Administration and Staffing in Public Libraries McMenemy, D. (2009). The public library. London: Facet Publishing.

1. Administration and
Staffing in Public Libraries
Prepared by Roxanne Peña

2. Introduction
• Library workers activate the mission of the public
library.
• The use of collections, community partnerships,
and one-on-one service that supports lifelong
learning to people of all ages are facilitated by a
qualified and committed staff.
• Many people—the library board, library workers,
and volunteers—working together shape a
library that functions as the heart of the 21st
century community.

3. Library Boards
• Commonly appointed by a governing body, but
sometimes elected.

4. Library Boards
• They have the responsibility for a range of functions:
• Analysis of community needs
• Hiring, recommending, and evaluating the public
library director
• Acting in an advocacy role to develop community
support for bond issues and taxation
• Budget review and approval
• Policy review and approval
• Commitment to freedom of inquiry and
expression
• Formulation of long range planning.

5. Library Director
• Works closely with the library board to realize
the public library mission, develop long-range
plans and implement policies for the library’s
operations.

6. Library Director
• Directors are expected to handle numerous
responsibilities, such as the following:
• Lead the planning cycles
• Organize human resources
• Represent the library in the community
• Oversee financial operations
• Interact with local, state, and national library entities
• Develop the library’s fiscal base through development
and fundraising
• Manage facilities and technology
• Plan, design, and evaluate services

7. Library Director
• Don Sager (2001),
summarized the
knowledge and skills
required by public library
directors:
• People skills
• Vision
• Marketing ability
• Communication
• Collaborative skills
• Technical Skills
• Customer service skills
• Problem-solving ability
• Risk taking
• Self-renewal

8. Organization of Public Library Staff
• Public library staffing is structured in response to
community needs.

9. Organization of Public Library Staff
• The Library Support Staff certification Program
began in 2010—a national certification program
that allows library support staff to demonstrate
their competencies and be certified by the ALA.
• There are no national standards that govern
staffing patterns for public libraries.
• Staff is viewed as a resource to be used as
efficiently and effectively as possible and
engaged in activities that are most important to
a library’s mission, goals, and objectives.

10. Organization of Public Library Staff
• Nelson, Altman and Mayo (2000), identified the
aspects of staffing:
• Identifying activities and when and where they
will be performed
• Identifying abilities needed to accomplish
activities
• Determining the number of staff in relation to
patron use and staff workload
• Understanding how staff currently use their time
• Determining how to find staff to accomplish the
library’s priorities

11. Unions
• Unions contribute to a stable, productive
workforce—where workers have a say in
improving their jobs.
• Library workers have organized in unions for
better wages, working conditions and benefits.
• Unions can help make libraries better by offering
a collaborative model for employee relations
that management might want to emulate.

12. Volunteers
• Libraries actively solicit the support of volunteers
for library operations serving in all the areas:
• Shelving books
• Checking materials in and out
• Staffing reference and information desks
• Providing behind-the-scenes support

13. Broad-Based Issues Relating to
Staffing

14. Recruitment
• Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program,
funded by the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS)—recognizes the key role of
libraries and librarians in maintaining the flow of
information critical to support formal education
and to create a climate for democratic discourse.

15. Recruitment
• Support to educate the next generation of
librarians has focused on public librarians,
certification of rural librarians, recruitment of
people of color, and youth services librarians.
• Public librarians and their associations continue
to work to broaden the diversity of staff at all
levels to reflect the diversity of the US
population.

16. Staff Development and
Continuing Education
• Continuing education is critical to the
development of excellent library service.
• Public Library Association (PLA) provides
ongoing staff development and continuing
education for public librarians through national
conferences, meetings and publications.

17. Staff Development and
Continuing Education
• Staff development and continuing education for
library staff are central to positive performance.
• Opportunities are made available in variety of
formats, both internal and external to the
employing library depending on the library’s size
and structure.
• Library-based staff development programs
include curricula targeted to new knowledge or
skills generally planned by a staff development
committee.

18. ALA-APA and Certification
• American Library Association-Allied
Professional Association (ALA-APA) promote
mutual professional interests of librarians and
other library workers. This new organization
focuses on certification of individuals in
specializations.

19. ALA-APA and Certification
• Library Support Staff Certification provides
education for competency sets including
foundations, technology, and teamwork.

20. ALA-APA and Certification
• Certification can also take place at the state
level. Many states have certification
requirements for library directors and other staff.
• State library agencies have different
requirements regarding certification and, as one
might expect each state is different.