sup·port·abil·i·ty : Oregon library support staff

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Expecting the unexpected

It's a new year and a new decade, and an obvious time for reflecting on the past and thinking about the future.

Whatever we end up calling the decade of the 2000s, nobody can deny that it was an eventful 10 years. Though it started out quietly, despite fears of the Y2K-induced end of civilization as we know it, the decade quickly shaped up to be eventful in ways we'd just as soon avoid. For most of us, these things were totally unexpected.

As we look ahead to the next 10 years, it's easy to feel gloomy thinking about the unexpected things that might happen. However, unexpected doesn't have to mean bad.

For me, the 2000s brought the unexpected opportunity to re-connect with the great folks in SSD. I expect SSD to continue to do great things in this decade, and look forward to the unexpected ones with eager anticipation. Our libraries are all facing the usual challenges, exacerbated by the economy. Yet delightful, expected good things are bound to happen.

I don't want to sound all Polly-Anna-ish and say that nothing bad will happen, but it's important to remember and anticipate the good stuff, too.

So: best wishes for the new decade, and keep your eyes open for unexpected treasurers.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Book Mending Tip of the Month

This month I will show you a fast and easy way to mend books with ragged edges. You can use this method for the edges of the book or the sides.

The book I have here has both corners and sides needing some touching up.

Lifting the cover up, you will find the board is made up of several layers of paper. Run your thump up as if you are flipping pages in a book. As you do that, take your paint brush with some glue on it and feather it back and forth brushing in between the pages.

Now lay your brush down, working with both hands, pinch the corner ends together also working the cover trying to make the material come together.

With the sides, just brush them lightly with glue and again pinch material together trying to make the cover ends meet, as much as you can.

When the glue is dry, the corner(s) and/or side(s) become hard. This will reinforce these areas.

Give it a try, the more you do it the better you will be.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Are We Ever Not at Work?

It can be hard to find a good balance between your work life and your professional life. It's unrealistic, if not downright silly, to think that we can divide our lives into neat categories that don't overlap, or that we're always just focused on one thing.

For us library folks, though, I think there's an added dimension to the work/other life split. Are we every really not at work? We love libraries, reading, inquiry, and intellectual freedom, and we're always willing to talk about them. That's great. We're ambassadors to the wider world.

My job has an unusual focus. I primarily work with Oregon government documents. Many people think that means dry, technical reports full and statistics, and that's certainly part of it. But government documents are all over the place. I've picked up many at events like the state fair, and even even got a Tourism Commission document from the hotel during our EOLA road trip in October.

I imagine that others have stories about how their library specialties and personal life overlap. So please share!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Support Staff Scholarships Available!

Are you interested in certification, attending a workshop or conference? Would you like financial assistance getting where you want to go? Then visit http://www.olaweb.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=61763 to learn more about SSD scholarships and completing the application process. We are here to help! Feel free to contact anyone on the Executive Committee with questions, comments and concerns. And don’t forget to visit our blog site at http://supportabilityoregonlibrarysupport.blogspot.com/ to share ideas and learn more about SSD.

Cathy Zgraggen
SSD Past Chair
541-312-1094

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Gateways Conference Update

Good news - there are now 6 of us on the planning committee! Thank you for volunteering. If anyone is still interested, please contact me by email, margaret.harmon-myers@ci.eugene.or.us.
This is a great way to become more involved with your professional organization and very rewarding, not to mention fun!
To serve on the committee you need to be a member of OLA and SSD.
Questions? Call me at 541-682-5123.
Thanks,
Margaret

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Book Mending Hands

Sometimes while mending a book, you need an extra set of hands, try this...

Using 3/4 inch ply, cut 2 boards about 10 1/2 inches high by 15 inches wide. Cut another piece, 2 1/2 to 3 inches high by 15 inches wide. Buy 4, angle brackets about 1 x 1 1/2. Buy 2 eye bolts, (1/4 by 6) and 2 wing nuts.

Drill 1/4 holes on the left and right sides of one of the 10 1/2 by 15 inch piece of board about every 1 1/2 to 2 inches the full length of the board and 1 hole in the middle on each side of the 2 1/2 to 3 by 15 piece. You will use these holes for the eye bolts. Now pl

ace and screw the angle bracket at each end of the board and on both sides, creating a support foot. Taking the remaining piece and laying it down flat, place the board with the holes and brackets on top and center it. Now screw the angle brackets to this piece.

Placing the eye bolts thru the large piece and thru the smaller one, (as shown) you can adjust the thickness of the homemade vise and the height. Just unscrew the bolts and place it in the appropriate hole for the height of the book.

Your finished product....

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

2010 SSD Conference Committee

This is a call to anyone interested in being a part of the 2010 SSD Conference Committee. The Conference will be held at the Salem Conference Center on Friday, July 23. We need 5-10 people to plan the event, which involves selecting the theme, scheduling sessions, speakers, selecting the menu and PR. Please contact Cathy Zgraggen at cathyz@dpls.us or Susan Gilmont at susan.gilmont@oregonstate.edu for more information or to volunteer your time. The conference can not take place without a committee to plan the event. It would be so disappointing to not have a conference because a committee could not be formed. It is a rewarding commitment and allows you to meet new people from the library world.

Adventures in Libraryland

CERTIFICATION: WHY BOTHER?

In January, 2010, library support staff across America will have the chance to become certified. Despite the fact that this new opportunity will help with training and may lead to better salaries and improved morale, many support staff are resisting the idea of getting certified. This column is an attempt to respond to attitudes the author has encountered.

1. It costs too much money.

The program designers knew we didn’t have any money and gave us an inexpensive option via the portfolio method. It is possible to work your way through the program without taking a single class. Where else can you get the equivalent of an Associate Degree for as little as $350? This is actually an incredible bargain. Yes, it would cost more if you chose to take classes, but financial help is available. SSD has up to seven $200 scholarships this year that could be applied towards the cost of certification. (You would have to join the Oregon Library Association and SSD to qualify, so there would be some cost there, if you aren’t already a member, but still...) I’m sure there are other sources of help available also, such as local staff training funds. You could ask if you could have a fund-raising drive at your library. Lack of money should not stand in the way of anyone who wants to be certified.

2. It’s just a job. I do my work and go home and have my real life. This isn’t worth it.

OK, everything is fine. You don’t need more money; you don’t want more respect. If your boss puts you in a little box and won’t let you show what you could do, that’s OK, because it’s just a job. Ah, but in case everything isn’t quite perfect, remember certification offers a chance to cut your way out of many boxes. Unlike in-house training, an LSS certificate means that you have met a national standard of education, so you will be better prepared for other library opportunities or for advancement.

3. I work hard and I do a good job. Why isn’t that enough?

This is a legitimate point of view. I have a little different perspective on this, however. I see a big-picture issue here. As long as your position description requires a high school diploma and a couple of years of experience, you aren’t going to get any real money. That’s how it is in any business organization. If we can get certification built into position descriptions, then we have a long-term chance of gaining tangible rewards. I know there are a lot of “ifs” here with a new program, but somebody has to make the first move. There’s also a little-picture perspective. So you do a good job. Could you do a better job if you had a refresher course in the library and took a look at a couple of different areas of the library outside of your department? I’ll bet you could. This is not about being good; it’s about being better.

4. My life is crazy right now – a second job, kids, aging parents, etc. I just can’t handle more

Good luck. There are seasons in every life, and it sounds like this is not the season for you to get certified. I hope someday you’ll be able to try this.

5. I’m just hanging on until retirement.

This perspective is understandable in someone who only has a couple of years to go. I think it is rather sad in someone who has 10, 15 or 20 years to go. I have 7-10 years to go until I retire, and I plan to get certified. Why? a.) I don’t want to get stereotyped as an old fogey. b.) I like to learn, and am confident that I’ll learn new things. c.) I believe in certification as a ”portable standard of excellence.” d.) After 30 years of working in libraries, complacency is the real enemy. I look forward to being humbled by what I don’t know.

6. I already have a degree.

A degree shows that you have good communication skills, a foundation of knowledge, and that you know how to learn. But does it pertain to your work in the library? Does it help you keep up or refresh your skills? Are you paid more for having a degree? As long as a high school education is all that is required for library support staff positions, we will be paid like people with high school educations. One of my hopes for certification is to improve our compensation to better reflect the real skills library support staff have. Sometimes it takes the right piece of paper to do that.

7. I’ve never been to college, and all of this scares me.

The portfolio method offers you a way to learn outside of the classroom, to cash in on your experience while growing new skills. There are creative ways to get through this; for example, could you “buddy up” with someone in your organization and get certified together? Could you start a study group? If English isn’t your native language, could you find some help with writing? (Note: our librarian routinely helps students who are writing their theses and dissertations – this is common in college settings, so don’t be shy about asking for help.) You could post questions to the libs-or or SSD electronic lists. Also, SSD will be working with the Oregon Library Association to assemble a list of potential resource contacts, librarians and supervisors, who want to help you work through the program. Such contacts could be very rewarding. You are not alone.

8. I’m uncomfortable with investing so much of my time and energy in this program when there are no guarantees.

I know what you mean. At this point, nobody can make any promises. This is a new program that hasn’t yet been integrated into the workplace. If enough of us get certified -- and remember that new graduates of Library Technical Assistant programs from approved providers will be certified – then employers will have to deal with the reality of certification. The fact is that library support staffers are more powerful than we have ever been before, thanks to the Internet. The success of the latest selective increases for library technicians in the Oregon University System shows what we can do when we work together. A little band of activists got us this great opportunity. I wouldn’t want to bet against us.

-Susan Gilmont

susan.gilmont@oregonstate.edu