I knew that despite the fact that I am still getting responses to my
"venting" session and my questions, that I should let most of you know what
has happened....(it's like a soap-opera around here).
First of all, 95% of you have stated that you have MY assistant's evil twin
working with you at your library. This is a comfort to know that we are all
working with some of the same frustrations. I identified with many of the
problems that you were stating and I "feel your pain."
Obviously, there are "control" issues involved in these situations and I
know that most of us with degrees feel that we should have control of the
library since we have worked hard and we were hired to do the job...and for
me, the job was to re-structure the library and make it work for the
students. It hasn't worked for well over ten years and there were problems
because of personnel in the library. I now believe it was because of the
assistant who ruled the librarians rather than the librarians' being the
ones who didn't have the training or the qualifications. They just allowed
the assistant to do the job...and it just doesn't work when the assistant
has only a bachelor's degree in home economics.
To give you a break down of the responses, about 85% of you responded that I
should NOT tell my assistant what I was going to do this summer and just do
it....with the idea that changes made would be relevant to the students'
best interest and not based upon any personality conflicts.
A few of you wanted me to approach her, work with her, and talk with her
regarding the problems we have had in getting things worked out (power
issues).
Some asked questions about administrative support and why this hasn't been
approached or if it had been. Others wanted to know if I could take away
keys so she can't return to the library or change passwords so she couldn't
catalog anymore.
The administrative issues are not as easily handled as you might
think...this is someone who has a "family connection" to the school and no
one who is "family" is released (or scolded) unless serious charges are
filed or there is a public scandal. (However, I have informed the
administration. They want to "think about it." They've been thinking now
for 6 months.) Taking away the keys is in the same category...it would be
like taking the keys away from your grandmother...and who wants to be
reprimanded for leaving grandma locked out of the house?
All of these ideas came faster than I could read them (and I'm still getting
responses). But the reality sank in on Thursday after my assistant and I
met with the elementary school librarians to discuss our policy and
procedures manuals. We had gone through all of the policies and most of
the procedures when we got to cataloging. When she realized that I had
planned to re-catalog most of the 800's because of the problems that I saw
there, she almost yelled, "You mean I've got to re-catalog all of those
books that you took off the shelves?" (I had two carts filled with books
that needed new call numbers.) I said, "No, I'm going to re-catalog them
and then I'll put the correct call number on a post-it note on the inside of
the book. You will only need to change the call number on the spine." She
grew quiet and didn't speak.
After the meeting, she took the manual home and read through it. Then on
Thursday, she returned to work and proceeded to do nothing...including her
normal activities. She basically "went on strike." I realized that she had
not even gone into the circulation system when I opened the program from the
computer in my office and it told me that I needed to run a report and it
asked me if I wanted to change the date and time. From that point, I
decided to "ignore" her childish behavior. I made small comments to her
while we worked, but she didn't respond. We had half-days on Thursday and
Friday, so I left at noon. She stayed for about an hour longer (according
to our tech people) and then she left. I then returned after my lunch
off-campus and began to work alone (oh, the solitude...heaven!)
It was because of her behavior on that day that I decided to change the
passwords on the cataloging system so that I could maintain the changes that
I was making. Then on Friday, she came back to work in a bit of a better
mood until she found out that she didn't have access to cataloging. She
came to me and said, "I can't seem to get the cataloging system open."
I told her, "Yes, I've changed the password and restricted you because I
need to make changes to the entire catalog and I didn't want both of us
working in the catalog at the same time. There's a lot that needs to be
changed and because I've had the training, I don't think it's fair to you to
do the work that I am being paid to do as a professional. Once everything
is completed and the system is up to standards, I will show you how things
will be done. But I plan to do this off and on all summer."
Her eyes were as large as eggs, her face grew white and her mouth literally
hung open throughout my entire speech. She had never been told that she
couldn't have access to anything in the library. She then began to state
that she needed to get into cataloging in order to make notes on items that
were lost and had been paid for. I told her to mark them as lost in the
circ system and then make a note of who paid for the item. I would probably
then delete all of the missing and lost items from the catalog (since
nothing lost or missing had been deleted in over 10 years...fun, fun...).
She was told "no" again. She backed out slowly. Luckily, a teacher came by
at the moment and made a very awkward situation more lively by returning
items and making small talk with my assistant and me.
Although we needed to stay until only noon that last day, I gathered my
things together early to leave for lunch. As I was walking out, my
assistant wanted to know if I planned to come back next week. I told her
that I didn't know if I would or not. I told her that I had hoped to take a
break from the "mess" and drop by on different occasions. (I didn't want to
give her any specific dates because she wanted to be there also to help
"guide" me to what needed to be done. I knew that she was already resisting
the changes because I was moving the periodicals around to a different
location and she almost had a coronary.)
I went to lunch and came back in an hour. She was gone. I then decided
that the only way to keep her away from the library during the summer was to
block her access to all areas in the circ / cat system. I then went into
the system and changed all of the passwords so she couldn't get back into
the system until I decided she need to be there. I felt that if she thought
she had something to do (even in the circ system) she would make an excuse
to be at work every day during the summer.
I don't plan to go into the library tomorrow (our first day of summer)
because she will most likely be there. If I avoid the place, she will
eventually not be able to do anything there because I've blocked her ability
to work in the system and she doesn't know what I'm doing with the books on
the carts yet, so she would be just sitting in a large library alone.
I will return and do cataloging after I have had a mental break. I will
also change the set-up of the library, weed (deeply), and make a new guide
to the arrangement of the library based upon what it will look like when I
finish in August just before school.
Overall, I think that she now understands that things will be differently
based upon the written rules and my following through with them immediately.
It was only after the written rules had been presented that her world began
to re-shape. I'm sure I'm in for more adventures, but right now I'm looking
forward to working alone in the library during the summer (with my car
parked in various locations so that she can't drive by to spot me there, of
course). --don't tell me you don't try to keep your assistants from
knowing that you're working in the library during the summer!
I must be crazy for doing this, but I just need to be "alone with the
collection" in order to make the changes that need to be made without having
to explain my professional reasoning with someone who obviously wants to
stop my changes anyway.
Thanks for your input! This could be a book!
~Shonda Brisco
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Fort Worth, TX
sbrisco021@charter.net
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