Continuation of Monday’s discussion plus a couple of announcements – and blueberry cheesecake provided by Joanne – YUM – and thanks! 🙂
Present: Nancy, Joanne, Dan, Steve (hurray!), Todd, Kellam, Elin (notes) and Dean who stayed when he spotted the cheesecake…
Announcements:
A reminder that Music opens at 1 pm on Sundays
Circ will eliminate annual written reviews for student employees – in favor of timely verbal follow up by shift supervisor, with follow-up by hiring supervisors as needed (this matches current User Services practice)
Staff lunch/meal breaks – take when needed, there will be times when desks will be staffed only by student employees; will beef up student coverage where/when needed
Paging/retrieval will be turned off in the system on Oct 1
What about student and staff – employee celebrations/holidays/honor birthdays?
Monday’s discussion – identify, define, and look at service level agreements for our top priorities – what are our key deliverables?
Reserve services – hard copy, media, Eres
Access – check-out, returns, re-shelve
Student management
Info point – front end presence/customer service; refer and help
Communication: email: Circ mailbox; phone; in person; blog/wiki/webpages
Where do goals – personal and departmental – fit into this discussion?
What about the work of the teams?
Staff/employee development?
We are an Info point (by default (kitty analogy resurfaced) and/or design…)
(Kellam wants a library kitty)
We are the first point of contact; we’re visible; available
Circ desks are the only service points staffed during all hours that the libraries are open
Stats – hard to document all the stuff that comes out of left field (lively discussion ensued talking about examples of strange requests)
Question of how/when to staff only with student staff
Can we reduce library hours?
Where is the balance of reduced hours/being vital to the core work of the college community?
Who else can provide the presence if Circ desk closed during some open periods? Or if staffed only with student staff?
Eliminate service late evening/nights and weekends?
Security service for late nights and weekends?
Implications of not “doing it all” or saying no – for the next person on shift?
Would rather say no to some things rather than balance level B work
During a time of increase workloads and decreased staffing resources, what can we reduce?
Eliminate or reduce services and do A level work?
Keep all services and lower expectations to B level work?
Where can we automate and direct to self-service?
Equipment bookings
My Midcat – do we need to review loan rules to maximize self powers and minimize blocks etc.?
Self-check? (currently out of order)
Provide options for the users for self-service – as a preferred choice
What can move to the web?
User expectations:
Reduced services outside regular “office hours”
Reduced exceptions and special handling, special and rush services
Define appropriate response times (example: 36 hours to reshelve returns)
How do we responsibly reduce service offerings?
How do we receive requests and follow up?
First in, first out?
How to prioritize – by in person, by phone, by email?
Reserves
Circ/borrowing
ILL and NExpress turnaround times and expectations for filling requests
How to analyze?
How to increase effectiveness with fewer resources?
Maybe identify the lowest 5?
Guests and visitors (not our core/primary user)
Stats (are they really used in determining hours and services?)
Film Media Screening support
Booking loaner equipment (only first come first served; self-booking?)
Room Reservations
List everything we can no longer support at go/no?
Out of time and full of yummy cheesecake…
Feel free to keep the conversation going by commenting on this post.
How do we stay motivated and focused on our work, our goals and priorities – and the bigger picture – during this challenging time?