PVLD Director's Blog

Tweeting on Twitter – Results of a Brief Experiment

I recently signed up for Twitter.com just to see what it is all about. For those who haven't heard of Twitter it is a service that allows you to send out brief messages about "what I am currently doing" from the Twitter website, via text messaging from your cell phone, or via instant messaging. These "Tweets" can be sent out to the "public" – i.e. all Twitter members – or as "private" messages just to people that you authorize to "follow" you. There has been a bit of discussion about Twitter applications for libraries, so I'm curious about it. So far my network of authorized followers consists of one person, so if you are on Twitter and interested in communicating with me this way let me know!

One of the features is that you can ask Twitter to send you any public Tweets that reference a particular topic, so out of curiosity I asked to be notified via text messaging of any Tweets containing the word "library". I set this up earlier today and so far I have received about 30 Tweets. Most said things like "I'm at the library studying for my exam" or "I just stopped at the library to drop off some books", and a few were about doing stuff with Itunes libraries, but there were also some interesting messages about encounters with unfriendly library staff, paying library fines, etc. One of the classics said simply "library is lame". Based on the small sample to date I'd have to say that the perception of libraries as Tweeted is neutral to negative.

Just today, however, there were two interesting examples for libraries. The Houston Public Library has set up a library account with Twitter and sent out a Tweet today to announce that a branch would be closed tomorrow. This could be a simple, quick way to get the word out about library news, programs, and activities. Also a man named Bill Drew used Twitter to announce a new job as Interim Library Director at the community college where he works. The interesting thing was that he included a link to his profile on Ning – a social networking site intended to support professional networking where he is a member of the "Library 2.0" group. I hadn't thought of using Twitter to send out links to other information, but it's an interesting idea. [Update - I also just got a Tweet from the Hennepin County Library - always at the leading edge - with a link to their Facebook page.  Great idea!]

I was expecting to get some Tweets from people at the Internet Librarian conference currently underway in Monterey and haven't so far – maybe I would if I tracked the word "librarian" instead of "library" or maybe we librarians are so aware of privacy that attendees are only Tweeting to their private networks, not the public…

Anyway, I'm already beginning to see some practical use for a tool that until now I thought of as pretty silly!

Customer Service, Ritz Carlton Style

The Ritz Carlton has such a reputation for customer service that it offers management training to other organizations. Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend a ½ day version of this training at pre-workshop for the California Library Association annual conference. Even that brief session gave some great insight into the organizational discipline required to provide the highest possible level of what they call "customer engagement". The whole focus is on meeting customer desire for:

• One-of-a-kind experiences
• Fast access to knowledge and wisdom (make me feel smart!)
• Convenience and respect for their time
• Utility and TOTAL lack of hassles
• "WOW" stories that they can tell their friends (e.g. the trainer's stories about how staff help set the stage for marriage proposals)

It would be a VERY long post if I included everything I learned, but a few things really leaped out:

1. The process starts with hiring people who have the right behaviors and attitudes. Their initial employee interview is conducted by telephone to save everyone time, and is focused on hiring people who will fit the culture. The interview is conducted by someone from outside the hiring department to ensure the focus is on culture, not skills. Using a carefully designed, standardized set of questions candidates are rated on things like work ethic, self-esteem, persuasion skills, team-orientation, empathy, and positivity. They are only interviewed in person by the hiring manager if they pass this initial telephone interview.
2. Every employee goes through a mandatory, two day orientation before they spend ANY time on the job. The goal is to immerse them in the Ritz Carlton culture as well as do initial training in core skills and address "housekeeping" issues like timekeeping, paydays, parking, uniforms etc. There is a big focus on expectations – what the company expects of employees and what the employee can expect of the company.
3. Every employee signs an agreement clearly stating expectations – both general cultural expectations and department/job specific expectations. This is signed by both the employee and the manager.
4. Every new employee is teamed up with another employee who has demonstrated a high level of performance and acts as a mentor and coach. There is an "operational certification" that the employee can do the job after 21 days of employment, and a 60 day probationary period. Employees who choose to leave during probation are eligible for re-hire.
5. There are very clear and specific performance standards. For example, no employee is allowed to point to give directions. All are required to take the customer to where they need to go. There are also very specific rules for how to answer the phone (must answer within three rings, must introduce yourself, must use the customer name, etc.). Each employee is required to carry a small fold-out card with key concepts such as the Ritz Carlton credo, motto, and service goals at all times. There is a strict appearance policy. There are random audits and failure to perform to any of the standards results in disciplinary action. Employees are also required to use the same standards when dealing with colleagues as with external customers.
6. Each hourly employee participates in 250 hours of learning each year, it goes up to 320 hours for salaried employees. Much of the training is self-directed through workbooks or online courses..
7. There is a huge emphasis on feedback and a culture of seeking feedback at every opportunity. Gallup contacts 300-400 guests per hotel per month and surveys at least 33 of them. The survey includes questions such as "Would you return"? "Would you recommend this hotel to your friends?". They also poll employees. Results of the various surveys are input into the performance management and reward and recognition systems. All salaried employees also participate in a quarterly performance review which is based on a self-assessment that is reviewed by the manager.
   Hourly employees are reviewed six-monthly. As the trainer said "Keeping score is important".
8. There is also a huge emphasis on communication. Each hotel has a "Daily Lineup" All employees gather in a circle for 10-15 minutes. They get news of what is going on at that hotel that day, information and status reports on company-wide activities such as the opening of a new hotel, discuss quality and service topics, and recognize birthdays and service anniversaries. Employees who attend are held accountable for passing the information down to later shifts. There is also a weekly newsletter that is emailed to all employees, and they also use podcasts.

There was much more…but this gives some sense of the level to which PVLD needs to improve its processes if we are to come close to delivering the Ritz Carlton level service our community expects.

Mobile Blogging

I composed the last several posts using Typepad Mobile on my Treo.  What I like - the ability to share thoughts as they occur, even in the midst of a conference session.

What I don't like - the fact that if I use the stylus keypad (which is the only way I can type on my Treo as I seem to be congenitally unable to manipulate the tiny keys with my thumbs) I can't see the body of the blog posting so I am in effect typing "blind"

Even worse - once the post is published there is no way to edit it in Typepad mobile so any typos are there until I get a chance to fix them in the "real" Typepad. 

I'm sure that mobile computing is the future...but I'm not sure it's yet fully ready for the present...or maybe its me that's not ready :)

In any case - I've fixed up some of the errors in my earlier posts!

Craig Newmark on Craigslist and the Internet

Some nuggets of wisdom from Craig Newmark of Craigslist, speaking at the California Library Association conference.

*Craigslist is founded "on the assumption that people are fundamentally good". This reminded me of a former boss and mentor who drilled into me that systems should be desiged for the majority of people who do the right thing, not the small minority of people who do the wrong thing. I often wonder how well libraries heed this advice.

*"Wikipedia is where the history of our times is being written"

He also told a great story about the founder if the Internet, a guy named Gutenberg and the role a Blogger named Martin Luther played in the Protestant Reformation.

Funny and thought-provoking stuff from someone whose values-driven approach to life and commitment to using his success to make the world a better place is evident in everything he said.

Social knowledge

"What's scarce is NOT the resources, its attention"

From Beth Jefferson of Bibliocommons in a terrific presentstion at the California Library Association about the inadequacy of current Library catlaogs and databases to meet the particular information needs of each person and how web 2.0 tools can empower users to curate and share information in a way that meets their own needs and could also be of interest to others with a similar perspective.

She uses the example of searching for "head injury" in a typical catalog or library database and getting a list if seemingly random items, many of which are irrelevant, and which can contain an overwhelmingly large number of items in the case of database searches - vs the listmania.com list of "information I found useful after my wife's brain injury" which is much more focused to the needs of family members and caregivers.

More food for thought as PVLD embarks on an overhaul of its systems for making our resources available to our customers.  What can we do to help customers find what they need for their PARTICULAR interests and circumstances?  How can we use social networking tools to engage users in making meaning out of the wealth of information our systems contain?

Refining my last post

I wrote my last post in a bit of a hurry and when I went back and reread it I realized I missed a couple of points..so I updated it!

if you read it earlier than 3 pm on Oct 26th take another look....

PVLD Has Great employees!

After yesterday's post on management courage I went home thinking "oh *!?£#" - I hope I didn't give the impression that PVLD is rife with poor performers . As I've said on many occassions PVLD employees are terrific... but we're not perfect. We sometimes make poor hiring decisions and sometimes we let personal stuff get in the way of doing the best possible job for PVLD.

The management challenge is to deal with these situations honestly, fairly, and with courage. If the problem is due to personal issues we do our best to find a solution that works for both the employee and PVLD. Sometimes this even entails making an exception to a policy or system. ...an exception, however, is something that is clearly identified as such and has a limited duration. we also need to make sure these exceptions are fair to other employees.

If course, if the system or process is flawed then we need to fix it - for everyone.

And if the problem truly is poor performance, which is rare, we need to use our performance management and disciplinary procedures to address the issue.

The problems arise when instead of making a one-time exception we permanently bend the system to fit a unique situation without realizing the long-term consequences, or when an exception drags on so long it becomes a de facto permanent change, or when we don't address the few real performance issues. Over time these changes undermine the integrity if the system as a whole. That is the situation PVLD has been dealing with.

Sometimes an employee's personal issues can't be solved by PVLD in a way that is fair to our funders, our customers, or other employees. That is where the management courage I referred to in my last post comes in.

Discipline, courage, and management – or why I’m proud of PVLD’s Managers

I've blogged before about the Classification and Compensation study that PVLD has undertaken, and some of the management challenges that are resulting. This week the joint "employee – management" team that has been working with our consultant to complete the study met with the PVLD Board of Trustees to educate them on the methodology we are using and review the draft report prior to rolling out the report to employees in a few weeks.

As we talked about the proposed new classification and compensation structure it became painfully apparent how many of the deficiencies in our current "system" result from tweaking and bending the system to avoid having to address issues with employee behavior and performance or to put patches on parts of the system that probably should have just been totally redesigned. I use the word "system" very loosely because over the years it has been tweaked to the point that there is nothing systematic about it.

For example, in our Circulation Department at Peninsula Center our current system has very narrow and rigid classifications that limit flexibility and create staff coverage and workflow headaches. So as a general rule "Senior Pages" sort books and oversee the sorting area – but don't return books to the shelves while" Pages" shelve books but don't sort them. We don't know exactly how these demarcations came about, but one version of the story is that (like most libraries) at one time we only had Pages who both sorted and shelved books. There were issues because the Pages would congregate in the sorting room and chat. Rather than having the management discipline to deal with the behavioral issue, the classification of Senior Page was created as a quasi-supervisory position to oversee the sorting room. Now we have organizational confusion because it can feel like you have as many "Chiefs" as "Indians" and inefficiency because of the inflexibility of the structure.

We also have examples where employees whose behaviors made it difficult for them to get along with colleagues were transferred to different jobs or other departments rather than addressing the behavioral issue. Sometimes the jobs were "created" as a solution to the behavior problem even though the organizational need for that position had not been previously identified, and sometimes they brought with them a rate of pay that was higher than that of the new position, creating inequities.

Classification and compensation system aside, we also have been dealing with legacy issues where employees were allowed to elect work schedules that really don't meet the needs of the library and aren't fair to their colleagues because it is hard to tell an employee "if you can't work when we need you, then maybe you need to work somewhere else"; interpersonal friction that is getting in the way of productive work; and employees who don't like certain parts of their job and have been allowed to get away with not doing them.

Dealing with behavioral and performance issues in a disciplined way that is fair to both the organization (i.e. supports effective and efficient operations) and to employees (and not just the employee with the undesirable behavior) is HARD! It takes courage to set clear performance and behavior expectations and then hold people accountable.

This week I have been particularly proud of some of our newer Managers as they have stepped up to the plate to address some of these issues in their departments – not by "tweaking the system" but by having the difficult conversations about expectations and behavior. On the whole our PVLD management team is young and relatively inexperienced so as the District Director I have been curious to see how they would handle some of these issues – the answer is firmly, fairly and with a demonstrable commitment to making PVLD both a high performing organization and one that is a great place to work.

To the taxpayers, volunteers, and donors who support PVLD - you can rest assured that the various parts of the library district are in good hands.

To the PVLD Managers who are reading this – thank you!

Is a public library like a business?

"You should run the library like a business". This is a statement you hear pretty often – often from a "civilian" as opposed to a "library person". Not long ago I came across an article or blog posting where the writer was explaining why s/he felt a library is most definitely not like a business (can't remember where or I'd include a link). I was thinking about that article and how much I disagreed with the author's premise as I was driving home tonight – probably because in the past couple of days I've had several conversations about stuff going on at PVLD that have reinforced for me just how much like a business a public library actually is…or at least should be.

Do libraries exist to make a profit in the way that a business enterprise does? No...but that's a pretty simplistic view of a business. Here's my take on some of the ways we ARE like a business.

	Business	Public Library
Reason for existence is to deliver value to its owners	X (owners are shareholders)	X (owners are the public)
Governing body and employees are entrusted with the stewardship of money and assets belonging to its owners	X (governing body is elected by the shareholders)	X (governing body is elected by the public)
Has customers	X	X
Long-term viability of the organization depends on maintaining and growing the customer base	X	X
Has employees	X	X
Long-term viability of the organization depends on the ability to attract and retain capable employees	X	X

I could make the table longer, but hopefully you get the point. The real question is – so we're like a business…what does that mean for PVLD?  It means many things, but based on some of the issues our Managers have been wrestling with recently I think one of the most important things it means is that we need to always remember that the reason for our existence is to deliver outstanding library services in exchange for the investments made by our community in the form of their property taxes, by our Friends of the Library in the form of their many hours of volunteer labor and the resulting gifts to PVLD, and by our donors who choose to make PVLD a recipient of their generosity.

Every employee needs to come to work every day committed to giving our community, our volunteers, and our donors the best possible return on their investment in us. We do this by doing our assigned work efficiently and effectively; delivering outstanding library services; treating our customers and our colleagues with courtesy and respect; continuously looking for ways to make our operations more cost-effective; and endeavoring to make every decision one that is in the best interest of our customers and our investors.

In other words, we need to do the things we would expect if WE were the owners of this business called a public library...and to some degree we are!

Libraries and Forest Fires

As I look out my office window all I see is a brown haze as smoke from the many fires burning across Southern California clouds the air. At this point tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes and many schools are closed. What's that got to do with a library many miles from the nearest fire? Today I got this in an email from Adult Services Assistant Manager Debra Petersen –

"Today a mom and her three teenage kids come to the reference desk asking for guest passes for the computers. They had been forced to evacuate from the San Diego area because of the fires. I'm not sure what brought them to PV (family?) but the first place they came to was the public library so they could check the updates on the fire from our computer terminals and so the kids could work on their homework!"

We had similar experiences just after Hurricane Katrina. When you are forced to leave your home and are desperate for news and some sense of normalcy isn't it nice to know that there is a public library waiting to welcome you?