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Very Temporary Employees: Managing Practicum, Internship and Volunteer Experiences in Technical Services Units

Very Temporary Employees: Managing Practicum, Internship and Volunteer Experiences in Technical Services Units. Margaret Maurer Associate Professor, Head, Catalog & Metadata Kent State University Libraries and Media Services. At Kent State.

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Very Temporary Employees: Managing Practicum, Internship and Volunteer Experiences in Technical Services Units

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  1. Very Temporary Employees: Managing Practicum, Internship and Volunteer Experiences in Technical Services Units Margaret Maurer Associate Professor, Head, Catalog & Metadata Kent State University Libraries and Media Services ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  2. At Kent State • Why do we make so much use of temporary student “employees” at Kent? • Because library school / library collaborations benefit: • The students • The library school • The library ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  3. National Trends Shaping our Workforce • Diminished financial support for libraries • The misguided notion that all cataloging and technical services work can be outsourced or privatized ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  4. Trends • The lack of redundancy in technical services departments • There are fewer ‘junior’ technical services positions (the 2 year gap) • The impending retirement boom for technical services librarians ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  5. Trends • The decreasing availability of courses in technical services and cataloging in library schools • The role and importance of practical education for librarianship • The need to foster the development of new technical services and catalog librarians ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  6. Selfish Reasons for Working with Student “Employees” • The economic and staffing factors • Getting real work done relatively cheaply • The impact of temporary student apprentices in the technical services unit • Remember—they really won’t be there that long anyway ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  7. Sustainability • Sustainability is key • What does the library get out of the experience? • Do the benefits justify the resources expended? • Find ways to manage the process ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  8. Thinking of Them as Very Temporary Employees • Improves sustainability • Helps provide intentionally structured experiences • Taps into best practices for personnel management ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  9. Temporary Employee Management • Workforce planning and administration • Recruitment • Induction and orientation • Training • Supervising and evaluating • Severance and exit interviewing (assessment) ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  10. Resources • Dedicated workspace(s) • Computer – software & hardware • Accounts and authorizations • Office supplies • Web-based workspace ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  11. Different Flavors of Temporary Employment • Practicum Students • Graduate Student Assistants (GSAs) • Volunteers ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  12. Job Descriptions • Think about what you really need them to bring to the party • Create job descriptions for each type of temporary position ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  13. Planning and Administration • Evaluate recent experiences • With great flexibility can come great change • Play to the unit’s needs and strengths • Recycle experiences to maximize efficiencies ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  14. Recruitment • Via library website • Via University Career Services postings • Via the library school student discussion list • Via word of mouth ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  15. Interviews • Prepare for them and take them seriously • Don’t hire the first person you interview • Carefully define the scope and shape of the experience for them • Clarify your expectations and discover what their expectations are • Interest alone isn’t enough—there must be some talent ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  16. Induction and orientation • Explain work rules • Provide context • Introduce them • Test those workstations ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  17. Training • Create reusable training tools • Create escalating levels of experience • Reading about it • Doing it under supervision • Flying solo • Establish a limit of 25 hours of face-to-face training per practicum experience ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  18. Supervising and evaluating • Don’t be afraid to be critical • Check work in a timely manner • Find efficient ways to check work ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  19. Severance and exit interviewing (Assessment) • The students are evaluated • The students evaluate the program ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  20. Real Benefits from 2001-2005 • They got real work done • They eased short-term staffing shortages • The freed staff from repetitive work • The taught us new ways of doing things ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  21. Positive Outcomes • For the student: “When I started I was a raw well-educated, well-meaning rookie .. Now I feel like a librarian” • For the librarian: Professionally engaged former students ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

  22. Contact Information mbmaurer@kent.edu http://www.personal.kent.edu/~mbmaurer/ ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim

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