Leadership Team Minutes - May 03, 2017

Procedure Review -- AS 530.1 
The group discussed the revision to the procedure governing the closing of library locations.  The process (more or less) was used this past weekend when storms knocked out power at Luther, Ralph Ellison, and Village libraries.  Village staff was reassigned to other libraries.  Ralph Ellison staff was given the option of being reassigned or taking leave.  Village power returned around noon and Ralph Ellison and Luther came on around 4pm.  IT can tell when all but four libraries have power.   Kay will work with the Senior Managers to update the communications information in the procedure and will add it to the intranet.

Alignment Update
Tim provided an update on mappings (Member Services announcements were made last week and the changes to Learning Experiences were posted yesterday).  The group discussed some of the questions and concerns they been receiving.  Of note were:

Perceived Demotions
Several folks mentioned that they had receive questions about perceived demotions based on title changes (i.e., moving from a "director" to a "manager" position or from a "manager" to a "coordinator" position).  Specific issues were raised about how these changes would be perceived outside the Library by vendors, colleagues, or future employers.  After some discussion, Tim stated that no one was or will be demoted as part of the Alignment.  While he understood that people may feel uncomfortable with the new titles when they are set, part of plan (for the Alignment and the Class and Comp study) was to normalized titles so that a coordinator, or manager, or technician in one department reflected the same as classification as a coordinator, or manager, or technician in another department.  Additionally, the decisions about job titles are still "in process" and may continue to undergo small changes and tweaks.

Mappings Based on Incomplete Information
Several team members mentioned that Member Services staff who completed the preference surveys based on the original org chart models for the large, medium and small libraries were surprised by the mappings since the actual org charts included new positions that were not part of the original plans.  Staff reported to supervisors that they might have made different choices had they known that some positions would be included or shifted.  A suggestion was made that administration seek feedback about staff's satisfaction with their mappings.  The group discussed the fact that there were already 15-20 vacancies, and as those are filled, additional vacancies will open for individuals seeking different alternatives.  The LT talked about how they could utilize new information.  No final decisions were made, and this will be discussed again at the next meeting.

Other Updates

• Sarah Peterson announced that they would be developing a plan for handling the Family Talk Collection.  They may turn it into a revolving issues display collection that will be changed on a regular (maybe quarterly basis).  This is all still in the discussion phase, but they are interested in hearing opinions.
• Melody Kellogg returned from ALA's National Library Legislative Day events and talked about productive meetings held with Representative Cole, Representative Mullin, and Senator Inhofe.  The focus was on returning IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) to the federal budget.  It had been removed in the President's budget.  Kim Terry reported that Leg Day must have worked -- funding for IMLS was returned to the budget yesterday or today.
• Kim Terry reported that Zoo Book Tshirts will be provided with two different designs -- the two high vote getters were the giraffes and the zebras ... Staff will have their pick.