i have tried many times to explain that we do not need "browser gurus"... people who know stuff, but, they will only answer questions...
they do not add links, they do not contribute to databases, they do not help out at the group...
then, when they do not feel like answering questions, they are pretty much useless and worthless... and they perpetuate the cycle of people asking the same dumb questions over and over...
i read this in marylaine block's newsletter and thought alot of it was what i had been trying to say...
not all of it, but, alot of it...
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I was going to write an article about how forced staff reductions and the coming retirement of many of our librarians will result in the loss of institutional memory unless we go out of our way to write down what we know and pass it on to the young librarians we mentor. But I didn't have to write the article because I discovered this piece by Mary George, manager of the Rocklin Branch of the Placer County (CA) Library. She has graciously allowed me to reproduce it here.
THE ALIEN ABDUCTION THEORY OF MANAGEMENT
by Mary George
The Alien Theory is a simple philosophy. If aliens come and abduct any one of us, our library should be so intuitively organized that other librarians and clerical staff could easily adapt, run the show, and feel confident. All staff should be empowered to find necessary files; no one manager is the embodiment of all answers. It's a simple philosophy, but challenging to practice.
Crucial to the success of the theory is a collegial approach toward management. I have faith in my ability to hire talented people, who express opinions, ask why, offer solutions, occasionally complain, and always work hard. Since I actively recruit these traits it is only fair that I enthusiastically embrace them.
On my team, every staff member has a voice. My door is always open. In fact, I don't even have a door. This management style requires a lot of listening. It becomes necessary to synthesize and funnel opinions, strain comments through cheesecloth, and emerge with a cohesive idea. All staff must feel that their time spent agonizing over a challenge was met with courtesy. When I listen to my staff, when I pay attention to their moods, I am rewarded with a wealth of valuable observations. When I successfully implement their suggestions, I am offered their trust and respect, two of the most important gifts a staff can give to a manager.
However, this management style comes with a down side. On my team, every member has a voice and I am required to listen.
This can be exhausting. Sometimes when I "strain" ideas and comments, I lose the most important ingredient through the cheesecloth. When I become so busy that I cannot track the mood of my staff, sometimes I am surprised by their frustrations. Sometimes participation is mistaken for democracy, and I have to pull rank because in reality, I am accountable.
My management theory was tested last year when I fell and broke my knee. In essence, aliens HAD abducted me, and I remained off work for five months. When I returned to the library, I found that, while my staff missed me, they did not miss a library manager. There were no secrets I kept that caused them to panic when I was gone.
It was a proud moment for me. I was happy to know that I could be away and our library would not fall apart. In the future employees will retire, they will take other job opportunities, they will go on maternity leave, they will take long vacations, they may even break a knee.
But when they leave information should not leave with them. After all, library service is about access to information, not access to people with information.
It takes time to prepare for the aliens, but it is well worth the effort.
here are some highlights that i DO think people should keep in mind...
"the coming retirement of many of our librarians will result in the loss of institutional memory unless we go out of our way to write down what we know and pass it on to the young librarians we mentor"
people lose interest all the time... when you refuse to record what you know, you are being selfish and, when you leave, the info goes with you...
trying to make sure you are the "most valuable member" or something...
"no one manager is the embodiment of all answers"
exactly... in our case, no one member...
"There were no secrets I kept that caused them to panic when I was gone."
i have always tried to make sure group members and mods have equal power... then, no matter who leaves, nothing has changed...
"I was happy to know that I could be away and our library would not fall apart."
seems alot of people want to be the hero of the group... and hope that the group could not make it without them... if they cannot be the hero, they do not want to be a part...
this is the main reason i have made sure that credit is almost non-existant... if you are not willing to contribute anonymously, you are only looking for glory...
and, i think the best lines of the whole thing...
"But when they leave information should not leave with them. After all, library service is about access to information, not access to people with information."
one more time, people...
"But when they leave information should not leave with them. After all, library service is about access to information, not access to people with information."
so, grow the hell up, get the hell over yourselves and help out... if you don't want to help, fine, but, don't try to make it look like you do... answering questions is not good enough... in fact, it goes directly against what we do...
it makes you an "expert"... if you want to be anexpert, go make your own damn site... instead, you choose to use the site someone else has made, because you know there are hundreds of people alrady there, and try to make yourself look good...