July
July
July 20, 2000 - Personnel Evaluations
I don't know how good other institutions are about this. But at the Douglas Public Library District we take the personnel evaluation process very seriously.
I directly evaluate some 8-10 people myself (depending on the year). After 15 years of experimentation, I've settled on a consistent approach. Here it is: LaRue's 10 Steps to A Successful Evaluation.
1. Always begin the same. Direct staff to do a SELF-evaluation. Ask these questions:
(a) What are your accomplishments since the last review period?
July 27, 2000 - A Coffee Shop Conversation
She rolled her eyes. "Librarians!" she said.
"Look," she continued. "If I want a book, I look it up on Amazon.com. And I get more than just the things librarians use in their bland and boring catalogs. I find out what other people thought about the book.
"If I've got research to do, I use Yahoo, or Northernlight, or Gobot. Investing in libraries is like investing in the village smithy.
July 28, 1999 - Thanks
When asked to state his ideas about God, F. Scott Fitzgerald replied that he had never wished for a God to blame, but he often wished there were one to thank.
In that same spirit, I'd like to formally take note of the many people who have stepped in to help the library.
July 7, 1999 - Be A Bookaneer!
My daughter is now 11. My son is 5. I don't think they've missed a library reading program yet.
You might suspect that a librarian's children would be FORCED to participate. But the truth is, they've always been pretty eager. Maddy (my daughter) loves the process: getting the forms, filling them out, keeping track of everything. She's a highly organized person who reads constantly with or without an external reward.
