June 28, 2008 ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim 1

Very Temporary Employees: Managing Practicum, Internship and Volunteer Experiences in Technical Services Units

Margaret Maurer

Associate Professor, Head, Catalog & MetadataKent State University Libraries and Media Services

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At Kent State

Why do we make so much use of temporary student “employees” at Kent?

Because library school / library collaborations benefit: The students The library school The library

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National Trends Shaping our Workforce

Diminished financial support for libraries

The misguided notion that all cataloging and technical services work can be outsourced or privatized

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Trends

The lack of redundancy in technical services departments

There are fewer ‘junior’ technical services positions (the 2 year gap)

The impending retirement boom for technical services librarians

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Trends

The decreasing availability of courses in technical services and cataloging in library schools

The role and importance of practical education for librarianship

The need to foster the development of new technical services and catalog librarians

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Selfish Reasons for Working with Student “Employees”

The economic and staffing factors Getting real work done relatively cheaply The impact of temporary student

apprentices in the technical services unit Remember—they really won’t be there

that long anyway

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Sustainability

Sustainability is key What does the library get out of the

experience? Do the benefits justify the resources

expended?

Find ways to manage the process

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Thinking of Them as Very Temporary Employees

Improves sustainability

Helps provide intentionally structured experiences

Taps into best practices for personnel management

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Temporary Employee Management

Workforce planning and administration Recruitment Induction and orientation Training Supervising and evaluating Severance and exit interviewing

(assessment)

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Resources

Dedicated workspace(s) Computer – software & hardware Accounts and authorizations Office supplies Web-based workspace

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Different Flavors of Temporary Employment

Practicum Students Graduate Student Assistants (GSAs) Volunteers

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Job Descriptions

Think about what you really need them to bring to the party

Create job descriptions for each type of temporary position

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Planning and Administration

Evaluate recent experiences With great flexibility can come great

change Play to the unit’s needs and strengths Recycle experiences to maximize

efficiencies

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Recruitment

Via library website Via University Career Services postings Via the library school student discussion

list Via word of mouth

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Interviews

Prepare for them and take them seriously

Don’t hire the first person you interview Carefully define the scope and shape of

the experience for them Clarify your expectations and discover

what their expectations are Interest alone isn’t enough—there must

be some talent

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Induction and orientation

Explain work rules Provide context Introduce them Test those workstations

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Training

Create reusable training tools Create escalating levels of experience

Reading about it Doing it under supervision Flying solo

Establish a limit of 25 hours of face-to-face training per practicum experience

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Supervising and evaluating

Don’t be afraid to be critical Check work in a timely manner Find efficient ways to check work

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Severance and exit interviewing (Assessment)

The students are evaluated The students evaluate the program

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Real Benefits from 2001-2005

They got real work done They eased short-term staffing

shortages The freed staff from repetitive work The taught us new ways of doing things

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Positive Outcomes

For the student: “When I started I was a raw well-educated, well-meaning rookie .. Now I feel like a librarian”

For the librarian: Professionally engaged former students

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Contact Information

mbmaurer@kent.edu

http://www.personal.kent.edu/~mbmaurer/