As some of you have probably heard, the Tumbler Ridge Public Library has hired a new head librarian. I could write a lengthy blog post to talk about it, but I thought I'd keep it simple and stick to the 5 Ws. (As it turns out, this blog post ended up being incredibly long anyway -- my apologies folks!)
Who:
Our new head librarian is Paula Coutts. She's worked in different kinds of libraries (public and medical among them) and is coming off a three year stint at a library in Ontario.
What:
The head librarian position at the library (alternatively referred to as the library manager, library director, etc.) supervises the library staff and works with the library board to establish policies and procedures. She/He also coordinates events with other community groups and applies for funding for the library. There's much more to the job than that, but a *lot* of tasks fall under those broad duties.
Where:
Paula is moving to Tumbler Ridge from Alliston, Ontario. She made a trip out to Tumbler Ridge in September to see the town and library in person, and apparently we didn't disappoint her.
When:
Paula will be officially starting as head librarian on November 15th. Due to when my weekend falls, my final working day as interim head librarian will be Saturday, November 13th.
Why:
This is the biggie, and many people have asked about it. "Why aren't you staying on as head librarian Jacob? Why isn't Sharon taking over? Why won't Peggy come back to the library to run it?" Now, I can't speak for Sharon or Peggy, but based on talking with them, I believe that they are basically happy with their current jobs and how those jobs fit into their lives. (As a side note, I told each of them that the head librarian job would be easy for them because they'd have the world's greatest head of technical services working for them, but neither of them took me up on the offer.)
So why am I leaving the job behind? Well...
I was offered the position as interim head librarian shortly after the previous manager resigned. Brenda (our board chair) told me that we'd sign a three month contract to try things out and that we'd decide what to do from there. I assume the three month contract term served as a safety precaution for the board. If I turned out to be an absolutely terrible head librarian, they could simply not renew my contract.
Because I wasn't sure if I was really cut out for the job (or that the job was really cut out for me), I insisted that my contract include a clause that allowed me to return to my position as head of technical services at the end of it. I felt I was taking a huge risk, and that it didn't seem right that I might be out of a job at the end of my contract simply because I was in over my head as head librarian. The board agreed, and we eventually wrote and signed a contract in early April. It called for a three month term ending in early July and a requirement that I give six weeks notice if I intended to return to my position as head of technical services.
The first two months were miserable. The library's grant-in-aid was cut (note: this is *not* a shot at town council. They have been extremely supportive of and patient with library during my tenure as head librarian and I can't thank them enough for it), our inventory and audit were still works-in-progress, I learned that the library had missed the deadline (1-2 weeks before I received the position) for applying for a grant for summer student funding, and I had to submit a number of major reports that I had never heard of.
In March and April I basically felt like I was jumping from crisis to crisis and really not accomplishing all that much. So as we entered May and my decision date (six weeks prior to the end of my contract) came closer I started looking at what I liked and didn't like about my job. Just before a week of vacation in late May, I told Brenda that I'd almost certainly be giving my notice to return to my tech job when I returned from holidays. She asked me to think about it and talk to her about it when I returned. I did, and we did, and I formally gave my six weeks notice at our June board meeting. A few weeks later I signed a contract extension that would end as of September 4th or upon the hiring of a new head librarian, and we started advertising the position.
We received about a dozen resumes, all of them (but one) from people with excellent library qualifications. The personnel committee on the board narrowed the field down, interviewed the remaining applicants via Skype, and decided to offer the job to Paula.
But I guess all I just typed is more of a history rather than an explanation. I'm giving up the head librarian job because even now I feel like I'm in over my head. Have any of you heard of the Peter Principle? It's an idea that if people are good at their jobs, they tend to get promoted. As a result, people end up stuck with a job they can't be good at. In short, people are promoted to their level of incompetence.
Now, I don't think I've been an incompetent head librarian. However, I've found the job extremely stressful, and I've lost a lot of sleep and gained a fair amount of weight since March. Staff members, board members, and patrons expect me to have all the answers, and a lot of the time I simply don't. It almost seems like they forget that I've only been working as a library technician for a little over two years, all of it in this library.
Over the past few months, I've joked (mostly with Sharon) about who I am in the grand scheme of things. I've laid claim to a few different personas, such as the library's Obama -- the new guy trying to change things. I've also claimed to be a participant on "Flip this Library" -- the guy who rearranges and cleans up the library (with a great deal of help) just in time to turn it over to someone else.
To close out this chapter in the library's history, I'd like to list a few things we (not the royal "we") have accomplished during my tenure as head librarian as well as thank everyone involved.
1) Successfully rearranged the library
- Converted the library's back room back into the library's office
- Converted the previous manager's office into a reference room
- Moved the archives into the reference room
- Shifted the first paperback shelf so that the library's corner is wide open
- Created reading areas in the corner where the archives were and near the fire exit
- Moved spare couches near the magazines to create a better reading area
- Moved the final shelves of adult fiction adjacent to the rest of the adult fiction shelves
- Shifted the computer desks so the second staff desk in the area doesn't block patrons
- Created a new easy-to-use display of the library's audiobooks
First off, thanks to Brian Bray for all his help with the rearranging. He went *way* above and beyond in helping me move shelves and desks, and I can't thank him enough. This wouldn't have happened without him.
Second, ever since we made these changes, I've begun to hear a litany from tourists and newcomers that is very similar to what I remember hearing in my youth: "This is such a wonderful library!"
2) Raised more money than ever for Summer Reading Club
This was all due to Sharon's efforts, but I'm going to claim partial credit simply because I happened to be head librarian while she did it. This year Summer Reading Club was entirely funded by sponsor donations, and we had enough money left over to spend nearly $6,000 on children's books. Given that our book buying budget for 2010 was $10,000, this represents a *sizable* amount.
3) Started a youth audiobook collection with a grant from Telus
I sent in a grant application to Telus in early May, and they replied with a donation of $1,000 in June to put towards establishing a youth audiobook collection. The library has spent a little over half of the money so far, and the youth audiobook collection now contains everything from classics (Charlotte's Web, The Chronicles of Narnia) to modern fiction (The Alchemyst by Michael Scott).
And now, a big thank you to the following people:
The staff of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library -- Sharon Bray, Bintang Howard, Rebekah Perry, Melissa St. Claire, Mackenzie Newhook, Vickie Davis, Ellyanne Spinney (who joined us recently, and is doing an excellent job) and Michelle Schribar (who left us early in the summer -- we miss you Michelle!). I've said it before, but I'll repeat it here: you folks have really gone above and beyond for me.
The board members (of this board and the previous board) of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library -- Brenda Holmlund, Peggy Holden, Jodi Penner, Hank Boere, Bob Mandeville, Rose Colledge, Jerrilynn Schembri, David Falcon, Donna Mandeville, Rich McCrea, and Lisa Buckley. You've all supported me and my decisions. Above all else, you trusted me to do the right thing even when I was desperately trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing.
The mayor and council of Tumbler Ridge for asking the tough (but fair) questions that kept us on track and for giving us their support.
Certain unnamed patrons (who I hope realize I'm talking about them) who believed in me and supported both me and the changes that took place in the library.
Brian Bray for his enthusiastic support of me and the *ridiculous* amount of help he gave me in moving things.
And last, but certainly not least, my family. They supported my decision to give the job a try in the first place, encouraged me when things were rough, and supported my decision to leave the job in the end.
Finally, I'd like to wrap this post up with a quote from someone in a similar situation of giving up a command for someone else -- Captain Christopher Pike in last year's Star Trek movie:
"I am relieved."
