Knowledge Exchange - the Assessment Method

When Jen Salvo-Eaton was designing the Knowledge Exchange program, she determined a need for assessing its success. The Access Services Supervisors decided to create an anonymous aptitude test that would be administered to every staff member and supervisor before the Knowledge Exchange training began, and then again upon the completion of the program. I was tasked with organizing and editing the questionnaire, based on the input of the Access Services Supervisors.

The questionnaire consisted of six questions for each of the Access Services departments (with the exception of Offisite). The first question was the same for each department: On a scale of 1(Low) to 10(High), please rate how familiar you are with the following department’s policies and procedures. The other five questions would pertain to specific policies for the department that the Supervisors felt every staff member should be aware of.

The questionnaire was taken by 34 staff and supervisors from Access Services, and below are the initial results (with the familiarity rating and the percentage of questions answered correctly):

Circulation, 6.12 familiarity rating, 47.6% correct

Delivery Services, 3.97 familiarity rating, 16.5% correct

Interlibrary Loan, 4.21 familiarity rating, 44.1% correct

Library Privileges, 5.79 familiarity rating, 84.7% correct

Reserves, 5.38 familiarity rating, 63.5% correct

Stacks, 5.81 familiarity rating, 67.6% correct

(Fun Facts: The question most people answered correctly was “What is the shortest length of time someone can rent a locker for?”; the question most people did not answer correctly was “What type of items can be requested through Delivery Services?” If you do not know the answers to these questions yourself, you should seek them out.)

The Knowledge Exchange is an entirely new approach to interdepartmental learning, and as we move further along we are adjusting the program as needed. Similarly, this is the first time we have attempted to assess one of our projects in this manner, and in retrospect there are certain changes I should have made, to help the questionnaire be more uniform. The test should have included at least one multiple choice question and one true or false question for each department, as well as a long-form response. Instead, one department was heavy with true or false questions, while another department was devoted to long-form responses, and a third department asked questions solely with numeric answers. I feel the disparity of the questions may have influenced, in part, some of the disparity between departments in the number of questions answered correctly (and may be reflected in the amount of change when the questionnaire is administered the second time).

So far there has been a lot of positive feedback from staff about the trainings they have received. It will be interesting to see how their experiences will translate into improved knowledge and understanding of the various departments. Fortunately, we now have an assessment tool that will help us determine that. Stay tuned.

Now that My Time has arrived can Flex-time be far behind?

Now that My Time -- the university web-based time management system -- has become part of the landscape of the University, is it time for a conversation exploring the possibilities of flex-time also becoming part of the picture?

Many years ago, I asked a director about the possibility of flex-time being implemented here during the summer -- four days on three days off -- the answer was, “no.” And, that “it would be impossible to keep track of staff time.” Although there could be a myriad of other reasons that could make the implementation difficult, My Time may have eliminated that roadblock.

My Time is a time keeping system that provides NYU with a system for tracking time worked and time off balances. It also provides employees with online access to vacation, sick and personal time balances. Could My Time possibly make a dream come true?

What is flex-time? It is a variable work schedule, in contrast to a standard 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday schedule. As employees try to find a balance between work and personal obligations, flex-time could possibly be the answer for many. Often, many life events (for example doctors’ appointments, school, childcare, and elder care obligations) cannot be accommodated by a traditional nine to five schedule. Access Services hours of operation lend themselves to accommodating a new paragon for scheduling staff.

What are some of the benefits of flex-time for the employer?

There have been many studies that indicate that flex-time improved job satisfaction, increased productivity and loyalty. Companies who have implemented flex-time have less burned out employees, unplanned absenteeism and a higher retention rate of their top performers.

It may be early in the process to look at other applications for My Time. However, it can never be never too early to start the conversation.


Flex-time studies:
Current Population Survey (CPS) 2004 Workers on Flexible Shift Schedules

National Study of employers (NSE), 2008:
www.familiesandwork.org/site/research/reports/2008nse.pdf

RFID chips don't save the Library World (yet)

A few months ago I had the opportunity to attend, and present, at an Access Services conference in Atlanta, GA. There were over 150 people representing dozens of libraries across the country. The program consisted of many interesting topics discussing various issues that most libraries all seem to have in common: customer service, staff management, collection management, and statistical data collection, to name a few.

One presentation, by Catherine Jannik Downey from Georgia Gwinnett College Library, stuck out in my mind as it dispelled a couple of myths I have been holding on to. GGC Library is a small but growing library that recently moved into a new building. Starting with a small collection it was(financially) feasible to convert from their existing barcode system to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips as well as being able to upgrade equipment in the new facility.

When I first heard about RFID chips for books a number of years ago I was thrilled with the possibilities. Patrons walking out the door would have any books in their bag automatically checked out to them as they pass through the security gates. Shelf reading could be done with a wave of a wand across library shelves. Missing books could be tracked down anywhere in the building. Teams of library ninjas could seize unreturned materials from dorm rooms…

It turns out patrons still have to visit a circulation point to have their books checked out and that sometimes the antenna misses a book or two and patrons can leave with uncharged materials in their bag (and set off the exit alarms). Shelf reading wands do not necessarily read the books in order and metal shelves can deflect chip radio signals. Chip signals are not strong enough to track down missing materials. And campus security would probably frown on a team of ninjas.

The RFID chip is not a dead idea though. Companies like UPS and Fedex would not be using them if they did not work very well, but those companies have a great deal of automation and materials are generally handled only by people trained to do things a certain way. Libraries don’t have that luxury. We let people paw through our books and often training patrons is limited to a well worded sign.

But times are changing and so are libraries. Some, for example, have moved toward off-site storage facilities and the RFID chip could play a role in moving materials in an efficient manner. And the cost of converting existing collections could be balanced by limiting it to those materials that are housed outside the traditional library.

RFID technology has the potential to change how libraries operate, but for now they are not ready to take over the library world for a variety of practical reasons that are as yet cost prohibitive to try and overcome.

So until then I will keep working on plan B: the Force and Jedi Knights.



(yes, this entire post was written as an excuse to post this video)

Delightful Customer Service

A couple of weeks ago something terrible happened: my cell phone broke, making it useless for anything other than answering it. No outgoing calls (unless I knew the number, but I don't even know my own number), no email and worst of all, no texts. As a working mom, I use my phone for a lot more than uploading pics to Facebook--it's how I catch up on work on the subway and how I keep in touch with my son's babysitter (she's 17, so texting is our primary form of communication).

I thought I'd have to replace my phone, which wasn't something I was up for, and was happy to learn that certain stores will do this type of repair. One store, on 32nd street isn't too far from my dentist, so last week when I was early for an appointment I stopped in. I explained what was wrong and said that the phone was part of a family plan under my husband's name and that I hoped that wouldn't be a problem. The woman assisting me wore a name tag that indicated she was Kiana, the store manager. Kiana asked me if I knew the last four digits of his social (um, I don't even know my own phone number) and I said that I could probably find it out if I called him. I used their courtesy phones to call my husband, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't pick up since he was bringing our son to school.

After 4 tries I explained that he wasn't available. She asked for my phone and about 2 seconds later, it was fixed! She suggested that to avoid future inconvenience my husband could add me as an authorized user to the phone plan. I thanked her and joked that I now had thousands of voice mails and texts to catch up on and she invited me to take a seat in their waiting area if I wanted.

At any point during this process she could have turned me away. She could have even turned me away nicely and been entirely within her rights. Instead, she bent the rules a little bit to help me out. It absolutely made my day!

How do you show remorse?

On Saturday, I was pulled over for speeding. Not bad, considering I've been driving since 1987. Bad, considering I was driving much faster than I should have, didn't even notice that I blew past a state trooper and am now $150 lighter, not including any surcharge my insurance may assess.

Strangely, all I could think about was library fines. Eric, David Perry and I recently collaborated on an article about our move to get rid of daily overdue fines. One quote we included is:

An unpopular law will be broken, whether or not there is a penalty. Speed limits are probably the best example of this situation in the United States—a large proportion of drivers exceed the speed limit much of the time. Draconian measures can affect driving speeds, but enforcement at that level is difficult and expensive. Library fines appear to fall in the same category. Borrowers will comply with due dates unless they are inconvenienced enough to believe that keeping the item longer is justified. (Shontz, 1999, p. 84)

The trooper approached the car and said, "Ma'am, do you know why you are being stopped?" I told him I figured I was probably driving too fast. He said, "Ma'am, I was going 75 and you flew past me. Is there a reason you were driving so fast." I said no. I was totally freaked out and knew there was no excuse for it. He pushed the issue, though, asking, "is there a reason why you passed a marked state police car?" Honestly, I didn't notice it. So I said that, which I'm sure made me sound even stupider and less remorseful. I was thinking about our users, so I figured there was something he was expecting me to say. When I talk to a user about a fine I want to hear that they have learned their lesson. By being honest, I just sounded kind of bold and arrogant about the whole thing, even though that wasn't really how I was feeling. But Trooper Diolte probably thinks I have no regard for the law.

When I help a user who has a library fine, am I waiting for some coded acknowledgement on their part before I waive the fine? Could it be that those users who provided that coded acknowledgement do so randomly and the others are out of luck. Clearly, I wasn't on the same wavelength as Trooper Diolte (if I were, I would have received a warning). Is being on the same wavelength as someone who is in a position to waive your fine simply a matter of luck?

I actually have learned my lesson, and I feel like this experience shocked me sufficiently to keep me from excessive speeding for the next 23 years. On my return trip I stayed within 5 miles of the posted speed limit, which is about 20 mph slower than what I was caught for. And, instead of getting to my destination in 4 hours I got there in 4 hours and 15 minutes, with an extra quarter tank of gas, at less risk to my family, and without the risk of further financial penalties. I'm sure this will inform the next interaction I have with a user who doesn't seem to get it, because maybe they actually do.

Foiled! (and not in the holiday leftovers kind of way)

This was my first winter break in New York City. We didn't go anywhere this year and I elected to work the last week of December.

I learned one thing this week:

1) Do not make a two-page long "to do" list and expect to get it done in one week.

Why won't it get done? Because:

a) a blizzard will strike and keep you prisoner in your Brooklyn apartment on Monday
b) some of the colleagues you need to work with to solve a problem will get sick and not come to work
c) students will also get sick and not come to work
d) students will also get stuck in other states while waiting to catch flights back to blizzard-blown NYC
f) you will get sick and feel miserable
g) Aleph will crash on Wednesday
h) the Wiki will also not work
i) the Ariel server will also go down

In all seriousness, though, Aleph crashing couldn't have happened at a better time (during a break). We're also old pros at this by now; Circulation staff could do offline circ and come back online with their eyes closed. Patron inconveniences were few (considering the huge crash in November 2009).

As for the things remaining on my "to do" list, they will have to wait for January.

Happy Holidays Bobst Library! Better luck for 2011 (please)!

Disney

I have a confession to make: There is an email that's been in my in-box since July 21, 2010. It's from the Disney Institute, and it asks me, "Are you ready to D-think your organization?" The D in D-think looks like the one from Walt Disney's signature. I can't bring my self to delete it.

Disney is a company known for excellent staff development and superior customer service. They offer a one-day seminar (held at the Disneyland resort) entitled "Disney's Approach to Quality Service." Lest you think that this is aimed only at theme park employees, the first line of the course description says:

No matter where you dine, shop, or travel, there’s always one thing that you always expect to find: quality service. So, why should your customers [or users] expect anything less?

If I could waive my magic wand and say, "Bibidy Bobidy Boo," I would zap us all to Disneyland to take this course.

I was reminded of this email that I can't part with because of the reference to one of Disney's strategies in the book, The No Asshole Rule, by Robert Sutton,which I'm reading for a class. First off, this is a great little book on workplace civility that I highly recommend. Well, the Disney reference talks about dealing with irate theme park guests. Basically, the passage suggests that, when dealing with angry or upset people, the best strategy (both the most effective and the one that will keep you from going crazy) is to neither blame yourself or the upset (or irrational or hostile) person:

Years ago, a former student of mine took copious notes during her new employee orientation classes at Disney University. Her instructors emphasized that although 99% of guests are nice, the real test is when you are encircled by an angry family of eight who are all hollering at you about all the things that have gone wrong. The new [employees] were instructed to avoid getting angry at or blaming the nasty guests. They were asked to imagine all the awful experiences the family suffered that whipped them into such a hostile state (e.g. to imagine that their car broke down or they just got soaked in the ran) and to not take their anger personally (as it isn't your fault).

Cast members were also reminded to see the abuse as something that wouldn't last long (because most other guests are nice) and that it "didn't need to ruin your day" because, if they "just kept smiling" and treat people as VIPs," it will create friendly interactions with other guests, and might even turn the family that is hollering at you right now into nicer people. (Kindle location 1601)

So, there's a little piece of Disney wisdom. As I was reading this I was thinking about my own experiences on the front lines, with not only library users but also ice-cream buyers and Macy's shoppers. About 10 years worth (and at Macy's there's no such thing as an off-desk project, although I must admit that when I scooped ice cream I often volunteered to dishwash to get a break from the front line), a lot of which wasn't exactly exemplary service. Take it from someone who used to be pretty surly: Things are a lot more pleasant for the service provider if you don't take it personally and treat users like a VIP.