying to manage all of these tasks simultaneously isn’t practical or sustainable. Below are some strategies to help you to avoid the multitasking trap.

Prioritize
Use a tool like Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix to help prioritize your time. Divide your tasks into four quadrants – urgent and important, urgent and not important, important not urgent, not important and not urgent. Devote at least part of each day to something in the “important but not urgent” quadrant, like your library’s strategic plan goals.

Try using an online task manager like Remember the Milk or Trello to arrange your lists and projects. Both of these programs allow you to share tasks with others – take advantage of this! Some email programs also have integrated task lists that allow you to schedule tasks directly from a message. Find a method that works for you.

Manage Your Email
This is one of most powerful ways to reclaim your time. Email and social media have been shown to be as addictive as alcohol and nicotine. Plan your day to focus the amount of time you spend using electronic communication rather than allowing it to interrupt your day. Read and respond to email on a schedule rather than leaving it open throughout the day. Check to see if your email program allows you to choose “push” options for delivery. If possible, set your account to check for new messages no more than every 15 or 30 minutes. This bunches your incoming messages into more sizable chunks.

If you haven’t already, learn to use tags, labels, folders, and filters to help structure your email in a meaningful way. If you subscribe to a listserv like publib, create a filter that puts all of those emails in a folder. Create a filing system that allows you to quickly sort or group your messages in ways that make sense, such as by topic, by sender or by project. Turn off notifications if you use a smartphone. Even visual reminders of an incoming message serves as an interruption to other, probably more important, activities. These strategies will allow you to spend less time checking and more time actually reading and responding to messages.

Delegate and Collaborate
Learn the strengths of your co-workers, staff members, and volunteers. Leverage them. Does a co-worker have a special hobby that aligns perfectly with what needs to be done? Is one of your staff looking to grow in this area? Match your tasks with these opportunities, and everyone wins. Delegation should not be merely passing off something you don’t want to do. Delegation is finding the person who not only has the time, but also the passion and motivation to do a task better–and sometimes faster–than you could.

Don’t overlook the power of collaboration. If you’re looking to offer a program, does another organization specialize in the topic? Is there a local group or agency looking for a volunteer opportunity? Finding others to help you accomplish goals and objectives can lighten your workload and create long-term solutions that are more manageable.

Sources

• Covey, Stephen, First Things First. New York, 1994.

• NPR Blog; “If You Think You’re Good At Multitasking, You Probably Aren’t,” blog entry by Nancy Shute, Jan. 24, 2013.

• Sanbonmatsu, David, Strayer, David, Medeiros-Ward, Nathan, and Watson, Jason, “Who Multi-Tasks and Why? Multi-Tasking Ability, Perceived Multi-Tasking Ability, Impulsivity, and Sensation Seeking.” PLoS ONE no. 8 (2013): e54402, doi:10.1371/journal.pone00544.

The post Are You a Multitasking Master? Think Again. first appeared on Public Libraries Online.